The International Anarchist Congress 2010

India on the economic-political map – Indian low castes fight back – India is far from a “functioning anarchy”

The newly created Indian relatively autonomous area, so called state, of Chhattisgarh, is one of the hotspots of the social struggle on the subcontinent. Located in the middle of the peninsula it is characterised by a high percentage of tribal people and low castes. This very fact created a secular tradition of social rebellions and religious reform movements trying to break the traditional extreme social segregation embodied in the “divinely” legitimised castes of Hinduism. The modern form of these popular movements is a.o.t. the Naxalite rebellion which is controlling a part of the area called Dandakaranya and commands great political influence in vast swaths of the region. It is trying to push for community development in collective forms with considerable success.

Meanwhile the appetite of the globalised elites, both the domestic and the international ones are growing. The region is rich of natural resources for mining and forestry. In order to get hold on it the traditional communities  must be evicted from their lands. A  general warning must be given about  the Maoist-organized forces, say, The Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), i.e. a proto-state, in the area, that is in general an obstacle for a more libertarian development. But there are also libertarian tendencies within the popular fight.

Under the guise of the “war on terrorism” the elites have unleashed a deadly campaign of extinction with appalling atrocities like mass executions, beheadings, gang rapes etc. All this passes completely unnoticed from the global public opinion while India is adjured as a new economic “tiger”, creating broad consumerist middle classes. About the other, dark side of the medal nobody wants to take notice of.

The Anarchist International has launched an appeal for urgently needed solidarity which main aspect is to make the  libertarian and popular fight known to the world.

Your solidarity and support to this historic struggle going on in the very heart of India can be in very many ways: You can come and lend your expertise by staying in the area for a few months… We also request you to tell the world of what is becoming of the so-called largest democracy in the world, its in reality a murderous, totalitarian state socialist society, which is consciously being kept away from public scrutiny. It is important that the truth reaches the people of the country and the masses of the world at large. India is at a turning point, the Anarchist International stresses the terrible living conditions of ordinary Indians co-existing with the economical boom. Either India breaks with the statism and capitalist/economical plutarchist tendencies, or sectarianism and Hindu  totalitarian state socialism will prevail. This is a message of hope, but also fearful warnings.

India is as mentioned in reality a totalitarian state socialist society, far from real democracy. The degree of socialism is ca 50,5%, i.e. significant, and thus the degree of capitalism is ca 49,5%, i.e. not the significant, but still an important tendency. The gini-index is 32,5. As rule of the thumb a gini-index less than 35 indicates socialism. The degree of statism is ca 93,8% – very, very significant, i.e. the degree of autonomy is only ca 6,2%. This is mainly so due to the caste system. The authoritarian degree is ca 75%, and thus the libertarian degree is only ca 25%. India is ranked as no 130 on the ranking of countries according to authoritatian degree. It is more socialist than China (ranked as no 88), i.e. left fascist. India is in reality located in the sector of state-communism, in the marxist quadrant of the map, more authoritarian than Cuba (ranked as no 65), in the same sector. It is state-communist in all but the name. Low life expectancy at birth (years), low adult literacy rate and the caste system in general make the system horrible statist, there is very little autonomy. The system has a top heavy pyramid in rank, very much government, and is thus far from a “functioning anarchy” as some of the newsmedia have suggested. There are elections of rulers, yes, and if there were not elections the system would be even more authoritarian, but this does not change the ultra-authoritarian system significantly, the top heavy pyramid exists regardless of shifts on the top.

Key details of India’s national elections in 2009: About 714 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots at more than 828,000 polling stations. Overall turnout was 59 to 60 percent. Major political players: Left-of-center Congress party which, since independence from Britain in 1947, has governed India for a total of more than four decades; Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party; Third Front: An alliance of communists, socialists, regional parties and caste-based parties. Main campaign issues: No central issues resonated with voters and most campaigning revolved around vague promises of jobs and prosperity. The communist totalitarian system at about 75% authoritarian degree is still going strong…

19.05.2009. Newly elected Congress lawmakers formally chose Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as their leader for a second term Tuesday, clearing the way for the swearing in of his new government this week. The Congress-led coalition captured 261 seats in India’s 543-seat Parliament, far more than most analysts predicted, but still 11 short of a majority. On Tuesday however, two key regional parties – Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, which together will control 43 seats – offered to support Singh’s government. Congress has governed for nearly 50 years of modern India’s 61 years of independence. 22.05.2005. Mr Singh and a 19-member cabinet were sworn in. No significant changes in the system’s fundamental parameters are expected.

10.10.2009. India intensifies fight against Maoist rebels. Indian authorities plan to use state police, paramilitaries and special squads to fight Maoist rebels, considered the biggest threat to internal security, a federal official said. Maoist guerrillas, known as Naxalites, have battled the government since the late 1960s. They enjoy support not only in the poorest and tribal communities, but also among youth and the intelligentsia, according to government officials. Indian authorities categorize the Naxalites this way: hardcore armed, local guerillas and Jan (public) militias. The government estimates there are 10,000 hardcore armed Maoists. Last year, 1,591 Maoist rebel attacks killed 721 people, government officials said. About 600 people have died so far this year in more than 1,400 rebel attacks. India recognizes that over time, the rebels have improved their equipment and honed tactics. In addition to targeting police, alleged police informers and people they call “class enemies,” the rebels have placed greater emphasis on attacking infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railways, and power and telecommunication networks. The Naxalites, who began their movement in the West Bengal, now have influence in 20 of the country’s 28 states, according to the government. The Anarchist International supports the libertarian opposition in India, and is against the Maoists/Naxalites, that represent an even more authoritarian system than the present totalitarian communist system in India.

15.11.2010. The Anarchist International supports the anti-Posco struggle in Odisha, India. POSCO, a large Korean corporation with much US financial capital, wants to invest in the mining industry in Orissa (India) and build a steel plant, and captive a power station and port in the Erasama block of the Jagatsinghpur district. The people’s protest intensifies. It is the largest single investment project in the area, and the struggle over it is an example for the type of development India should embark on: a) the globalist capitalist, i.e. economical plutarchist – and statist – with the expulsion of the people, destruction of environment, waste of resources and production for the global market, or b) a pro-people policy based on careful use of the natural resources and organized by the people themselves. The Anarchist International i) supports alternative b), and ii) the people, seen as a class – as opposed to the superiors in rank and/or income, in general!

07.01.2011. The Anarchist International supports the anti-nuke struggle in Maharashtra, India. The Indian state of Maharashtra has a vast coastline, home to many fishing villages and farming communities. Approximately 100 kilometres of this coastline has now been earmarked for major power generating projects by the government, including a nuclear power plant. The local people and the Anarchist International protest against the nuclear power plant.

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