Organise-struggle-reconstruct

 Medha Patkar

We all who firmly believe that the fundamental change/transformation in the society can only be heralded by people's movements are standing at this moment in history at a crossroad. On the one hand through our struggles we have made a significant headway in opposing the unconstitutional SEZs which encourages and fills our hearts with great hope but on the other in spite of so many movements and struggles going on across the country the bureaucrats, the capitalists and the powers that be of this country are hell bent upon displacing and looting the common masses and even callously refusing to give them their rightful share. Those of us who want to make the people's movements stronger and make them the real force for change sometime feel very much concerned about our own weaknesses, our ineffectiveness and inherent lack of persistence and perseverance. Even those of us, who have accepted that struggle is the only way for movements to make an impact, feel that we do not give enough emphasis on re-construction programmes, and engage ourselves in searching for alternative programmes as a result of which sometimes we loose our balance and direction.

Under such circumstances and with this perspective in mind many of us who have been part of the movements for over decades believe that the path of present party politics will not genuinely serve the interests of the masses but the struggles of people's movements will.

We believe that the change obtained through entering into electoral politics, though vital but partial, is totally different from the total and fundamental transformation, as aspired by the people's movements. With this perspective many of us follow the path of non-electoral political processes without doubt and hindrance, believing that it is imperative for us to do so. Certainly, these activists do not consider the electoral politics as untouchable, but do go on expanding their network-circles by taking up issues which affect common people the most.

Our experience suggests that unless we begin the struggle at various levels, no headway can be achieved, and we must muster support of masses based on these lines: “organize-struggle-re-construct”. Along with this we need to intervene and confront the global power-centres to stem the onslaught of globalization but without loosing sight of our distinctive local and national issues.

If it is a moment of crisis then it is also a moment of bountiful opportunities in the history for us to be organizing and exploring the creative faculties of the masses and movements. The moment of reckoning has arrived and with that I urge all to rise above our own local actions, struggles and limited perspectives/visions and do some soul-searching. On the basis of this collective deep thinking let us all together begin our march towards the all-comprising goals of our movements and seek a planetary vision.

We need to dwell on certain fundamental issues and develop commonality of purpose and evolve our strategies accordingly. Hereunder, I mention some of the issues that come to my mind :

1. Is the space and the need for people's movements shrinking?

2. Do we, the spearheads of people's movements, (jan-andolans) feel the need to go further than what we see as issues around us and our analysis thereof and aim at a larger national transformation?

3. Are the masses (dalits, adivasis, women, the displaced, workers, farmers etc.) in a frame of mind and the conditions suitable for a long sustained struggle ahead at the national and international level which will shake the inner walls of the capitalism and the establishment?

4. Is the middle class, the intelligentsia willing to participate and stand by the side of the struggle against exploitation, oppression and inequality? Are they willing to be a part of this process towards developing a planetary vision and secure justice and dignity for everyone?

5. Are we in a position to formulate strategies which will compel those in power to respond to the voices of a much wider social transformation?

6. Democratic socialism is the alternative to capitalism. We do have alternatives for the present consumerist society (culture) and also technical alternatives. Can we, on the basis of this, obtain attitudinal changes in the minds of the people? When the globalization and liberalization are in full swing, can we abolish the power of the market? The belief that human beings and nature are for market only—can we challenge such ideologies and thought processes?

7. Those, who wish not to play any effective and tangible role in electoral politics, can they educate the masses on the imperatives of non-electoral people’s politics?

8. Can the exploited and the distressed become the spearheads (leaders) of an independent, strong, sharp and people-oriented politics when the elected representatives of today’s political set up turn out to be insensitive and devoid of all moral and ethical values? Can such a leadership create a space for itself in the present set up, can it be a respectable entity in the current set up?

9. Can a national and international structure based on the principles of non-violence, sister-brotherhood, equality, sustainability and justice be born from such a leadership (refer to point 8), which will reject imperialism in Toto? Depending upon the sovereignty of its people, space and resources can we create a nation which includes plural and diverse nationalities within itself?

We do try to find answers/solutions to such important questions, but remain encircled within the limits of our local or long-term issues and scattered campaigns. While we do find solutions to some, new ones are born and we find that inequality, exploitation, injustice, petty differences and violence surrounds us all around.

When we try to go deeper into this, some alternatives that we arrive at are as follows:

1. Let us make our organizational process deeper/stronger/reflective as far as we are able to, to achieve-(a) successes with twin simultaneous programmes of struggle and re-construction (sangharsh aur nirman) (b) stop wanton destruction, using legal avenues-intervention, if necessary, (c) seek to change constitutional framework wherever possible, and (d) to create social and political awareness of the masses. The needs to be carried on with perseverance, devoting it undivided attention.

We need to support one another whenever our partners in the campaigns/struggles/movements ask for so that we nurture one antother. Some joint action could also be thought of so that a feeling of closeness, sister/brotherhood is sustained, close bonds could emerge out of such joint actions. We shall not abhor and keep away from the electoral processes, wherever it is needed to be influenced, for some concrete results and bring a clear change in it. But our paramount goal must be to create power of the masses through conducting struggles, campaigns on people’s issues. Electoral processes be given less emphasis. Let us work on two levels—struggles on the one hand and re-construction on the other.

2. Let us not forget that inspite of all our struggles we are still weak, our strength is limited and the challenges we face are mighty. The forces pitted against us are powerful, of capital and market who loot, inflict poverty on the greatest number of people. There is violence of the state and its administration, violence at the international level of wars and within us we find politics based on castes differences, religious divides, and unequal distribution of nation’s resources. Therefore, if found necessary at opportune moment, we shall not fight shy of joining the political process and defeat these exploitative forces. We shall follow the paths shown to us by stalwarts like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan and others who struggled for ‘Total Revolution’ but also look beyond and deep inside our own struggles to develop a comprehensive programme. The sole purpose of all this is only to aggressively challenge the status quo relentlessly in all spheres of life.

3. Thirdly, the most important issue before us is the unity of all the social change movements, of those who believe in the sovereignty of people, in true democracy, justice, non-violence, and have full faith and are determined to work for Sarva Dharma Samabhav (dharma not literally in the sense of religion alone). The effort should be to bring all the above streams in one wider circle of movements, ‘assembly of movements’. We shall enlist support of respected and balanced thinkers, unblemished intelligentsia and spread ourselves as widely as possible in the far corners of the country to create an alternative to the present political process. Let us make efforts to create ‘Jan-sansad’ real ‘People's Parliament’ as an alternative, a challenge, to today’s selfish, corrupt politics which is devoid of all moral and ethical values.

I wish to specifically draw your attention to the third point mentioned above, and urge movements, alliances and forums who are involved in issue-based networking and struggles, to give your thoughts to conceptualizing the idea of ‘Jan-sansads’. Let us give a call for this after mobilizing people all across, consulting conscientious thinkers/activists and form ‘Jan-sansads’ wherever it is possible. This process would be fundamentally decentralized, but effort should be to make it a nation wide campaign.

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