Today’s Birth centenary, October 12, let us remember Kondapalli Seetharamiah

ON BIRTH CENTENARY TODAY ON 12TH OCTOBER LET US RESSURECT THE SPIRIT OF IMMORTAL COMRADE KONDAPALLI SEETHARAMIAH TO EXTINGUISH THE DARK FORCES OF NEO-FASCISM ENSLAVING THE PEOPLE OF INDIA AND PAVING THE PATH FOR THEIR LIBERATION. NO COMRADE REKINDLED THE FLAME OF CHARU MAZUMDAR AND THE 1969 COMMUNIS PARTY INDIA (MARXIST LeninisT) AS RESSURECTED NAXALBARI BY SETTNG THE 1ST SPARK TO THE PEOPLES WAR IN 1980. COMMITED GROSS ERRORS IN PRACTICE OF MASSLINE EXHIBITING LEFT SECTARIAN TENDENCIES BUT STILL SOWED THE SEEDS FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST ARMED STRUGGLES IN THE COMMUNIST MOVEMENT IN DANDKARANYA THUS WRITING A NEW EPOCH IN HISTORY OF REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE.

By Harsh Thakor

On October 12th we celebrate the birth centenary of Kondapalli Seetharamiah (KS), one of the greatest Communist leaders in the history of the International Communist Movement his stature can be compared with great post-Mao era leaders like Chairman Joma Sison and Chairman Gonzalo. He rekindled the essence of Charu Mazumdar's teachings and legacy of the 1969 C.P.I.(M.L.) in theory and giving them a concrete shape or preserved their backbone through practice more than any leader. He virtually created a new epoch in the history of the Communist Movement by founding the C.P.I.(M.L.) Peoples War Group.

KS was formally an important leader of the Andhra Pradesh State Committee from 1967 itself which after 1973 bifurcated from the original C.P.I(M.L). He called for suspension of armed struggle from 1977 to create the base of mass movement to precipitate the armed struggle. From 1980-92 he was the general secretary of the C.P.I.(M.L.)Peoples War. Ironically he was expelled in 1992 with Ganapthy taking the reigns and virtually lived his last 10 years in isolation, Tragically he died with Parkinson's disease on April 12th in 2002.

Without doubt the formation of the C.P.I.(M.L.) Peoples War Group was a landmark event in the history of the World Communist Movement shaping history as few Communist parties ever did. The organization displayed the skill of a genius by turning a band of squads in an embryonic form in region of Bastar into a mighty army like several streams converging into an ocean. C.P.I.(M.L.) Peoples War Group formed on April 22nd 1980 that rectified the earlier errors of left adventurism within the Charu Mazumdar led C.P.I.(M.L) and went on to build one of the greatest revolutionary armed struggles in Andhra Pradesh and Dandakaranya. The leadership of Kondapalli Seetharamiah played a major role in the galvanizing of the broad masses with the revolutionary movement be it students, youth, peasants or workers, resurrecting the spark of Naxalbari. The seeds of the heroic Dandakaranya movement of the Communist Party India(Maoist) were planted by the PWG.

KS revealed the methodology of a Scientist in his writings on military warfare blending both secret and open work. Like no other Comrade in the 1980's KS defended the thesis of India being semi-feudal and semi-colonial and feudalism being the principal contradiction .His political genius played a major role in the self-criticism in the Andhra Pradesh state commitee (APSC) document of the line of the C.P.I.(M.L.) of 1969. which is one of the most incisive or analytical works written in respect to Marxism-Leninism -Maoism in the history of the Communist Movement and the very genesis of the theoretical line or practice of the C.P.I.(Maoist) today. It highlighted the incorrect understanding of the era, wrong estimation of the International and National situation, errors of advocating line of annihilation of class enemy, wrong approach to the united front, disregarding mass organizations and open and other forms of struggle, wrong estimation of subjective factor, propagating guerrilla actions in cities and giving pre-mature slogans and bureaucratic functioning. Of prime importance was how Individual annihilation and rejection of mass organization violated or deviated from basic mass-line.

The PWG also did not mechanically copy the Chinese experience analyzing the complexities or peculiarities of the Indian terrain and thus the need to form different guerilla zones simultaneously. It was a significant contribution made by KS that unlike China Indian state had a centralized character ,which made it far more difficult to create base areas in the countryside and thus had to build up not just one but several guerilla zones encompassing the Indian villages with the aim of creating a countrywide upsurge. and bring about a change in the objective balance of forces between the enemy and ourselves in the course of time. "Now the Indian forces would be dispersed and not concentrated with guerilla Zones spread out and the situation would be conducive for building liberated zones. Thus a most methodical thesis by KS in applying what was then 'Mao Thought' with the Indian conditions.

With great tactical ingenuity he enabled the PWG to incorporate many important aspects of the mass-line in it s practice. He blended armed struggle with mass struggles and party with guerilla squads like a wheel with an axle. The integration of armed squads with the people and integration with mass movements depicted dialectical practice at considerable depth. There is hardly an adjective to describe how KS sowed scattered seeds to shimmer into thousands of red roses blooming to illuminate the torch of liberation .,reminiscent of many streams turning into a mighty ocean.

Before the formation of the party in 1979 in 1979 the AP State Committee formulated a plan for developing a guerilla Zone by formation of armed squads in 4 Northern Telengana plain regions of Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam districts. It analyzed the fundamental need for developing work or mass base in the forest areas to enable the squads to withdraw from the plains when attacked and take shelter in the forest areas. It took into account that in case of state repression intensifying it would be imperative to have a rear in the forest areas.It planned to send squads to Dandakaranya region as well as North Telengana. With meticulous planning and strategic insight squads were sent there to prepare for armed struggle. The study of this preparation period when armed struggle was withdrawn temporarily is a must for all comrades in light of understanding development of mass-line.

After the formation of the party in June 1980,7 squads of 5 to 7 members each totaling around 35 entered the forests from different directions to begin work in Gadrichloi, Bastar and Koraput. The integration of armed squads with the people and integration with mass movements depicted dialectical practice at considerable depth.

Between 1978 and 1985 influence of the movement pervaded itself horizontally and vertically. infiltrating every spectrum of society be it students, youth, adivasis, Dalits, middle classes women ,minorities or agricultural labour, encompassing every district of Andhra Pradesh. The most significant events in this period were the Indravelli massacre on April 20th, 1981 where 60 tribals were gunned down protesting against refusal of permission and work among Singrani Coal mines where movement of mine workers spread through 3 disricts-Adilabad, Khamam and Karimnagar and thus forming the Singareni Karmika Samakhya Union.

The first step towards establishing a guerilla zone took place from 1980-84, implementing the party's document on 'Perspective for a guerilla zone. "It was planned earlier in 1979 to turn Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam districts into guerilla zones as all the districts were inter-linked. It took into account that in case of state repression intensifying it would be imperative to have a rear in the forest areas. It planned to send squads to Dandakaranya region as well as North Telengana.

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By staging relentless resistance in every phase to the police and para-military forces PWG be it 1980-84, 1985-89 or 1990-92 not only advanced the path of New Democratic Revolution in the country, but also lit the flame of liberation in the very soul of the oppressed masses to inspire them .It proved in practice that it could counter the enemy offensive by intensifying armed struggle through guerilla methods based on revolutionary mass-line. I The movement spread like .like inextinguishable red lamps shimmering all over Andhra Pradesh and Dandakaranya striking enemy of feudalism in its very belly as no organization did since Naxalbari. It was remarkable the manner the movement continuously spread from one area to another like the constant flow of the water of a river.

Repression had reached its crescendo from 1985 -89 which got a temporary breather in the early 1990's.with the Congress regime relaxing the repression At every juncture repression was ruthlessly launched by the state the PWG heroically resurrected themselves from the grave like a phoenix from the Ashes to hit back through counter offensives displaying great foresight...It displayed the creativity of an artist with the tenacity of a boulder and the planning of an architect.-,surviving like a fish in water. With great ingenuity the PWG functioned underground when facing an unofficial ban, traversing the stormiest seas, steepest mountains and densest forests to combat the enemy to expand its sphere of influence.

Thousands of acres of land were distributed amongst the tribals and peasantry. The anti-feudal struggle was taken to a higher stage in Karimnagar and Adilabad in 1980.By mid-1988 five districts of North Telengana namely Karimnagar, Adilabad and Warangal, Nizamabad and Khammam were turned into a preparatory guerilla zone area. Intensification of anti-feudal and anti-imperialist struggles and the formation of mass organizations;armed struggle becoming the main form of the struggle, guerilla squads becoming the main form of organization, people's active support to armed struggle and guerilla squads and mass struggles in a wide contiguous area were the features. .The party work encompassed an area covering about three lakh square km with a population around 60 million.

The intensification of the land occupation struggle struck the ruling classes in their very chord and para military forces were used to defeat the struggle. Even with the aid of the police and the paramilitary the landlords could not regain the land due to resistance of guerilla squads and the people. People cultivated at least half the occupied land by offering collective resistance.1500 acres of land in other areas of AP have been occupied.

.Village development Committees Education committees Cooperatives etc. were formed to take up several developmental activities through active involvement of people.

Remarkable strides were made with the extension of the movement in North Telengana and Dandakaranya, which had great significance in linking the forest movement with that of the plains.

In North Telengana thousands of acres of govt. land was distributed to the landless and in some areas even landlords land was seized. When the landlords began fleeing the villages and tried to sell their land, the party imposed a ban on al the sale of landlord's land. Struggles for wage rates of agricultural labourers, road-coli rates, canal cooli rates recurred every year. Powerful movements were launched for the enhancement in rates of Tendu leaf plucking. Strong movement was also built against liquor mafia to reduce the extortionist rates. Hundreds of struggles also broke out on various peasniouant issues -against high rates of interest, against the banks move to confiscate peasant properties, demands to repair irrigation tanks, canals, against power cuts, and for remunerative prices for peasant crops

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In Dandkaranya movement was launched by fighting against the arbitrary authority of govt. officials of the forest, revenue and excise department who had been ruthlessly plundering the tribals, Struggles were also undertaken against the manst the management of paper mills. Big movements wee built for increasing the wage rates for Tendu leaf collection. Also, peasants were mobilized for raising the support prices for cotton. The peasants won a victory within the very first year by occupying 2 lakh acres of land and stopping to pay taxes to the forest officials. Lands occupied by middle and rich peasants from the plains were now divided equally amongst them and problem settled. Anti -famine struggles took 2 forms. One by raids on the landlords houses, traders and money lenders who hoarded the grain. The other through collection of paddy from donation building paddy banks .The peasants would pool some amount of paddy in these banks at the time of harvest and then draw on the stock sin times of need.

What gave the turning point to the movement was the formation of the Advasi Mazdoor Sanghatana and Kranitikari Adivasi Makila Sanghatna. They tackled a huge range of issues like the backward custom prevailing like witchcraft, superstition, human sacrifice etc. They also settled village, family, caste or marriage disputes.

It was remarkable how a preparatory squad of 6 members who were at first looked at by suspicion by the local people turned into a mighty force like a few scattered seeds blooming hundreds of roses, integrating in the very core of the lives of the people and intervening like a parallel body.

The most significant assembly was the Kamplapur conference held in 1984 just after the martyrdom of Comrade Peddi Shankar. The most remarkable or valiant defiance was displayed by the tribals creating the impact of a tornado here after a major police assault to rip the heart of the organizers and participants. The government sealed the venue, arresting anyone from anyone entering and undertook a series of combing operations. However the participants rose up like a phoenix from the Ashes, reminiscent of hundreds of streams flowing into a river to over power the police barricades and successfully stage the conference.

What is notable or praiseworthy was that even after KS was expelled from the party in 1992 the PWG strengthened or consolidated itself further and successfully held its 1995 conference. This proved that KS fostered the collective spirit of Leninism and prevented personality cult from being created within his party unlike leaders like Gonzalo in Peru or Prachanda in Nepal. Who can deny the great mass mobilizations they launched on peoples causes and their overall political influence.

It also inspired comrades in other states, particularly Maharashtra. A former member and mass organization leader from Mumbai recounted in 1999 how a party leader once most dialectically made a self -criticism of his action and spoke about how to correct mistakes..

I can never forget the words of filmmaker Sagar Sarhadi praising the great resilience of the group or a Journalism professor in St Xaviers in Mumbai stating that they made an invaluable contribution in serving the people. A friend of mine from West Bengal admired the planning and strategy while late student and civil liberties activist like Kartik Panalal was deeply inspired by it feeling armed movements most methodically intervened with the mass struggles. Professor Amit Bhattachrya author of 'Storming the Gates of Heaven' praises the contribution of the C.P.I.(M.L.) Peoples War group more than any organizations before the formation of the C.P.I.(Maoist) while Amolak Singh former editor of Surkh Rekha in Punjab also felt it made a phenomenal contribution. Bernard De 'Mello also recognizes the grassroots contribution of KS in building the mass organizations while veteran Communist Revolutionary Sunder Navalkar to placed the contribution of the PWG at the top of the helm.

It also combated ultra -secretist trend earlier prevailing by printing the party organ "Vanguard' with the name and address of editor and distributing it openly. With great ingenuity the PWG functioned underground with the mass organization sled by it when facing an unofficial ban. It traversed the stormiest seas, steepest mountains and densest forests to combat the enemy.

.It was the PWG that inspired the C.P.I.(M.L.)Party Unity group to take up the cudgels of armed struggle after 1987 rather being trapped into economism.

Above all KS even while maintaining secret functioning gave the movement a great sense of liveliness with its spirit blossoming like red roses sprouting all over and enabled genuine struggles of open and mass character to bloom. Who can deny the great mass mobilizations launched on peoples causes and their overall political influence. The Karimnagar peasant movement and rytu coolie sangham conferences of 1985 and 1990 and rally protesting the Indraveli massacre in 1984 are a testimony to this. Where 10 lakh people were mobilized. Another achievement was the formation of the All-India Peoples Resistance form in Kolkata in 1994 and the 1 lakh rally.

KS was the pioneer forming of revolutionary mass organizations like the Radical Youth league, the Radical Students Union and earlier the Virasam when formation of mass organizations was disallowed by the C.P.I.(M.L.)A predominant feature of the revolutionary movements was the integration and intervention of mass organizations like Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union, Andhra Pradesh Radical Youth League ,Jana Natya Mandali and Virasam with the agrarian revolutionary movement who lit a spark to inspire peasant struggles like an inferno erupting. In preparation for the launching of the armed struggle and later complementing it with mass movements these mass organizations played an important role.

A spark literally turned into a prairie fire after the peasant struggle in Jagayital in Karimnagar which laid the foundation for the resurrection of armed struggle from April 22nd 1980. In Jagtiyal a major contribution was made to link the struggle of the rural poor by the Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union. With huge peasant rallies held. Powerful struggles were staged boycotting the landlords and their local agents. The main issues faced were abolition of paid labour and increase of agricultural wages. Praja Panchayats or peoples courts were established and landlords tried in public gatherings.

The peasants displaying red flags occupied waste and govt. lands under the landlord's occupation. Over 800 acres of land was occupied and lakhs of rupees collected as refunds by the landless peasants in Jagtiyal alone. On 7th September 1978 over 35000 people marched to Jagtiyal town from 150 out of 152 villages of Jagtiyal Taluq. Red flags were planted with Dalits coming to the fore to apply for land rights. However subsequently unprecedented state repression was launched.

A new generation of revolutionary intellectuals was defined by the formation of the Virasam or Revolutionary Writers Association in 1970 who shimmered the very essence of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and in 1974 became the 1st mass organization in India to officially proclaim ideology of Mao Tse Tung Thought. Their writers produced the very best of revolutionary literature revealing creativity in depths of the sublime, ressurecting the vibrations of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. No Writers Association in history of Indian revolutionary movement related to the peoples lives and mass struggles in such depth, touching the oppressed masses in the core of their soul. Virasam was a precursor to the formation of the Cultural organization the Jana Nata Mandali in 1972.

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The Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union played the role of pioneers in the student movement in Illuminating the political line of Naxalbari as well as the Chinese revolution and thus wrote a new epoch in the history of the student movement in India. Students sprouted up in Osmania and Kakatiya University, Regional Engineering college Warangal,in Tirupati,Guntur and Vishakapatnam under the leadership of KS. in support of Naxalbari struggle and waged militant demonstrations against price rise and commutation of death sentence to Bhumiah and Kitsa Gowd. For a prolonged period of 2 decades till it was banned the Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union Hindu fascist forces, braving all kinds of state repression from time of emergency itself. with thousands being arrested or tortured. The APRSU staged 9 state conferences and could mobilize around 10000 delegates It led a series of Go To Villages campaign from 1978-1985 illuminating the ideology of agrarian revolution and immersing in the very struggles of the peasantry. It formed units of the revolutionary youth league and with Virasman, Jana Natya Mandali and Radical youth league built up peasant movements and built units of the Rytu Coolie Sangham and thus building the base for agrarian revolutionary movement in Andhra Pradesh. It shimmered its torch at its crescendo in 1984 mobilizing 111 students and youth in 2410 villages forming 200 new units. These organizations gave a new impetus to the anti-feudal struggles, particularly in Karimnar and Adilabad.

It is untrue that the PWG made little impact on the trade Union movement and there was sharp criticism on the organization for not building any sustained workers struggles. or organizations. Qualitative work was done in the mines of Singakeri where economism was countered at its very roots. Under guidance of Radicals KK2 miners went on strike in April 18th ,1981,opposing a British time act which entailed reduction of 8 day wages for one day strike. It spread like wildfire to other mines in Mandmarry division and later to Ramakrishnapuram division and then Sriram Puram. Simultaneously the firing took place on the Adivasis at Indravelli and the police authorities planned to repeat the firing on the workers if they continued the agitation. However the workers foiled the police bid to foil their protest by staging a mammoth public meeting in Godavri khani. The agitation ended after an epic 56 days. This struggle led to the formation of a formal Sikasa Union. Another huge strike was conducted in 1995 mobilizing 1 lakh miners.

Later in the 1990's workers struggles spread to Akasa and Vikasa In Hyderbad workers were organized in public sector units like BHEL,IDPI,ECIL etc.organizing unions amongst apprentices workers and daily contract labourers, sanitation workers and press workers. However by 1986 the workers struggles were suppressed and efforts were made now to do work amongst unorganized unions. The managements tried to deploy goons to infiltrate unions if they raised their voice to fight for legal rights. Some strong actions were organized to resist such repression with actions undertaken against goons and management personnel. Classic examples were in Ampro biscuit factory, Vijay Electricals company and Duktron casting company, which had a bearing all over Hyderbad. Sadly by the mid 1990's the intelligence agencies and police smashed down the mass underground organizers and the open trade union leaders.

KS also inspired all India forms like the All India League for revolutionary culture and the All -India Revolutionary Students Federation. Building National level unity with mass organizations from other trends. Another achievement was the formation of the All-India Peoples Resistance form in Kolkata in 1994 and the 1 lakh rally

However there important errors on mass-line in practice and theory.

Comrade KS could not completely extricate himself from the pernicious Dengist 3 worlds theory and erroeneously called for a United front with US Imperilaism and other Western countries against Soviet Social Imperialism.

On Punjab he took a most eclectically stand of supporting Bhindranwale and Akali movement thus soft-pedaling with Khalistani movement.

In practice he was responsible at times for opportunist alliances with the NTR Telegu Desam regime against the ruling Congress.

There were also military actions that were undertaken which were not in consonance with level of agrarian revolutionary or mass movement and thus inducing attacks by the state on the mass movements of the people. Thus at times mass line was vitiated with action s of armed squads repeating mistake of 'annihilation of the class enemy' of the C.P.I.(M.L.) replacing people's movements. This was reflected in the manner the state crushed the very backbone of the PWG in the later 1990's .by destroying the guerilla zones.

Insufficient democratic practice within the mass organizations was predominant with tendencies of sloganeering or propaganda not at the level of consciousness of the workers. Powerful tendency to impose party ideology of Mao Tse Tung Thought on mass organizations thus converting them into front organizations and thus alienating the broader sections..

The tactic of "Active boycott' in elections was deployed without the necessary preparations for political consciousness which could alienate the masses, and hardy sufficient emphasis on building or projecting the revolutionary alternative, with ruling class forces indirectly supported.

Tragically a strong spurt of clashes took place between the PWG and the Chandra Pulla Reddy group which acted against the interests of the revolutionary movement but both the groups did not usher self -criticism. In fact PWG felt its attacks on CP Reddy group squads were on class lines which is erroneous.

KS also could not adequately do justice to the overall re-organization of the party by not able to unify his organization with the Maoist Communist Centre and often belittling unity with other groups or democratic centralism. Powerful tendencies of big brother approach towards other revolutionary groups. was exhibited. Also regionalist tendencies dictating movements in other states on the basis of the strength of squads in Andhra .

Conclusively as Marxists on his 100th birth anniversary we have to dialectically make a synthesis of the positive and negative aspects of KS .Without doubt his positive points outweigh his negative by a big margin .On the 50th anniversary of formation of C.P.I.(M.L.) this year his spirit is extinguished or resurrected in the forests of Dandakaranya or Jharkhand .