>From: "ALL INDIA ANTI-IMPERIALIST FORUM" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >GO BACK CLINTON > >NO TO CLINTON > >ALL INDIA ANTI-IMPERIALIST FORUM RAISES THE SLOGAN IN NEW DELHI CONVENTION > > > > >Citizens' Convention Against Imperialism attacks Clinton Visit > > >The first salvo of people's protest against the visit of imperialist chieftain >Bill Clinton to India was fired in New Delhi by the All India Anti-Imperialist >Forum. On the 10th of March, an All India Citizens' Convention Against >Imperialism organised by the Forum at Sapru House in the heart of the capital >city saw a rekindling of the fire of India's anti-imperialist tradition. The >Indian bourgeoisie has systematically dampened this tradition over the years >through its use of mass media and control over education. But the captivating >illusions created by the bourgeois propaganda machines cannot allay the rage >and the pain of a people constantly under imperialist-capitalist attack. >Expressing the feeling of millions of Indians suffering under the attack of >imperialism-capitalism, hundreds of people marched from Tilak Bridge to Sapru >House shouting slogans and waving placards and banners, "Killer Clinton, Go >Back, Go Back" and "No to War-monger Clinton". The auditorium at Sapru House >was filled to capacity as people from all walks of life heard a group of >eminent citizens from all over India. The auditorium was adorned with banners >and posters that expressed the anger of the Indian people against the red >carpet welcome extended to the imperialist chieftain by the BJP Government. >Prof Narendra Sharma, All India Committee member of the Forum, set out the >objectives of the Convention in a brief but powerful speech. > > >Dr. Sushil Kumar Mukherjee, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Calcutta >and the General Secretary of the All India Anti-imperialist Forum took the >chair and Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer, former judge of Supreme Court of India and >President of the Forum inaugurated the Convention. In his address in support >of the Resolution, he added, "Bill Clinton is a surrogate for American >corporate power and backed by the military power of the Pentagon. His visit is >part of a strategy to weaken South Asia, a region rich in natural and >intellectual resources. The US piously talks of improving Indo-Pakistan >relations. But the real intention is to enhance tensions between the two >countries and make its own presence as mediator inevitable. The US wants a >monopoly of nuclear power so as to threaten the whole world. The perpetrators >of Hiroshima and Nagasaki preach human rights." Justice Iyer criticised both >the BJP and the Congress for their economic policies that allow both national >and international corporate power to impoverish people. Lashing out at the >imperialist culture of credit-financed consumption which is corrupting the >middle class, he called upon people to shed their feeling of dependence on the >imperialist powers, struggle for economic justice and assert their >sovereignty. > > >Mr. Satyavrata, an eminent freedom fighter, referred to Clinton's statement >that he would go to any length to defend the American way of life. He defined >the American way of life as one achieved by "grotesque exploitation of the >people and natural resources of developing countries, damaging the environment >of these countries, creating areas of conflagration and selling arms there." >The NATO Doctrine, whose principal architect is Bill Clinton, reserves the >right for NATO to intervene militarily in any part of the world or against any >new country that develops nuclear weapons. Dr. N. A. Karim, former Pro >Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University said that no less than 50 wars had been >fought after the Second World War, mostly instigated by US imperialism. "The >illusion of permanent membership in the Security Council is being offered, but >the fact is that the US periodically defies Security Council directives and >acts unilaterally". He also said that the Clinton visit was taking place since >US imperialism realised that the BJP regime was ready for an alliance with it. >Prof. Sunanda Sanyal said, "Globalisation is but a new word for imperialism >since it is taking place entirely on the terms of the US, it is a programme >for the US and other imperialist powers to dictate terms to the rest of the >world. Under globalisation, profits are privatised, but costs and risks are >socialised.the WTO patents regime enables the plunder of indigenous resources >and also thwarts innovation.imperialist influence in education is visible in >the influx of foreign universities into India and the simultaneous starvation >of Indian universities of finances." Social activist Mr. Dilip Chandulal >called for an action plan to project the 'monster' of imperialism before the >people, realise our own identity and fight for the betterment of every Indian. >He stressed the need to create a climate of people's hegemony over imperialist >hegemony by using indigeneous modes of expression with anti-imperialist >content. Prof. Jayati Ghosh of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, >Jawaharlal Nehru University gave an elaborate account of the South East Asian >crisis and pointed out that the imperialists destroyed the very national >industries of those countries which they had helped to create in the Cold War >period as a bulwark against Communism. They were able to do this by forcing >financial liberalisation on these countries to enable flows of short-term >speculative capital. As MNCs carve up and buy the assets of local monopolies, >unemployment is growing by leaps and bounds. Development indicators show that >three decades of national development have been wiped out by the crisis. >Dwelling on the threat posed by the internal collaborators of imperialism, she >said that the elites of developing countries had become entranced by the >American illusion of competition and individual prosperity which could never >be realised in the utterly different ground reality of a developing country. >Ms. Leone Reinbold from the Direct Action Network Against Corporate >Globalisation, USA described police brutality against protesters at the WTO >Ministerial Meet at Seattle as "protecting Clinton from his own people". >"Clinton represents the military-industrial complex, where 50% of the Budget >goes.American democracy offers its people only a false choice between >Democrats like Clinton and Republicans like Bush." She finished her address >with a rousing protest song. Prof. A. K. Nagar from Haryana drew the attention >of the house to the fact that even as the BJP Government was celebrating the >Clinton visit as a triumphant outcome of the Talbott-Jaswant talks, India >continued to be under economic sanctions clamped by the US. Giving facts and >figures of the inequalities in standard of living and resource use of India >and the US, he cited these as an inevitable outcome of imperialism. Prof. >Sukomal Dasgupta said that Clinton is a symbol of the imperialist system to be >focussed on and fought against. He said that it was a necessity for the Indian >capitalist class to emerge as a regional superpower and this ambition was >fitting well with the US' need for an ally against China. The BJP, with its >expansionist vision of a Hindu empire covering Central and South East Asia, >was serving both the Indian capitalist class and the US imperialists. > > >In a written message sent to the Convention, Prof. D.P. Barooah, former >Vice-Chancellor of Guwahati University said, "The 'strategic partnership' now >advertised is a sham, and, as far as India is concerned, there is no >alternative to self-reliance. This must be proclaimed, loudly and clearly." >Another message, from noted Tamil literateur, Indira Parthasarathy, said, >"Imperialist countries.offer 'culture' for sale. The world is now being >increasingly 'united' by 'cultural clonification' to provide markets to the >rich countries in the name of 'free economy'". > > >The Resolution placed before the Convention, was unanimously adopted by the >house to loud applause. > > >In his Presidential address, Dr. Sushil Mukherjee said, "Imperialism is eating >into the vitals of civilisation in all spheres - economic, cultural and >moral.our fight is not only against outside forces but also internal >collaborators.the BJP Government has evil motives in inviting Clinton and >needs to be fought against." He called upon the people of India to rise up in >protest against the Clinton visit and build up a militant anti-imperialist >movement. He urged them to organize protest demonstrations against Clinton's >visit in all the state capitals. The audience erupted into thunderous slogans >against Bill Clinton and the BJP Government. > > >As the anti-imperialist fighters trooped out, their mood indicated that >Clinton's trip to India would not be as idyllic as the American and Indian >ruling classes would like it to be. > > >A booklet "The Clinton Visit and BJP Government-US Relations: A Mirror of >Imperialist Designs" was published by AIAIF on this occasion. > > > > > > >RESOLUTION > >Adopted at the All India Citizens' Convention Against Imperialism organised by >the All India Anti-Imperialist Forum > >and held at Sapru House, New Delhi on March 10, 2000 > > > > >This Citizens' Convention held under the auspices of the All India >Anti-Imperialist Forum expresses its deep resentment against the red-carpet >welcome extended by the BJP-led Government to President Bill Clinton, the >chieftain of imperialism in the world today, and calls upon the people of this >country to rise against the visit of this butcher of humanity. Riding >roughshod over the glorious tradition of anti-imperialist struggle of the >Indian people and throwing to the wind all sense of national honour and >dignity, the Government and the media subservient to the ruling class >interests are projecting President Clinton as the sentinel of peace and >democracy taking advantage of the absence of democratic mass movements in the >country. > > >President Clinton is most hated in his own country, and whenever this leader >of the imperialist camp goes outside the USA he faces hostile demonstrations. >He could not stay in Athens because of angry anti-US demonstrations by more >than 40,000 Greek people. > > >This so-called champion of peace, upholder of democracy and votary of human >rights is the perpetrator of the worst form of criminal activities in the >international political arena. He launched murderous missile attacks on >sovereign countries like Afghanistan and Sudan on the plea of fighting >terrorism, while the US administration itself has been aiding and abetting >terrorist groups and is exporting terrorism to different countries. Who does >not know that the Taliban was the creation of America to further its interests >in Central Asia? Taking advantage of the contradictions between the urge for >independence of the East Timorese people and the domination of the Indonesian >ruling class, US forces have moved into East Timor under the flag of the UN >and have established a military base in the heart of the Indian Ocean. > > >Clinton despatched a marauding army to Somalia which indulged in wanton >torture, murder and rape of the Somalian people. The US imperialists >arbitrarily imposed 'no-fly zones' over Iraq and have been periodically >bombing the country, causing death and destruction of the Iraqi people and >their property. The US is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands >of Iraqi children for want of food and vital medicines which Iraq has been >debarred from importing because of economic sanctions following the Gulf War. > > >Clinton's hands are stained with blood in the war in Yugoslavia. He pursued a >"burn-all", "destroy-all ", "kill-all" policy there. Countless children have >been orphaned, thousands have been killed and tens of thousands of people have >become shelterless. Hospitals, educational institutions, churches, residential >complexes and even embassies were not spared from bombing. And this is the >person who is welcomed with open arms by the BJP-led Government. > >.cont'd > >During the WTO Conference in Seattle, Clinton's police attacked the protesting >demonstrators with batons, bullets, grenades, teargas, irritant chemicals and >unconventional gases that medically affected them. The arrested persons were >beaten and tortured in jails. > > >President Clinton has been threatening socialist Cuba and is continuing >economic sanctions against it. Cuba is subjected to US intrigue and threat of >invasion and subversion. North Korea is also threatened with dire consequences >if it does not capitulate and toe the American line. > > >The long history of predatory activities of USA in Latin America - in Columbia >Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Haiti etc. is fresh in our memory. > > >Clinton is the principal architect of the NATO Doctrine that was announced >during the bombing of Yugoslavia. This diabolical Doctrine reserves for NATO >the right of military intervention in any part of the world without any >deference to international law. While promising to preserve the existing >nuclear weapon monopoly, it threatens the use of nuclear weapons against any >nation that upsets the existing 'balance of power' and promises to expand >NATO's nuclear arsenal into Eastern Europe. > > >The role of the US imperialists in the Indo-Pak subcontinent is equally >heinous. They are inciting India against Pakistan and at the same time >supporting Pakistan in its aggressive designs. The Kargil war has provided >President Clinton with the scope to meddle in Kashmir affairs and to take full >advantage of the situation. The real motive of the US imperialists is to keep >alive war tensions in the subcontinent in order to create a permanent arms >market in both the countries. > > >Such is the person whom the Indian ruling class and big industries are >inviting - the leader of the imperialist camp, a warmonger, butcher of common >people, the epitome of death and destruction. The Government's objective is to >serve the interest of the Indian capitalist class for further penetration in >the world market and to emerge as a regional superpower with US backing. And >on the other side, the US' motive is to further its sinister design to make >India a partner in global monopolists' dominance and in its global military >strategy, and to gain further entry into the Indian market. Already, in >collaboration with the World Bank, IMF and the WTO, the BJP-led Government is >taking, one after another, anti-people economic measures and the working class >and common people are suffering under grinding exploitation. The entire burden >of the economic crisis is thrust on the shoulders of the working class. >Poverty, hunger, destitution and unemployment are looming large before them. > > >We shall not remain silent spectators while the Indian monopolists, in their >desire for profit, barter the welfare of the Indian people with the >imperialist powers. It is the bounden duty of every patriotic Indian to >condemn and expose the BJP's real design in welcoming the imperialist leader >and number one war criminal President Clinton. > > >This Convention calls upon the people of India to rise up in protest against >the visit and build up a militant anti-imperialist movement. We urge them to >organize protest demonstrations against Clinton's visit in all the state >capitals. Let the cry resonate in every nook and corner of India, on every >rooftop, in every street and road of every town and village: > > >GO BACK CLINTON, GO BACK - BUTCHER OF HUMANITY > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
