A meeting was held by Indian Workers Association (GB), at the end of   February, to mark the Centenary of Martyrdom of Madhan Lal Dhingra. The meeting was held at the Desh Bhagat Hall in Birmingham.

The speakers covered how on August 17th 1909, another fine son of India laid down his young life for the liberation of his motherland. He was hanged in Pentonville prison, London for shooting the sly fox, William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, to further inspire patriots in India and abroad to rise up against the hated colonial rule and free their country. This followed 52 years after the nationwide uprising of 1857 and thirty years before Shaheed Udham Singh killed Michael ‘O’ Dwyer at Caxton hall in London.

The British Colonial rule had uprooted Indian agriculture and its famous manufacturing industries industries, giving rise to frequent perpetual famines. This brought death and starvation to tens of millions of people. The Indian people lived a life of starvation, misery and humiliation under colonial rule. The hearts of Indian patriots seethed with anger against these injustices and had a burning passion to end these injustices. The sacrifice of Madhan Lal Dhingra added  another chapter in the proud traditions of our people in their struggle to achieve real freedom and create a society offering a life of dignity and security of livelihood for all, free from exploitation.

Salvinder Dhillon fro IWA (GB) elaborated on the role of the British colonialists and their trusted agents, the present rulers of India. The British colonialist created their own army of native Indians and a class of native collaborators to help them rule the Indian subcontinent. The new class became the main rich elite running industry and agriculture serving colonial interest People from this agent class were given education and training in England to uphold the “British way of life and values’ and safeguard colonial rule. Political parties were set up from these recruits to contain the flames of revolution. The Indian National Congress being the mainstream political party serving such aims. The continued revolts and rising tide of revolution following the Second World War forced the British colonialists to transfer power to their trusted agents in 1947. The transfer of power resulted in the partition of the Indian subcontinent sowing the seeds of development of political economic systems in India and Pakistan serving the interests of the rich elite.  

As a consequence of a wealthy minority coming to power, we now have two India’s’. The India of the wealthy elite embarking on turning India into a superpower serving the super rich. The other India of the vast majority of the super poor. As a comparison only, there are more starving people in India than the whole of Africa.

The new masters ensured that their rule continues through their political representatives in the Indian National Congress and later along with its offshoots such as BJP and other political groupings.

The increased impoverishment of the Indian people at the hands of the new brown sahibs forced the people of India to continue to wage struggles to end the exploitive rule by the new masters. The telengana uprising, Naxalbari and numerous struggles waged by the working class, peasantry and other exploited sections are a proof that the Indian people will build on these experiences and continue their struggles until the lofty aspirations and vision of the patriots of 1857 uprising, Gadhar Lehr, Kartar Singh Saraba, Shaheed Udham Singh and Shaheed Bhagat Singh as well as countless others are fulfilled. Today the working class and the peasantry along with other exploited sections are intensifying their struggles to complete the unfinished task of achieving real freedom.

The worldwide recession is posing grave situations for working people in Britain, India and other countries worldwide. The world is being taken on the brink of a catastrophic third world war with Asia being tied to the war chariot of US imperialism. Abroad also patriots of Indian origin are forging their unity to meet the challenges of the times. They are building their organizations to ensure the interest of all working people are defended and link their struggles to creation of a new society empowering people to be decision makers and exercise self governance. A new society with the economy geared to serving the majority. A society offering dignity, security of livelihood, constantly raising living standards and cultural standards of all working people.

The Indian Workers Association (GB) is proud to commemorate the centenary of Madan Lal Dhingra and calls on all progressive forces to forge their unity through advancing the struggles to fulfill their common aspirations and vision.  

Dr Amrit Wilson from South Asia Solidarity Group elaborated on the current struggles of workers and peasantry in India against exploitation by the new ruling elite in India. She mentioned how in Nandi gram the Indian State forcibly seized land from the people and give it to wealthy industrialists to set up their enterprises and further enrich themselves. Dr Wilson covered the heroic struggles of the peasantry against their exploitation in rural areas along with brutal attacks by the Indian State.

Dr Radha De Souza from Indian Workers Association (GB) covered the attacks in Bombay and the role of the Indian State in using these attacks in suppressing and weakening peoples struggles against their exploitation by the ruling elite. She mentioned that Bombay blasts and similar attacks on civilian places serve only the interests of the Indian State and undermines peace in South Asia. It is hard to prove who is exactly behind these attacks but people must not draw hasty conclusions and fall prey to schemes of the Indian State and their imperialist allies in turning people against each other or further destabilising the Indian Subcontinent.

A representative from the Palestinian community shed light on the heroic struggles of the Palestinian people for their homeland. The speaker condemned the war mongering policies of Israel and its imperialist allies. He made comparisons between the struggles of Indian Martyrs for real freedom and the ongoing struggles of the Palestinian people along with others in the Middles East fighting for real freedom.

The meeting ended with discussions on the current situation facing our community in Britain and the continued struggles for real freedom for our people in the Asian Subcontinent. The participants responded to the call of the IWA (GB) to hold further meetings on Madhan Lal Dhingra later in the year and also create a literary publication in his memory.