[India's ruling Janata Party has won a landslide…]

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India's ruling Janata Party has won a landslide victory in the State Assembly elections held from June 10 to June 14.

Almost all of the 10 states and 2 union territories which had been electing new legislative assemblies are now controlled by Janata.

In the states of Rajasthan, Himachal, Haryana, Madhya, Pradesh, and Orissa, as well as in the New Delhi Union Territory, Janata candidates won more than two-thirds of the seats.

In Bihar, which was J.P. Narayan's original base for agitation against the Congress Party, and in Uttar Pradesh-Mrs. Gandhi's home state-Janata won absolute major: ities.

In addition, they are to form a government in the Punjab with their allies, the Sikh Akali Dal These victories represent a crushing defeat for the Congress Party, and look like paving the way for a Janata victory in the August presidential elections.

Significantly, however, Janata failed to win a number of states. Early results from West Bengal indicate that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) will return to power there, after five years of Congress rule.

As we went to press; 91 results had been declared, giving the CPI-M 70 seats, and Janata 13 seats. Congress had at that stage won only one seat, as had a Naxalite (Maoist) who fought the election from jail.

India's problems are far from resolved by these election results. The maintenance of the Internal Security Act-which was used by Gandhi to jail over 36,000 people during the 19 month "emergency" —has not yet been repealed, despite Janata's electoral promises.

POLITICAL PRISONERS In addition, some 1500 political prisoners are still in jail, including 60 Naxalites. Janata must now be forced to release immediately all political , prisoners, and to repeal all reactionary legislation.

The evidence of rising militancy within India's working class since Ghandi's fall indicates the reason for Janata's reluctance to repeal these measures.

Economically, India's workers and peasants are facing an inflation rate of 12% and a 6% fall in foodgrain production from 121 million tonnes to ll1 million tonnes-a fall which could spark off further rises in the price of basic foodstuffs.

DEFEATS

GANDHI'S The Janata Government has given vague promises that it will eradicate "destitution" within a decade, but so far have failed to indicate precisely how they intend to do this.

The excuse given-that it is trying to "restabilise" the country after the upheaval caused by Gandhi's dictatorial rule-is small comfort to those millions for whom "destitution" is a very grim reality, and for whom "restabilisation" can only mean a further round of impoverishment and oppression.

The recently concluded 25th United Auto Workers National Constitutional Convention in Los Angeles was a six-million dollar staged extravaganza.

Woodcock, in handing over power to the new UAW president, Douglas Frazer, sought to suppress all criticism of his recent contract sell out and his open collusion with management to crush and defeat the wave of wildcat strikes sweeping the industry.

Ten Fleetwood auto-workers of Local 15, who were unjustly fired for leading a wildcat strike to defend their suspended local leaders, circulated petitions among the delegates to gain a hearing of their case before this convention.

They were simply ruled "out of order" , and told to refer their problem to the Executive Committee in typical bureaucratic dispatch.

Hand picked resolutions were read, calling for a "full employment supporting the Humphrey-Hawkins bill and Kennedy's "National Health Care Plan." Both passed unanimously, placing full confidence in the Democratic Party-despite Carter's UAW iamboree opposition to these reforms.

President Carter, himself, spoke to this assembly on Tuesday, and announced his appointment of Woodcock as ambassador to the People's Republic of China, because he "is a proven labor leader with an excellent track record as a negotiator" (for the capitalist class).

Carter's energy plan ("require sacrifices from everyone in the country") is a bitter pill for the working class to swallow, because it means higher prices, inflation, UAW Convention-complete with balloons. told this convention, "For the sak of unity, there should be no oppo ition. For the sake of democrac the membership should not b allowed to vote"

To the uninitiated who migh inquire what six million dollar spent on a convention will buy h must personally witness the hote parties to buy the loyalty of th delegates. If this persoi was to wander into this conventio hall on Wednesday, he would b impressed by a circus-like atmo