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Oppose top capitalists’ control over India, not neo-liberal policies: Irfan Habib tells communists
Kolkata, Dec 29 (IANS) Rather than opposing India’s neo-liberal policies, the communists should rail against the control that the top capitalists now exert over the entire country, noted Marxist historian Irfan Habib has said.
“It is not neo-liberal policies we should oppose. It is the top business capitalists controlling the entire country that we should oppose. Neo-liberal policies are only a product of the situation. India today is a capitalist state with some landlord elements. It is not the state that existed in early 1950s or early 1960s,” Habib said while delivering a speech on “Democracy, Secularism: Problems and Prospects” organised by the Communist Party of India-Marxist here on Thursday evening.
Known for his strong opposition to both Hindu and Islamic communalists, Habib accused the BJP government at the centre of being totally subservient to top capitalists.
“Opposition to the BJP is not simply an opposition to a wrong ideological position. It is opposition to complete subservience to the top elements of capital,” the 86-year-old said.
To buttress his point, Habib cited the Narendra Modi government’s demonetisation move and the roll-out of the Goods and Services Tax.
“You look at demonetisation, GST; they all attack small businesses, individual employers, contractors, etc. They don’t attack top businesses. In fact, they only serve the top businesses.
“If we are a communist party, party of socialism, our opposition must be directed towards this party which is totally subservient. It is not a question of neo-liberal policy, but a question of basic capitalist orientation,” said the Padma Bhushan awardee.
He called upon the Left to regain its lost ground and be “ideologically prepared” to oppose the Sangh Parivar-led “drive towards fascism”.
“To oppose the present rise towards fascism, we must be ideologically prepared. I am afraid we have weakened a lost. There was a time in the 1950s and 1960s that the Left certainly was prominent, though I wouldn’t say they dominated, in journalism, in books.
“We seem to have lost that battle, tactically. We must regain that ground.”
According to Habib, the major contradiction in India today is between the RSS-oriented drive towards fascism, and the interests of the common people, peasants and workers, democrats and small businessmen, as also the interests of intellectuals and believers in rationalism.
“We must unite all of them to oppose the drive to fascism”.
Habib opined that there were a number of similarities between the ideology of the Nazis and that of the RSS.
“Nazism talked of glorification of the German race, the supposition that Aryans were white people who came out of Germany, and that Germans invented most of the things, and that Jews, along with England and France were enemies of Germany.
“Does it not look like RSS ideology? They also claim ancient India invented everything, the aeroplane and so on . They say Aryans civilised the world. They claim Indus civilisation belongs to us, not to Dravidians. Do they not consider Muslims and others as sinners,” Habib asked.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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