Chalo Delhi
Rally Against WTO and Draconian POTO
Public Meeting at Ramleela Grounds at 11 AM
Rally from Ramleela Grounds to Parliament Street at 3 PM
On 15 April 2002, New Delhi
Dear Friends,
We are facing an unprecedendented crisis in the economy and particularly in the agricultural sector, the worst ever seen in recent decades. The rulers of our country are selling our beloved motherland in the international market in the name of ‘Second Generation Reforms’ and opening the doors to permit plunder of the economy by MNC sharks and imperialist countries. Prices of essential commodities are rising unabated, real incomes are declining and the people are groaning under miserable conditions.
‘Freedom to Farmers!’
The Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha while presenting the Budget for the year 2002-03 declared that ‘Freedom to Farmer, Kisan ki Azadi is the overarching goal’ of their government’s policy. There can be no bigger lie than this since the beginning of the new millennium. His government must have achieved it by strictly framing the Budget along the dotted lines charted out by the WTO regime!
The Budget lays over emphasis on orientation towards exports for agri-products, though it is certain that our agricultural products cannot compete in the international market given the massive subsidies given to farmers in the big imperialist countries. The Budget gives many concessions and gives a free hand to foreign Multinational Companies, particularly in the agricultural sector in a big way. With this Budget, the NDA Government has lifted all protection mechanisms for the Agriculture sector by proposing privatisation of water, by revising user charges, handing over the research in agriculture to the ‘corporate sector and private agri-business clinics’, etc.
Phasing out of FCI was already announced in last year’s Budget. The support price system is replaced with the promotion of agricultural exports by setting up Agri Export Zones. All this Sinha calls the ‘third revolution of agricultural diversification and food processing’ after the Green and White revolutions. He talks of further decontrol and deregulation of agriculture along the same lines. Sinha decries the ‘open-ended procurement of wheat and rice by FCI at a high price and disposal at a heavily subsidised price through PDS and says that this is not a sustainable policy. To finish off this entire system he asks us to wait for the report of a High Level Committee on Long Term Grain Policy.
Looting the poor to feed the Big Sharks
Foreign companies and corporate houses have been given concessions on a large scale, (Tax for foreign firms reduced to 40%) while small-scale industry and the agriculture sector are axed severely. Postal charges are increased again. The prices of various commodities have also been increased -- by Rs 1.50 per litre of kerosene, Rs 40 per cylinder of cooking gas and 5% on fertilisers. The Budget speaks of rationalisation of labour laws, which means doing away with existing hard won rights of the workers. This is a promise made to the big domestic industrialists lobby and to the MNCs regarding amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1956. The WTO, particularly the Doha decisions, clearly have a bearing on the Budget. The Budget is a clear indication of the fact that we have lost our economic independence and political sovereignty that we were supposed to enjoy earlier. In the past two years the same ‘Swadeshi’ brigadiers lifted Quantitative Restrictions on 1429 items and jeopardised the domestic market with the vicissitudes of the inflow of foreign products including agricultural products.
Betrayal of Vajpayee Government at Doha
Prior to the Doha Conference Murasoli Maran, Central Minister for Commerce and Industry claimed that the Government would not agree to a new round of negotiations in WTO until the existing Agreements are reviewed and discriminations against ‘developing’ countries are removed. In Doha also he spoke boldly at the beginning but finally meekly followed the diktats of the imperialist powers in green rooms and signed on the Doha Declaration that included the new round of negotiations.
At Doha, WTO passed two declarations. The main declaration contains the agenda for new round of negotiations but disguised in the name of ‘work programme’ with fixed dates and schedules forcing the third world countries to accept more humiliating and disastrous Agreements. The other declaration deals with some minor eyewash amendments in the TRIPS Agreement on the issue of Public Health. Maran claimed these minor changes as a big victory.
The discriminatory Agreement on Agriculture has been scheduled to be reviewed. There are several implementation issues, which are to be revised in order to correct the imbalances in the treaty as per the GATS Agreement itself. There is no concrete commitment regarding subsidies for agriculture given under Green Box and Blue Box and elimination of export subsidies in European Union and America. Imperialist countries never bothered to implement the provisions of the WTO Agreements. They have increased the subsidies to agriculture, increased non-tariff barriers and anti-dumping measures etc.
On the controversial Singapore issues - investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation, India agreed for negotiations after 5th Ministerial Conference i.e. 2003, based on "explicit consensus". These issues further subjugate our economy to the imperialist powers. Many non-trade issues like environmental issues and labour standards are included for new negotiations with a view to hinder our exports. Vajpayee Government betrayed the aspirations and interests of Indian people at Doha and prostrated before the imperialist countries particularly, American imperialists and accepted the final declaration.
The Subsequent Disaster
For over the past seven years after India joined the WTO, our rulers whether they represent BJP, or Congress or any other Party unanimously boasted that the ‘reform agenda’ would boost our economy and our exports will increase manifold. They have been asserting that our agricultural products will have massive sales in the international markets. Now our farmers are not able sell their produce even in the domestic market. The reform measures in tune with the WTO regime have reduced our peasants to a desperate situation. The reduction in subsidies and institutional loans caused a sharp rise in the input costs for the farm sector while the prices of agricultural products collapsed.
In such a grim situation about 1000 farmers committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh alone in the past 5 years. The farmers in Maharashtra, Karnataka and even in relatively developed Punjab also resorted to suicides. Starvation deaths have been registered in Orissa, Chhatisgargh and some other parts of the country. The textile policies of the Central and State Governments resulted in suicide deaths of weavers in Karimnagar, Prakasham and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh. Poverty has increased. Unemployment reached unparalleled levels. The ‘reforms’ dictate that governments give up their duty to plan for employment generation.
The developed countries have been using heavy force on the third world people in order to overcome the burden of their deep crisis. They have been shifting this crisis onto the shoulders of our people. The protests in Seattle, Genoa and other places against every move of the imperialist institutions like WTO, IMF, World Bank or World Economic Forum, clearly show the anger of the people who have been affected by imperialist globalisation. The imperialists in turn by utilising the situation in the wake of September 11 attack on New York and Pentagon have been suppressing these anti-globalisation movements.
Opposing POTO is Opposing Globalisation
The Indian rulers brought out Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) 2001 with a deceitful argument that they want to contain terrorism in India. POTO in real terms targets the people’s movements that are developing a new intensity due to the growing unrest against disinvestment, sell out of our resources, unemployment and even the ruination of our farm-sector, industry and even the service sector.
The ruling classes have not been tolerating the dissent against these policies among the people. Any movement opposing and resisting the pro-imperialist and anti-people policies have been met with severe repression. Extra-judicial killings in the name of Encounter killings have been used as a method to suppress the democratic movements.
Attacks on all sections of society are increasing day by day as the crisis of the ruling class deepens. The oppressed classes of agricultural labourers, small peasants and industrial workers have to bear the brunt of these attacks. The dalits, adivasis, women and minorities who face two fold oppression and are often the first victims, being the easiest targets, are also groaning under the negative impact of these policies. The students, the unemployed, the middle classes have also been facing the severe onslaught. The struggling people also have to face the repressive state machinery while opposing these policies. But instead of taking up a serious review of the present policies, our rulers are attempting to suppress all opposition to them.
The Vajpayee Government at the centre is inciting national chauvinism, Hindu communalism and saffronising society to divert and subvert the attention of the people and democratic movements and is even perpetrating massacres of the minorities through the Sangh Parivar taking advantage of heinous Godhra incident. The construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya is a ploy to realise their fascist rule and implement the pro-imperialist reforms. In this alarming and grave situation, we appeal to all sections of people, especially the patriotic and democratic organisations and forces to join the movement to safeguard and fight for the cause of the people and our beloved motherland.
New Delhi, 04/03/2002
Forum Against Imperialist Globalisation (FAIG)
Printed and Published by the convenors, G.N. Saibaba, AIPRF, Tel– 011-7466155, Email:
aiprf@hotmail.com; V Venkataramaiah, AIKMS, Tel.011- 4645276; Savithri, Pragatisheel Mahila Sanghatan (Maharastra), Tel. 07173-66794 Email: asavithri@indiatimes.com 
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