Skip to main content

She wasn't a mere remnant of colonial era, but was active participant in colonialism

CPIML Liberation statement on the death of Queen Elizabeth II: "Let our flag fly high against the symbol of colonialism and slavery"

***
How can we lower our national flag, symbol of the freedom struggle, at half-mast as a mark of respect to this central institution of colonialism?
On Thursday September 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the newly inaugurated Kartavya Path at India Gate said that “Rajpath" [translated from the English Kingsway] was a symbol of slavery. Similarly, last week during the commissioning of INS Vikrant, Modi unveiled a new Indian Navy flag in which the old St George’s Cross was dropped and a new insignia was added. Again, the PM's office said that this change was an attempt to move away from India’s colonial past.
The very day after changing the name of Rajpath to Kartavya Path, the Modi government has already shed its Kartavya (duty) to stand against symbols of colonialism and slavery. In an official statement, the government announced that the National Flag will fly at half-mast on September 11 as a mark of “respect to the departed dignitary.” Here the departed dignitary is Queen Elizabeth II of Britain and Northern Ireland, whose position is a symbol of hundreds of years of colonial exploitation, slavery and plunder across the world.
Elizabeth II, who was crowned in 1953, was Britain's longest-reigning monarch. She is not a mere remnant of the colonial era, but was an active participant in colonialism as Britain attempted to brutally suppress anti-colonial struggles across the world in the 1950s and 1960s.
In India, the massacre of 1857 revolutionaries, the Bengal famine, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the hanging of Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries, the repression against the Quit India movement and the whole freedom struggle are just a few of the major colonial crimes committed under the royal insignia of the British monarchy. Economist Utsa Patnaik has estimated that Britain stole $45 trillion from India between 1765 and 1938.
This is the very monarchy which was carried forward by Queen Elizabeth II without any remorse, reparation or apology. How can we lower our national flag, symbol of the freedom struggle, at half-mast as a mark of respect to this central institution of colonialism?
While India freed itself from the clutches of British colonialism, countries across the world had to continue the struggle for another five decades, facing violence and massacres at the hands of British forces enforcing the rule of Queen Elizabeth II. During her reign, she oversaw the brutal suppression of the Mau Mau freedom movement in Kenya during the 1950s, leading to the massacre of tens of thousands of people. More than 20,000 Mau Mau members were summarily executed and a large number of people were sent to concentration camps by British colonial authorities. Veteran survivors of the rapes and horrific torture in these camps are today still seeking justice.
There are consistent attempts to ‘whitewash’ and dissociate the Queen from these colonial crimes by portraying her as the ‘rock’ of modern Britain. But the blood on the throne of the British monarchy (no matter who sits on it), can’t be washed off, representing as it does hundreds of years of colonial atrocities across the globe.
Today, we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of freedom ('Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav') as a mark of respect to the glorious freedom struggle against colonialism. Lowering our national flag at half-mast, as the Modi government wants to do, will be an insult to the sacrifice of our freedom fighters who gave their blood to break the colonial shackles. By doing this, the Modi government is only proving itself once again to be the loyal legatee of the colonial rulers, the brown sahibs or 'bhure angrez' Bhagat Singh had famously warned us against.

Comments

TRENDING

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan   The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services. 

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative   The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta*  India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative   Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra*  The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C.  In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Fragmented opposition and identity politics shaping Tamil Nadu’s 2026 election battle

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  Tamil Nadu is set to go to the polls in April 2026, and the political battle lines are beginning to take shape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on January 23, 2026, marked the formal launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Addressing multiple public meetings, the Prime Minister accused the DMK government of corruption, criminality, and dynastic politics, and called for Tamil Nadu to be “freed from DMK’s chains.” PM Modi alleged that the DMK had turned Tamil Nadu into a drug-ridden state and betrayed public trust by governing through what he described as “Corruption, Mafia and Crime,” derisively terming it “CMC rule.” He claimed that despite making numerous promises, the DMK had failed to deliver meaningful development. He also targeted what he described as the party’s dynastic character, arguing that the government functioned primarily for the benefit of a single family a...

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative   The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.