THE ASSASSINATION of Indira Gandhi has provoked an almost unanimous response from the USA to China including the Soviet Union. Few state leaders can have ever received such universal acclaim.
The reason for such disparate forces speaking with such a united voice is simple. All are concerned about their share of the cake when the new regime emerges from the crisis the assassination has provoked.
One thing that certainly does not motivate them is concern for the maintainance of 'democracy' in India. For the past four years the chief attack on democracy has come from Indira Gandhi herself — a policy that will no doubt be continued by her son Rajiv.
In order to understand the consequences causes of Indira Gandhi's assassination necessary to outline some or ine main realures or in dian politics, and some of Coet contradictions facing bourgeois politics in that state The policy pursued by Indira Gandhi since coming to power in 1966, was essentially logical development of the policy of the Indian ruling class since independence.
India contains TITLE population and covers an with tremendous regional vallallull. The regional economic variareinforced by whole series of ethnic, linguistic religious varianons wnieh constant ly threaten to destabilise ana break up tne Indian state.
There is only one really powerful political force at Dess oary. the most powerful sections of the Indian bourgeoisie.
The working class itself is weakly organised and has no managed lo cede do all-India workers' party.
NOSe parties that have e ste Daru curd oriented either to the ConUL Gandhi's party was dubbed the representative of the progressive because of its relations with Moscow.
India's bourgeoisie OlIC of the most economically power4) Curfewimposed INDORE $ GWALIOR SAGARD JABALPUR K ful of any semi-colonial country. However it has been, and Is, nothing like strong enough to unify the The policy coully. Dulsued by Indira Gandhi at an economic level has been based on this understanding. Indian unity has been founded on the existence of a massive state sector of industry and an enormous bureaucracy.
The Indian state maintained stringent trade conLI UIS LU DrOLCCI develop the internal market, coupled with state subsidies to agriculture to increase its productivity lne real ariving force of the so-called 'green revolu This of 'protection' offered agallis! munalism, allowed the minorities ethnic groups. so-called outcastes. Since the economic of rapid y Massively regional conflicts, of this.
The the 'green capitalisi. richer agricultural layers have been industries internal trade have developed increased the regional tensions in the Indira Gandhi jiv Gandhi to go for rapid elections and hope to win on a wave of popular sympathy for his dead mother.
But whether the elections take place or not, the narrow social base of the (1) the dosclict of any national alternative means that Indian politics nave an in escapable logic towards the regime assuming more anamore snapar character, using tremendous wave repression to maintain its and eventually being LUCA forced to attack constitu tional democrac tain its position. coalition it tends to have a temporary character. In actual exercise of power would be inclined to blow them up virtually im mediately, happened with Charan Singh and the 1977-79 Janata gover ment. Hindu Ine Con the allance WILl regional ethnic forced creasingly base its Hindu heartland of the regime with the "high