Tag: Unions

As it turns out, the only thing that the Red Fort incident has managed to disrupt, so far, is the people’s organic understanding of the interlockings between state and capitalism. The widespread notoriety gained by these events has diverted and distracted the people from the real sites of struggle, and funneled their discontent towards dividing the people along the lines of “Sikhs” and “Comrades.”

In contrast to the spectacular events at the Red Fort, the actual disruptions that have taken place in Punjab have remained unsung. Further, even lesser attention has been paid to the fact that these anti-capitalist disruptions have been significantly inspired by the Sikh history of resistance. Wielding the flags of the different unions, the Ghadar Party, the Communist Parties, the people are unabashedly raising the jaikaras, commemorating the Sikh martyrs, and actively situating themselves in this genealogy of Sikh resistance against oppression. The lessons of this Sikh history are to be found in the midst of these occupations, blockades, and sit-in, and not at some hollow symbol of state power.