India- RESSURECT SPIRIT OF IMMORTAL COMRADE HARBHAJAN SOHI OR HBS ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

RESSURECT SPIRIT OF IMMORTAL COMRADE HARBHAJAN SOHI OR HBS ON HIS 10TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY. ONE OF THE GREATEST CRUSADERS AND THEORETICIANS FOR ACHEIVING THE MASS LINE IN HISTORY OF COMMUNIST MOVEMENT AND THE SOUNDEST THEORETICAL EXPONENT AFTER CHAIRMAN MAO ON THE CORRECT INTERNATIONAL LINE.

By Harsh Thakor
Today we commemorate the 10th death anniversary of Comrade Harbhajan Sohi. Without doubt he was one of the greatest comrades ever in the history of the Communist movement and theoretically the soundest amongst Indian Communist in the last 4 decades. Like a rock withstanding the most hazardous of storms he refuted all the deviationist trends in the Communist movement like the Dengist 3 worlds theory, unbalanced denunciation of Stalin, deviationist tactics in Indian parliamentary elections no- proletarian revolutionary stand on Kashmir nationality struggle, soft-pedaling with Khalistani fascist communal ideology, imposing party politics on mass organizations and converting them into front organizations, unprincipled unity amongst Communist revolutionary groups rejecting Leninist concept of party building. Sohi waged a protracted struggle against both left adventurism and right opportunism resembling the oars tugging a boat in the stormiest of waters. In the last 4 decades no Indian leader practiced the mass line with such depth or had such theoretical mastery over mass line.

Comrade HBS played major role in the rejection of the left adventurist line of the C.P.I.(M.L.) and in leading the Punjab Communist revolutionary Committee which was instrumental in leading the mass movement of the early 1970's of the Punjab Students Union and the Naujwan Bharat Sabha. With great skill he countered the rightist JP movement trend of SN Singh from 1973. He and his organization merged with the Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India only in 1976 after the death of T. Nagi Reddy but he upheld his line from early 1970's itself. At the end of 1970 he revolted against the leadership within his party of DV Rao upholding the class collaborationist 3 worlds theory and became the pioneer in India in revolting against Chinese Dengist revisionism. He recognized China as revisionist before other prominent leaders like Chandra Pula Reddy or Kondapali Seetharamiah.

Later in the 1980's he stood like a boulder against pro-Khalistani deviationist politics and his leadership was instrumental in practice of the correct line to combat Sikh religious fundamentalism or Khalistan concept. He played a great role in the unity of Communist revolutionary forces first into the Centre of Communist revolutionaries of India in 1988 and the Communist Party Re-Organization Centre of India(Marxist-Leninist) in 1994.He displayed dialectical mastery in guiding party members and forces towards mass line and to uniting together. HBS leadership played a great role in implementing the correct practice of the party in relation to mass organizations and in the practice of re-building the scattered party. With meticulous skill he handled the contradiction between guiding open mass movements but still keeping the party structure secret. He moved all around India in regions like Orissa, Punjab, West Bengal, Maharashtra etc. to consolidate the party organization units. His leadership played a major role in the consolidation of the party Organization C.P.R.C.I.(M.L.), particularly in Orissa and Punjab. More than the quantitative impact it was the qualitative aspect here that was noteworthy. He handled aspect of left adventurism in regions like Orissa and Andhra Pradesh with great care guiding party forces not to be openly critical of it as in his view left adventurism corrects itself. Sohi's leadership practice was a lesson for the leadership of other revolutionary groups within the revolutionary groups on how to resolve the mutual problems and conflicts with each other .Today the successful united mass protests on issues like Operation Greenhunt or arrest of 'Urban Maoists' where forces are united without projecting image of a party organization has lot to do with the inputs of Comrade Sohi. With great determination HBS resisted political trends that dis respected the democratic functioning of mass organizations.

His teachings and practice are all the more relevant when a series of deviations particularly of right variety have come about in Indian Communist movement like open party functioning, prematurely participating in parliamentary elections or giving slogan of 'boycott', blending Ambedkarism with Marxism, negating the vanguard concept of Leninist party, unprincipled unity amongst revolutionary groups, having joint party-mass organization activities.,.opportunist unity with forces in anti-fascist united front unable to comprehend the nature of Indian fascism. In today's context wit the ascendancy of Hindu Communal fascism Sohi would have played an invaluable role as a theoretician in imbibing the most balanced approach.

Comrade HBS's written document on General Line of the International Communist movement in 1982 is the best or most authentic work on International line after the death of Chairman Mao and his writing on Mao thought is the soundest theoretical appraisal on Chairman Mao than any leader. He hits Dengist trends in the very heart of the body and superbly illustrates the continuity of Maoism with Marxism-Leninism as an integral body. It would be a superb counter foil to the Eclecticism of certain currents in the Moist International camp that formulate Maoism as a rupture from Leninism.

There is also great theoretical clarity in his position on nationality struggle in Kashmir and on correct tactical line on elections. He combated all comrades who supported Sikh separatism and Punjabi nationality struggle in those terms. He summed up the flaws of the JKLF in lacking proletarian class content and not demarcating itself completely from imperialism. There were powerful deviations in the Maoist camp when forces like Al India peoples resistance forum upheld ULFA in Assam, JKLF in Kashmir and Akali Dal in Punjab ,which was the view of the erstwhile Peoples war and party Unity groups of the C.PI.I.(M.L.)

His views s have relevance towards the aspect of party formation where certain forces insist on recognizing the 1969 C.P.I.(M.L.) as the formation of the genuine re-organized party in India and fail to understand that the party forces were not sufficiently consolidated, particularly not of comrades practicing mass line. Whatever its great achievements today even the C.P.I.(Maoist) today cannot claim to be the single re-organized party in India.

Theories advocated by HBS have great relevance when Maoist parties world over pledged for pre maturely forming a Communist International through the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement. He wrote the document on International Political resolution in 1996 which reflected how some Communist parties exaggerated the subjective conditions prevailing for reorganizing an International Communist body. No Comrade resisted the tide p of Perestroika, Fall of Social-Imperialism in disguise of Socialism and attacks on essence of MLM as comrade Sohi did. He fought the eclecticism of the RCP-America in being over critical of Stalin and the trend of the CRC in India that rejected the concept of the vanguard party

His 1972 writings on election sis to me the best theoretical document written on parliamentary election sand tactics by any comrade. It brilliantly sums up the subjective factors required which still do not exist for using the tactical path of participation as well as that of active boycott. It superbly illustrates how countries like Chile underestimated fascism by taking the parliamentary road or even the Indonesian Communist party, which over estimated bourgeois democracy. He explained the important differences between conditions in 3rd world countries to developed countries and also summed up that a re-organized party had to exist for any tactical participation to succeed. The launching of peoples war also in his view was not possible in the immediate period because of the subjective factor or even the preparation of it. Conclusively he felt only the tactic of 'Active political campaign' was appropriate.

On his 10th death anniversary today we must resolve to resurrect the spirit of Comrade HBS to emblazon the torch of Revolution. A meticulous study of his writings are a must for all cadres as his works are a permanent part of the treasure house of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist writings. We must tooth and nail refute those who term HBS s a 'rightist' or promoting 'economism' or 'jamming the party' like the journal 'Surkh Rekha' did in the last 4 years. There is strong criticism of Comrade HBS by C.P.I.(M.L.) New Democracy and Look Sang ram Munch. that he took the movement to path of economism. However even Today the mass movement which has its roots under the guidance of Sohi has the biggest or most organized following, practising mass line more correctly than nay other section. Today in Punjab there is still a tendency to soft-pedal with Sikh religious fundamentalist politics in the Maoist camp which HBS fought against till his last breadth. The shape of the mass movement led to day in Punjab by organizations implementing the mass line have a lot to do with the political guidance of Comrade Sohi. Today the editors of mass-political journal Surkh Rekha like Jaspal Jassi and Pavel Kussa, leaders of class organization sin Punjab like Laxman Singh Sewewala or Jhanda Singh Jethuke, youth leaders like Ashwini and intellectuals like Yaspal and Parminder Singh as well as late Ajmer Singh Aulakh have great regard for HBS, in Punjab. It was noteworthy or in his commemoration meeting 10 years ago every section within the Communist revolutionary camp upheld his contribution. Three sections credited Sohi for laying the base of the mass line and correct International line while the C.P.I.(Maoist) section portrayed his correct stand on nationality and mode of production aspect. Jaspal Jassi of Surkh Rekha praised Sohi's work of uniting the scattered forces into a single body.

Of course HBS had weaknesses as every great Communist. Arguably he did not place enough emphasis on the aspects of the agrarian revolutionary movement and protracted peoples war and placed over-emphasis on aspect of re-organization of the party. He also never guided his organization to use the internet or project itself and its documents online ,while maintaining the party structure. Unlike his predecessors Nagi Reddy and D.V. Rao he never introduced a registered party organ. Arguably perhaps HBS lacked the essence of revolutionary creativity for sowing the seeds of a revolutionary armed struggle and thus integrating Maoism into the condition s of India. Arguably some credibility could be given to critiques like Satnam on his not giving due respect to ppw or that of Basesh War Ram. However one must remember that logistic situation in Punjab has no condition for launching a people’s war with no mountainous terrain.

I hope we could have a collected volume of al the writing s of this legendary comrade in English and translated into other languages. Comrade Basu Acharya expressed great admiration for his writings recently after reading them for the first time.

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1769530086447906&set=a.725696887497903&type=3&theater&ifg=1 http://www.bannedthought.net/India/ML-Groups/CCRI/Documents/InDefenceOfML-MTT-AndGeneralLine-CCRI-1989.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3Nrb_rRhU3-8sDk4-PpcLqHzrH4SB0hATel7SkrxODlIerGYt7lfx2ibM