The following interview with Jagadish G Chandra (New Socialist Alternative CWI-India) was conducted by German section of CWI – Sozialistische Alternative (SAV).
Symptom of a deeply unjust society
In December last year, a student in Delhi was gang raped in a bus by several men and died soon after. Miriam Aachen spoke with Jagadish Chandra from CWI-India about the movement that emerged after this horrific incident and its possible implications.
Violence and rape is a big problem in the Indian society, not only in the street, but also within the families and at the police station. Why are women in India made to endure this terrible state of affairs?
India calls itself the world’s largest democracy. Economically, it is one of the global players. But the vestiges of feudalism especially in the land relations and social attitudes remains almost intact. In relationships, people are conditioned to systematically view women and girls as inferior, as goods or as an object. For example, the dowry system forces many families to opt for sex selective abortions of female foetuses, because the dowry forces many families into bankruptcy. The caste system consolidates this social injustice. It makes the exploitation of the working class and the devaluation of women all the more oppressive.
Why did this case (which is extremely cruel indeed) cause such a movement? Was this discussed on a broader level ahead of this movement; where there public activities against violence against women before?
While young women are increasingly combative in asserting their gender rights and in the fight against social injustice, but by and large the issue of sexual violence has remained sectional and incident specific.
The unprecedented anger of the youth of Delhi and other cities of the country, which is reflected in this movement is much more of an expression of the seething discontent against the system that has been building up for a long time.
It is very difficult to get news from India. What is the current stand of the movement? The first days the police reacted very violently against protests, but the movement continued. How has this developed?
It is true that the spontaneous movement against the Delhi Gang Rape, has radically changed the situation at least for the time being. The movement is continuing to demand justice to be expedited. The utter horrific treatment meted out on the protesters in Delhi by the police, has solidified their resolve to go forward and seek justice all the way. The movement for Gender Justice, is not any more restricted to the issue of rape and in Delhi alone, but is spreading to all other towns and cities which is a new phenomenon, which has shaken the administration. Though it may too early to draw parallels, but unmistakably the Indian Youth have spoken on this crucial issue.
It seems there have been calls for the introduction of the death penalty and castration. How has the New Socialist Alternative countered these demands?
Fortunately the overwhelming voice of the present spontaneous upsurge is also on the side of negating the demands for Death Penalty and Castration. It is pertinent to point out the fallacy of empowering the state with more draconian powers which willy-nilly will be directed against the working class itself. We put forward the demands for direct intervention of the Working Masses through their democratic organisations such as Trade Unions and community organisations to set up defence committees to intervene in such social issues, and deliver justice to the affected.
A campaign against rape in isolation from all other aspects of women’s oppression will not serve the purpose. Violence against women is a symptom of a deeply unjust class society in which women are often exploited. Therefore, the campaign must in our view be connected – linking the caste and class exploitation in Indian society with the movement against social injustice – against the injustice that is capitalism.
The Indian society faces a big social crisis. In February, there will be a 48 hour – general strike?
Yes, and we will be actively participating. The general strike was called in the first place against the economic policies of the current government. Unfortunately, the organizers of the strike have no clue as to the link between Patriarchy and Capitalism, let alone Rape and the System of Capitalism. Of course, the political consciousness is very mixed, it is hard to beat this trend. However, the youth and working class are more open to new and radical ideas, by patient and pertinent explanation we can get their attention.
(Translated from German)