Otto's War Room (毛派): Basic documents of the Communist Party Reorganization Centre of India (ML)

IMPORTANT EXCERPTS FROM BASIC DOCUMENTS OF THE Communist Party Reorganization Centre of

India

(Marxist Leninist)/ C.P.R.C.I.(M.L.) POSTED IN COMMEMORATION OF 25TH ANNIVERSARY. STILL OF GREAT RELEVANCE TO INDIA FOR PATH OF NEW DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION

By Harsh Thakor

The great Telangana armed struggle in particular, provided the most authentic practical evidence of the feasibility of establishing parallel people's political power in the Indian countryside by dint of the peasant-based and communist-led guerrilla armed struggle

Thus the existing socio-economic and political conditions and the past experience of revolutionary struggles of the Indian people both point outthat the Path of Indian revolution is essentially, the Path of Protracted People's War, as theoretically propounded by Comrade Mao Tsetung. Not only the Chinese revolution could succeed following the Path of Protracted People's War as propounded by Mao but also the national democratic revolutions inVietnam, Laos, Cambodia could advance to success in the past by following this Path. Even now, the people's democratic revolutions in various semi-colonial semi-feudal countries like Peru,

Philippines

, etc. are proceeding along this path. In fact, in none of the semi-feudal semi-colonial countries where revolutions succeeded, have there been countrywide insurrections. Mao's theories concerning the strategy and tactics of people's war are the most developed expression of revolutionary political-military thought of the proletariatto date and constitute the basic frame of reference for mapping out the general course and plan of operational tasks for revolutions in all semi-colonial semi-feudal countries.

It is our fundamental task to apply Mao's theories concerning strategy and tactics of People's War to the concrete practice of Indian revolution. The specific features obtaining in India are likely to necessitate some changes in form and thus even develop some special features of this Path of Protracted People's War in

India

, but the substantials of it would remain the same. What concrete forms it takes in the earlier and later stages, the advance of Indian revolution alone will decide.

For the present, we have to firmly grasp the main direction of revolutionary advance as already described, adequately sum-up the experiences of armed struggles that have taken place in India, particularly in Telangana, Naxalbari and Srikakulam, and better work out the concrete plan of tasks to prepare the people and lead the Indian revolution along the Path of Protracted People's War. Obviously, it is essential that the entire tactical orientation of the revolutionary forces is imbued with the perspective of people's war path.. Every revolution has its own share of relative advantages and disadvantages. Revolutionaries always seek to make full use of advantages and overcome orneutralise disadvantages by working out correct strategy and tactics.

International support available to a revolution always constitutes a significant advantage, whether it be a great or moderate one. As is the case with every revolution, Indian revolution also will have international support. For all that, Indian revolution will be won basically by the Indian people with their own strength, while taking advantage of the national and international situation. This is fundamental in a revolutionary mass line; and the path of People’s War is based on this line. Only such an approach would prompt the Indian revolutionaries confidently to handle the advantages and disadvantages at hand.

3.1 Advantages and disadvantages the Indian revolution has, relative to the earlier revolutions, pertain to the time-period. We are preparing to unleash protracted people's war in India at an advanced stage of the present era, the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution. Irrespective of the zig-zags involving the loss of proletarian state-power in the erst while socialist countries, the present historical phase of world development denotes an objectively advanced level of the decline of imperialism and of the unfolding of world proletarian revolution.

That reality finds major expression in imperialism's loss of all moral-ideological legitimacy and the world people's enhanced awareness of and resistance to the imperialist oppression, bullying, aggression and war. As that reality finds expression in the revolutionary consciousness of the Indian people and raises its level further, it constitutes a major asset for developing People's Democratic revolutionary movement of India. On the other hand, the Indian revolution could not avail of fully or adequately the existence of strong and prestigious socialist countries in the past, and now, the lack of that favorable factor constitute a serious disadvantage. Another advantageous dimension of the present historical situation of the Indian revolution accrues from its access to the rich revolutionary experience and theoretical contributions of the past proletarian revolutions’ the Chinese revolution in particular.

This revolutionary wealth has been earned with the toil and blood of hundreds of thousands of revolutionary fighters the world over and constitutes the most valuable asset of world proletarian revolution and thus of the Indian revolution. It is as strong an advantageous factor for pushing ahead the Indian revolution as the Indian revolutionaries would be able to make it by their diligent efforts to tap it and scientifically use it. If properly grasped and integrated with the concrete practice of Indian revolution, it alone can give them enough strength to overcome all the disadvantageous factors that confront them.

3.2 Further, there are certain disadvantages and advantages the Indian revolution has relative to the other contemporary revolutions. Again, primarily these pertain to the time-period, at the national level. The Indian ruling classes were given a breathing space after the 'transfer of power', thanks to the betrayal of the Indian revolution by the revisionists.

The ruling classes were given enough time to replenish their forces, disrupt the revolutionary movement and corrupt a section of vocal population by the so-called parliamentary or "Panchayati Raj" system (as a part of creating a network of middlemen and imposed dependence of the people on them). The unusual national/ethnic, religious and social diversity of India and the resultant divisions in the Indian society, especially the social divisions owing to the pernicious caste-system, had been a perennial feature responsible for complicating the process of revolutionary transformation of Indian society. The ruling classes were given enough time to manipulate and aggravate such divisions to the detriment of the revolutionary unity and class struggles of the Indian people. Lastly, one should not underestimate the fact that the ruling classes are armed to the teeth while the revolutionary forces have to proceed from elementary levels on both the planes - political-organizational as well as military. These are some of the disadvantages resulting from a delayed revolution in India. Revolutionaries should take note of them in working out their tactics.

The set of disadvantages due to the delayed revolution, however, has its opposite aspect too which, although of a secondary nature at present, suggests all the same that, under suitable conditions, the aspect of disadvantages would give way to the aspect of advantages. After decades of plunder and misrule the ruling classes' economy and politics stand bankrupt before the Indian people, who are thoroughly disgusted with the existing state of affairs and vaguely yearn for a revolutionary alternative to the present system.

Given the correct lead, they will be ready to proceed fast along the

Path of People's War to change the present system. Not only the geographical vastness and demographic plenty happen to be great natural assets for conducting guerrilla warfare in India, even the national/ethnic, social and religious diversity may ultimately militate against the reactionary Indian State. Because the cynical manipulation, callous and authoritarian handling, and ruthless suppression by the Indian rulers, over the decades, have alienated and antagonized various border nationalities, made the religious minorities feel insecure, made the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes as well as other socially deprived sections intensely feel neglected, slighted and marginalized from the national-social mainstream.

On proper handling by the revolutionaries, from a secular, democratic and class standpoint and within the frame of anti-imperialist anti-feudal movement, these forces can veer round to the democratic revolutionary platforms, and lend broader range and intensity to the revolutionary mobilization of the Indian people against the reactionary Indian State. Similarly, the fact that the Indian ruling classes are armed to the teeth is also painfully realized by various peoples belonging to the neighboring countries who have experienced, at one time or the other, the bullying, intervention or aggression by this South Asian military power, with the backing or connivance of imperialist powers.

This circumstance has given rise to new scope and necessity of revolutionary collaboration among the peoples of South Asia against the common counter-revolutionary menace posed by the Indian State, and to some extent, even to the interest of the neighboring counties in the growth of anti-State armed forces within India. Indian people can make skillful use of such tactical opportunities according to the concrete conditions obtaining at the given time--with a differentiated approach towards the rulers the peoples of these countries. Last but not the least, during the long-drawn period of gestation of the national democratic revolution of India, particularly since the arrival of the proletariat on the national stage as an independent political force in the Nineteen Twenties, the revolutionary movement has gathered a lot of practical experience. The fact that this experience is largely negative in nature does not lessen its value and utility for making the past serve the present and shape the future.

7.2 At all other times, as long as imperialism controls India indirectly, as at present, the contradiction between feudalism and broad masses of the Indian people will remain in the forefront as the principal contradiction. As a consequence, the struggles emanating from this contradiction will influence and determine the course of development of all other class struggles emanating from other major contradictions. In other words, in the present phase of the Indian revolution, the development of the class struggle in general is going to be ultimately conditioned by the development of the agrarian revolutionary movement, that is, the development of anti-feudal struggles of the peasantry led by the proletariat on the basis of the agrarian revolutionary programme, and imbued with revolutionary political consciousness.

7.3 Hence, in the present phase of Indian revolution, in order to ensure the correct tactical orientation of the concrete plan of tasks and policies of the communist revolutionary forces, these must give conscious expression to the objective logic of the unfolding of the principal contradiction by making the requirements of building up the agrarian revolutionary movements their central reference-point. Doing so would have bearings particularly on the scheme for deployment of the Party forces and resources; on the orientation of the political work on other fronts, particularly the workers front—who are to be made to acquire the realization and capability of discharging their leadership responsibilities towards the peasantry in their struggle against feudal oppression bureaucratic suppression and for real democracy; and on the dealings with various political forces particularly those belonging to the ruling classes.