Celebrating 50 Years since Naxalbari : Deviations of Revisionist Trend in the Communist Revolutionary Camp Part 9

by Harsh Thakor

DEVIATIONS OF  REVISIONIST TREND IN THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARY CAMP -Part 9- OF 50 YEARS OF NAXALBARI

Today within India there are some sections that although have rightist tendencies make a positive contribution while there are others that are totally revisionist. C.P.I.(M.L.) Liberation is completely revisionist. C.P.I.(M.L.) Red Star may not be revisionist but is not a genuine part of the communist revolutionary camp today.

Here I am summarizing the rightist and revisionist currents.

C.P.I.(M.L.) NEW DEMOCRACY

In the rightist camp, the most progressive or militant organization is the C.P.I.(M.L.) New Democracy.
It has it’s roots in the line of Comrade Chandra Pulla Reddy and the right-deviationsit Satya Narayan Singh.
Today this group contests elections and does often function openly but stil in areas it has built important struggles and is sharpening people’s agitations.
It also even with differences defends the C.P.I.(Maoist) and more thany any group in rightist stream comes out to defend them.
It has done outstanding work in Sangrur in Punjab in organizing the landless Dalit peasantry for fighting for 1/3rd land share in panchayat.
In the last year it has built a major organized movement organizing landless dalits and have bravely thwarted the connivance of the landlord-police machinery. In  a most sustained way resistance has been launched aginst the jat or landlord elements and in areas like Badri Kalan,Jhaneri and Jaloor important victorie shave been won. It is a landmark struggle .
Argubaly it is the best work done amongst all it landless labourers in the revolutionary camp in Punjab. It has the strongest mass base amongst all the communist revolutionary groups amongst the students and youth in Punjab. I was present in 2 of their mass meetings of dalit agricultural labourers which ranked amongst some of my most memorable experiences ever.
It also organized an allIndia peasant organization conference in Allahabad in April 2016 highlighting all the ingredients for the New Democrtaic Revolution. Rarely in India at an all India level has one witnessed such a strong peasnt gathering.Participants came from mnay states like Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjba,  Mahrashtra, Orissa etc. It was a testimony to the work done openly. It has also most consistently through it’s plat for Jankatshep organized seminars and public meetings condeming  state repression communal-fasism, globalistion, repression in Kashmir etc more than any group in Delhi.
On trade Union front it has waged many struggles in several states encompassing West Bengal. Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,Delhi and Orissa. It has more roots in urban areas than any group within the cr camp in India.
It also regularly brings out a party organ ‘New Democracy’ and consistently defends position s n state repression in Kashmir, Operation Green hunt, G.P.C.R. in China and Socialist U.S.S.R., Agrarian revolution etc. Even if not carrying armed struggle it gives moral support to the Maoists be it in Chattisgarh,Telengana or Orissa.It also has mass organization sin many parts of the country be it Delhi,U.P.,  Bihar, Andhra Pradesh.
I met it’s secretary Yatindra Kumar in Delhi , who had a very balanced view on most aspects. and fair to the other groups as a whole. Displayed general humility which I liked. He defended important positions of the Communist Movement articulately ,particularly G.P.C.R. and stressed on the importance of the Leninist-Maoist vanguard party concept, stating that in the transition phase to communism it wasa necessity.
Otherwise it would be ‘going back to Marx and not understanding developments of Lenin and Mao’, in his view. I was impressed with his sound theoretical understanding. He also stated that today the Maoist party is not implementing the  ‘individual anihilation’line of Charu Mazumdar and made great rectification.
However he was critical of the Maoist’s work and the erstwhile peoples war group work in the plains and felt that their struggle was one-sided in Dandkaranya.He also advocated that a proletarian  party could function in the open banner. Illustratively defended resistance struggle as formulated by Chandra Pulla Reddy and felt that erstwhile C.P.I(M.L.) Peoples War group  in Telengana area could not aply the mass line concept. Felt that the erstwhile C.P.I.(M.L.) Party Unity group, a constituent of the Maoist party practised the resistance line similar to that of Chandra Pulla Reddy. He also felt that it was not the PPW concept that the C.P.R.C.I.-M.L was applying in Punjab, athough he admired their work. Admirs his modesty when he stated that no line has still proved correct. He felt comrade Satyanarayan Singh’s self-criticism was sound which I diasagree with,.
However I appreciated his understanding of different conditions  in plain areas in Bihar and Jharkand from Andhra or Telengana and his mutual praise and criticism of the C.P.I(Maoist).He even admired their work in era of C.P.I.(M.L.) Peoples war during clashes feeling that it proved it’s potential.
Still I feel they are using defective tactics by deploying candidates before a genuine proletarian  party is formed which gives backseat to the agrarian revolution and in openly projecting the party banner which exposes the party forces. These tactics or practices dilute the genuine mass movement sor organizations and promote economism. To emerge into a major revolutionary force the organization should refrain from openly projecting party banner and sending candidates to contest elections.It should also be self-critical of the rightist Satyanarayan Singh trend.
Quoting an important stand of the Central Team of the C.P.I.(M.L.) in 1993 "Some forces, in the name of taking opportunity of open activity make the whole party apparatus work openly I the name of the party, and organize mass programs and movements under the party banner. They fail to understand that the task of the party is to lead the masses in the path of protracted Peoples War. Only when masses come to realize the party politics through day to day movements. class struggles under the revolutionary leadership of the party, then only the party forces, can move like a fish in water of masses, even when they have become completely exposed.
Any short-cut system of building closer association with the people by presenting the party banner and identity will open the whole party forces to the enemies. The reaction ill remain superficial. The revolutionary party presents itself directly and openly to the masses in it's own ways and actions but dose not expose it's cadres to the enemies. Revolutionary methodology must be adopted to lead the masses and present the party. Consistent work must be done in leading the masses in their struggles and organizations."

For the rest of this article click here.