Though the history of modern wars has time and again proved beyond all doubts that it is the people and not weapons who ultimately decide the fate of wars, yet all anti-people regimes refuse to learn this basic lesson and continue to befool their own people telling them that acquiring of more and more weapons is in national interest. Convinced, that finally the people would turn against them, these regimes place their reliance upon the weapons instead of people. In India, the present regime led by the BJP follows this line.
This country which is among the most backward and poor countries of the world, which according to the government itself is undergoing acute financial crisis, has been forced by its government to afford a budget of hundreds of crores of rupees for its nuclear programme. People are called upon by this government to support this fanaticism. At the cost of peoples' sufferings the rulers are planning to acquire dominating position in regional politics for themselves. They argue that by becoming the sixth nuclear power they have posed a threat to the monopoly of the existing five. What a grand logic! Even an illiterate person knows this much elementary arithmatic that addition of 'one' to the figure of 'five' makes the five stronger and not weaker. Then whom you are befooling Hon'ble Ministers? Your inclusion in the group of five would not only make the club of nuclear powers stronger than before but would also drag other countries to this power struggle. You have opted to follow the suit adopted by a small minority of five countries while forgetting that majority countries on the globe have stood in strong opposition to the nuclear designs and have no plans to go for it. Instead of supporting the world movement against the nuclear powers, this government has further strengthened the club of five.
The foreign policy of this government is absolutely clear. Its motive is to dominate its neighbouring countries with military might ant to gain political hegemony in the region. The nuclear tests followed by a series of baseless statements issued by our ministers against the neighbouring countries, creating the impression of a war-like situation, are clearly part of war efforts being made by this Government. Governments in India have failed even to make proper arrangements of daily bread for its people but hundred of crores are being spent on nuclear programme. National budget is being wasted upon nuclear preparations which can bring nothing but destruction for the people. And even then this Government shamelessly calls upon the people to support its policy. This country remains one among the most poor and backward countries of the world, socially and economically and even then this government calls upon the people to celebrate the nuclear explosions as national pride.
This government which plans to dominate in Asia region, first and foremost dominates its own people. Instead of addressing to the countless problems faced by the people of this country, this government has put the nuclear programme on the sole priority. This is how our govts. specially the present one decide and implement their political agendas. It is just a month before that number of peasants in Andhra Pradesh had to commit suicide due to poverty and failure of crops and this government had not done anything. People died in Orissa due to starvation, but this government did not come to their help. Whenever it is a question of welfare of people our govts. have always referred to financial crunch but when crores are to be spent on nuclear projects and other war efforts, money starts to flow in abundance.
The Congress, the Janta Dal, the BJP and all other political parties of the 'center' and the 'right' are in complete agreement that India should go nuclear. They differ with each other only as to whether this 'might' should be demonstrated or not. The forces of democracy oppose not only the demonstration, but this nuclear policy itself, in its entirety and any idea of this Government aimed at disturbing the peace in Asia. By its own actions this government has established that it is the greatest danger for the peace and consequently poses an immediate threat to the interests of its own people, primarily. Nuclear tests and the manner in which propaganda campaign has been annexed to it, is clearly a well-planned act of provocation to the neighbours.
The agenda of this government is no more hidden now. It pursues a policy which in its international implications is militarist in nature and domestically which ignores the real problems of the people and aims at diverting the major part of the budget to war efforts. The only response this government deserves from its people. is the removal of this government and its substitution by a peoples' government committed to opposition of nuclear weapons.
May 16, 1998
Let the last inscription then run
(That broken slab without readers):
The planet is going to burst,
Those it bred will destroy it.
As a way of living together we merely thought up capitalism.
Thinking of physics, we thought up rather more:
A way of dying together.
Bertolt Brecht
(As sung by Paul Robeson)
This little girl is at your door,
At every door, at every door.
And I am she you cannot see,
I am at your door, at every door.
I am at your door, at every door.
And for this child will never be
That love and laughter you have known.
At Hiroshima do you see
My flesh was seared to bone,
My flesh was seared to bone.
My hair was blue aflame,
Hot were my poor eyes, hot my hands.
Now just a trace of ash remains
Where I had played on smiling sands.
Stranger, what can you do for me,
This little ash, this little girl?
This human child like paper burned
Dry ash the cooling wind shall swirl,
Dry ash the cooling wind shall swirl
This little maid unseared by strife.
Oh stranger please do this for me.
Your name for mankind's peace and life,
And peace and life for all like me,
And peace and life for all like me.
Nazim Hikmet
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