BRINDA Karat, Polit Bureau member of CPI (M) was the keynote speaker on the occasion of celebration of 200th birth anniversary of Karl Marx organized by Ghaziabad district committee of CPI(M) on January 12. In India, the Left parties, especially the CPI(M) is organizing meetings, seminars, cultural events, in different parts of the country with great participation of workers, students, youth, women, peasantry and people from all walks of life. These celebrations will be culminated in Delhi with the convening of a major function, which will be addressed by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on February 26.

In her inaugural address, Brinda Karat thanked the Ghaziabad district committee and said that today, it is all the more relevant to discuss Marxism; when the capitalists and the imperialist forces of the world are declaring the end of it. Brinda Karat said as long as the capitalist exploitation on earth will remain intact, Marxist philosophy remains to be not only effective weapon and ideology to end the capitalist exploitation. It guides the working class struggles against the exploitation prevalent in the society. She said that there is no such country in the world that has not celebrated the 200th anniversary of Marx. She reminded that when Marx died, only 11 people were present in his last journey, but today millions of people are bowing their heads in his memory and taking sworn oath to speed up the fight against exploitation.

She explained that Marxism has helped to mobilise workers in large parts of the world and to put relentless fight against the capitalist hegemony. Marx has not just interpreted the world but also presented the creative science to change the world. According to her,
this creative science of Marxism has developed the methodology to understand the society which has become motive force behind the change in favour of working class.  Marxism is such an ideology that raises the question that why are we poor? The capitalist and the feudal system kept explaining to us that we are poor and exploited because we must have committed a sin in our previous life. Some people said universe is a delusion and God has set place for everyone and there is no way to liberate themselves from the chains of poverty. Through his scientific studies, Marx proved that human beings are born once and the reason for their poverty is capitalist exploitation because the means of production are in the hands of capitalist class which increases their profits through exploitation and left working class is starving.

Brinda explained the genius of Marx; Karl Marx explained about the means of production and its relationships and also explained how the capitalist generates surplus value through labor exploitation. Every item has a value in the system of capitalist exploitation. The worker sells his labour to the bourgeoisie and the product that is produced through labor power increases the value of that product, but the wages that the worker receives and the value he generates to the product, difference of which generate the surplus value. This surplus value is always being pocketed by bourgeoisie to maximize the profits. The characteristic of capitalism is that it creates a large army of unemployed for cheap labour to maintain exploitation, and hence, it leads to using technology to produce more exploitation.

She reminded that today one percent possessed 68 percent of the resources. The exploitation of laborers in Ghaziabad, which is an industrial city, has increased rapidly. With the introduction of neo-liberal policies in the country, attacks on the working class are increasing, unemployment is increasing rapidly. She also reminded that today the share of the workers' wage in Ghaziabad has decreased from 28 percent to 10 percent and the profits of the factory owners increased from 25 percent to 30 percent. That is, the salary of laborers is continuously decreasing and profits of the capitalists are increasing. The Modi government is openly implementing the neo-liberal policies which are against the interests of the workers. The BJP and the sangh are doing politics to spread communal frenzies to break the unity of working class. Muslims and Dalits are being attacked in the name of cow protection. She cautioned that if the working class fights with each other on the name caste and religion then the process of exploitation will be faster.

Therefore Marx gave slogans; ‘workers of the world unite’, to thwart the system of slavery. Through the working class unity, need to speed up the working class struggle to change the society. Today, in the current political situation, while protecting workers unity, the first political task of working class is to thwart the communal and anti-people Modi government from power. If this is not done then the burning issues of the working class will be left behind and the country will continue to burn in a communal frenzy. As Karl Marx had said that only the working class can get rid of the capitalist system. Therefore, the responsibility of changing this society also comes to the shoulders of the working class.

The meeting was also addressed by Delhi state secretary K M Tiwari and urged activists to enhance the political work and activities to uproot the Modi government from the center. The meeting was chaired by Brahamjit Singh and the district secretary B K Singh conducted the proceedings.