On the 1st of February 2003, the Janhastakshep held a mass meeting in Delhi against the imminent US attack on Iraq. Conducted at the Rajendra Prasad Bhawan, over 125 people attended the meeting.

The meeting began with anti-war songs by Nishant. Welcoming the audience on behalf of the Janhastakshep, Pankaj Singh highlighted the aggressive role taken on by America since the collapse of the second superpower. Speaking about the imminent attack on Iraq, he pointed to the tremendous opposition from world people and that imperialist America was going forward with the attack ignoring this opinion.

The first speaker, Shri Surendra Mohan, highlighted that the US war was for securing hegemony over all the oil resources. From the Afghan War, to the proposed attack on Iraq, to the events in Venezuela – all substantiate this fact, and he expressed fears about what would be the fate of Libya, Nigeria and Sudan. It is for this reason – to stop US from hegemony over oil resources – that France and Germany are trying to stop or postpone this war though they did not oppose the attack on Afghanistan or the plank of anti-terrorism.

Calling the war a part of America’s war of dominance economically, politically and even militarily, he mentioned that Rumsfield had clearly said earlier about the Afghan war that it was not a war against Al Queda, but a war of US against the rest of the world. To it is linked a plan to push Palestinians into Jordan and compensate Jordan with territory from Iraq. He questioned why America and Israel could keep weapons when Iraq could not. He condemned the current Indian Govt. for befriending Israel and kowtowing before US imperialism.

Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed said the US war was part of its Middle-East Policy, which in turn was part of that imperialism’s international policy. American world view is that no other power block should emerge, either of oil producers or of European Union. He criticized the Indian Govt. for avoiding criticizing this war and said we should say it is wrong, unethical and illegal. India should have come forward with an Asian perspective and opposed the war. He also said that some sections of Indian middle class are supporting the war as they support America’s economic pattern and consumerism. We must debate with them, because what is happening to Iraq can happen to us too even if we support America.

Praful Bidwai (freelance journalist) said that firstly it should be clear that there is no proof that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Blix and El Baradei’s reports, though there are differences in them, say clearly that Iraq has had no nuclear programme after 1990 war, and that Iraq cooperated with the inspectors though there may be some lacunae in information it supplied. Blix has categorically said this is not such information as needed for war. American imperialism has, however, made several false claims which the inspectors could not substantiate. US itself has 7000 weapons of mass destruction, each 50,000 times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb. It has been walking out of all international treaties.

Shri Bidwai pointed out that America is being opposed by world people, by Western Bloc itself and after 1980s, for the first time lakhs of people are on the streets. He pointed out that Indo-Pak relations had hit an all time low in past one and a half years, due to American machinations. He stressed that pseudo-patriotism was being linked to anti-Islamism, Pak-phobia and militarism. He advocated and stressed the need for wide opposition to the same.

The meeting passed a resolution presented by the Janhastakshep. It ended with a song against war presented by Shri Bhupender.