By Harsh Thakor
DIP OUR BLOOD IN MEMORY OF IMMORTAL COMRADE CHANDRA PULLA REDDY
ON 35TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY TODAY.ONE OF THE PIONEERS IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST
REVISIONISM AND ARCHITECT OF
FORMULA OF RESISTANCE STRUGGLE IN EAST GODAVRI DISTRICT.NO DOUBT
MADE SERIOUS MISTAKES IN PRACTICE OF MASSLINE BUT TILL HIS LAST BREATH
SHIMMERED THE TORCH OF MARXISM-LENINISM -MAOISM TO RE-UNITE THE COMMUNIST
PARTY.
Tribute to Comrade
Chandra Pulla Reddy on 35th death anniversary on November 9th
On November 9th a
few days ago we celebrated the 35th death anniversary of Comrade Chandra Pulla
Reddy, one of the greatest Communist revolutionary crusaders ever in the
history of India who
developed resistance struggle in East Godavri
district. Till his last breadth he combated revisionism like a boulder and
shimmered light of Mao Zedong (毛泽东) thought resisting the most fierce gale. Sadly there was
no all-India function to celebrate his birth centenary on January 19th,
in 2017. Morally this tribute should have been delivered in commemoration of
birth centenary of Comrade C.P.
No doubt he made
serious errors of left and right variety but strived to practice mass line to
the best of his understanding. He was branded as a revisionist in the Vinod
Mishra mould by the Communist Party of India(Marxist Leninist) central Team in
1978 who failed to uphold any of his revolutionary credentials, which was major
blunder in the revolutionary camp in sectarian approach.
Few Comrades worked as
tenaciously to unite the party or project such an All-India perspective. His
group also led the biggest trade Union movement within the ML-camp. His line
and practice corrected many of the left adventurist errors of Charu Mazumdar In
agrarian revolutionary practice the movement led by C.P. Reddy contained greater
content of massline than what the Peoples War Group practiced in subsequent
decades.
He displayed utmost
humility even rejecting the offer of being general secretary of the party in
1975. His language had a subtle flowing style which could easily be comprehended
by readers and common folk.
With dialectical
methodology he strived to build a programme adhering to the mass-line His
thesis and guidance of resistance struggle was remarkable, which bore many
similarities to writings of Telengana armed struggle and that of CPC in
revolutionary struggle. He strived for maintaining party secrecy till the end
and was at horn in the flesh to the brand of Vinod Mishra revisionism.
With deep
Marxist-Leninist precision he analyzed aspects of Nationality like Kashmir and
Punjab as well as revisionism in China
and Soviet Union .
C.P. Redy gained his
baptism to Communist Movements from Puchchala palli Sundaraiah.,going on to
actively participate in the student movement in Gindi engineering college for
which he was expelled from the college. He went on to become C.P.I's Kurnool
district secretary and state Committee member in 1946.This paved the path for
his integration with the armed squads of Telengana in the armed peasant
struggle complying with the party request of working in Mahbobnagar forest. He
was here arrested and imprisoned .After release from jail he contested from the
Nandikotkur Assembly Constituency and elected for Madras Presidency. C.P. became
one of the party's sub-committee member to get the indefinite fast onto death
struggle of late Potti Srimamalu withdrawn and also fought for bringing water
to Rayalaseema from Srikakulam project on River Krishna.
In 1964 he was arrested
under the Defense of India Act for supporting China
CP was the equivalent
of a sculptor or architect as a Marxist crusader against revisionism. He
compiled a masterpiece "World Communist Movement-It's evolution along with
other state Committee Manikonda Subba Rao. It very vividly and dialectically assessed
the root causes of revisionism and deeply enlightened cadres to make a rupture
from revisionism. During the period of the Great debate he made an intense
study of the 9 comments published by
the CCP and published the book 'The polemics between Russia-China."
Here Khrushchev's revisionism was attacked in its very belly and the Sword of
the Great Debate sharpened to the last core. Few Comrades ever in India
With the skill of a
surgeon stitching wounds or architect designing a building he built the
movement in East Godavri district after 1970.
No doubt he was erroneously critical of the mass-line of Nagi Reddy -DV Rao
accusing them of legalism and surrendering from jail itself in 1969 where the
party split. Still some of the most articulate actions of self -defense were
displayed by the armed squads giving echoes of the planning and organization in
the Telengana armed struggle. Forest areas of Khammam ,Karimnagar, Warangal , East and West Godavri
were encompased. in a span of 7 years. Great
emphasis was placed on rectifying errors of left adventurism of Charu Mazumdar.
A review was made of
the Forest movement in Godavri. which summed up the legal work
explaining politics of armed struggle .There was mobilizing people on forest
issues, on landlord exploitation, usury and contractors exploitation, seizure
of surplus grains from the landlords, and illegally seized lands from the
landlords.
In Murugu and Parakal
taluk people came forward to ocupy forest lands.and illegally seized lands
under the occupation of the landlords. In Bayyaram area of Ellundu Taluq people
seized the surplus grains .In Yathalkuntha area of Palvancha Taluq, girijan
mobilized themselves for the seizure of landlords which they had previously
lost to them, defying the police and seizing their crops. In Pagideru area
during famine conditions people came forward for the seizure of surplus grain. In
Nugur Taluq people resisted the exploitation of Vajedu landlords.
The party won many
militants combining the politics of armed struggle with the mobilization of
people, immediate issues and resistance to landlord goondagiri, It paved the
path for organizing village committees. Politics of armed struggle was now
extended to a large scale traversing areas of Ellundu, Burgumpada, Palvancha, Manthena,Nugur
and Prakala taluks.
In 1972
November-December, in Lothur Zone of Sompeta area ,about 200 people including
women and children from 10 villages ,armed with traditional weapons seized
crops from 19 areas and sowed crops on them. By 1974, 250 acres of land
encompassing 30 villages’ standing crops were seized by the people. It was
a shot in the arm to spread the people’s movement in neighboring villages
giving great encouragement. The party gave the call on the Andhra-Orissa border
and the Logam area of seizing the crops and the lands. In July August the
Girijans occupied 25 acres of such land from the landlords First the party
formed village committees .By 1974 250 acres of land encompassing 30 villages
standing crops were seized by the people.
Most dialectically C.P.
Reddy assessed that the people were not ready to participate in agrarian
revolution. However subsequently great repression was unleashed and a sustained
movement could not be built to combat it. Mistakenly the party thought it was
ready to wage guerilla armed struggle—and depended on the strength of the armed
squads.
We must give C.P. Reddy
for making such bold criticism of the mistakes of the party in practicing the
mass-line highlighting how often squad actions replaced people's initiative .It
felt that though it's basic political line was correct the mass-line was not
consistently practiced ,in formulating the demand of the people, in running the
agitation on them, in conducting strike struggles, in organizing the mass
organizations at the village level, in organizing the village youth in
volunteer organizations, to sending the village youth to secret propaganda in
the surrounding villages, in involving people in actions against the peoples
enemies ,it could not say that all the zonal committees and squads implemented
the line of the party on all occasions. There were times when implementing the
above tasks, comrades depended mainly on the squad and not mainly on the
people. When police repression was not so severe from 1970-72 left mistakes
affected mass mobilization and mass work suffered .Only after the 1973
conference was the task of forming secret village committees and legal and
illegal mass organizations like youth leagues or girijan associations
undertaken seriously.
Overall the successes
achieved were
1.In all areas where squads
were functioning people mobilized themselves to occupy the forest banzars both
barren and arable. 3 lakhs of banzar lands were occupied
2.In forest areas
strike struggles were consistently carried for increased wages for all kinds of
work.
3. In areas of work
exploitation of patwaris, patels and forest contractors came to an end.
4. Tank binds and night
schools were successfully constructed. Canals were dug to create water
facilities to irrigate land..
5. People's initiative
consciousness and resistance power gas grown with girijans being roused for
politics of armed struggle and agrarian revolution.
6. Political level and
striking capacity of the squads was enhanced. Great emphasis was placed on
political education. with regular
political classes conducted. In 1974-75 at the peak of police repression the
squads heroically launched a counter offensive which greatly boosted
self-confidence of members. The party and squad members escaped with virtually
no casualties.
7. A stable mass base
for the movement was constructed .The party line in forest are spread in 7
months from Etunagaram in Warangal district to Polawaram in West Godavri
district with many village committees formed. In spite of 7 years of prolonged
state repression the solid mass base sustained the movement, with squads and
committees continuously operating.
8. Inspiration to the
plains movement. The forest movement inspired a peasant movement in the
surrounding plain regions of Telengana. The consistency, solidity and success
of the movements in the forests to defy the administration shimmered its spark
to the plain regions to boost struggles there.
However by 1975
repression intensified and movement in Warangal Warangal
After emergency
C.P.Reddy strived for unity with other sections. Like Kondapalli Seetharamiah, Devullapali
Venkateswara Rao and Anand but failed to build a new re-organized party.
At one time in the late
1970’s CP Reddy group led the biggest All-India movement
.It was reflected in the All-India rallies at Delhi in 1989 and
1990 led by what was the C.P.I.(M.L.) Resistance group, which
mobilized over 70000 people. They literally illuminated the capital with the
flame of red resistance reverberating slogans paying homage to C.P. Reddy and
many other martyrs.
Seeds were also sown
for the development of mass organization sin all spheres of society and the
most remarkable one was the pioneering the 1st women's revolutionary
organization called the 'People's Organization of Women. "One can never
forget the days the Progressive Democrat Students Union thrived, particularly
in mid 1970's. He also pioneered the formation of India Maharashtra where students Organization PRAVIS supported
his line which was earlier PROYOM. No revolutionary party made a greater dent
in the working class movement than the group led by C.P. Reddy. Mass
organizations were built all around India Punjab ,
the Bhoomihan Kisan Sangharsh commitee in Uttar Pradesh,the Indian Federation
of Trade Unions, the Pragitisheel Vidhyarti Sanghatana, Navnirman Sanskritik
Manch and Kashtakari Sanghtana in Maharashtra etc.
However C.P.Reddy made
serious errors in the course of his political career .It had it's origin in the
violation of mass line of T. Nagi Reddy -D.V. Rao from 1969 itself in the
APCCCR. In the main they were participating in parliamentary elections,
economist practice in mass organizations, opportunist merger and split with
Satyanaryan Singh and earlier advocating left adventurist squad actions in the
time of Nagi-Reddy-DV Rao .In 1969 he carried out actions without the consent
of the leadership of the Andhra Pradesh Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (APCCR) led by Nagi-Reddy-DV Rao He hurried unity with
S.N.Singh in 1974 and supported a liquidationist position of supporting
movement of Jayaprakash Narayan. In 1977 he pushed for electoral participation
without adequate development of the party organization which was the breeding
ground of right liquidationism. Towards the end of his life he was unable to
combat personality cult trends from infecting the party which led to revolt of
comrades like Pyla Vasudeva Rao and thus splits.
After
death of C.P. in 1984 K.Ramchandran was elected the new secretary of
what was now called the C.P.I.(M.L.) Resistance group. Sadly right opportunist
trends cropped up amongst with the group which pursued
Semi-Ambedkarist path, resorted to open party functioning, established
opportunist mergers and splits with other sections of the revolutionary camp often
resulting in slandering genuine revolutionaries. The right opportunist
formation and practice of C.P.I.(M.L.) Janashakti was an ideal illustration of
this, reminiscent of cake being baked and then cut up into slices. In contrast
to rectify errors the C.P.I.(M.L) New Democracy group is making an invaluable
contribution to genuinely upholding the positive aspects of C.P.Reddy's line
and practice. It is combating fascism in its very backyard and innovating
movements to liberate dalits like the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh commitee in Punjab . as well as consolidate all-India Organizations of
peasants and workers.
I recommend readers to
critically read the works of Chandra Pulla Reddy whatever the aberrations which
is part of the Marxist-Leninist treasure house. I cant forget my enthusiasm to
study his work as a student and the interest of a fellow girl comrade to borrow
a set of a volume of his writings. I am sorry not to have attended a single
meeting commemorating his birth centenary. I also recommend readers to read the
centenary tribute of C.P. Reddy in Rising New Democracy of the New Democracy
section led by Chandrama and the tribute in organ 'New Democracy 'in 2013.
We should inscribe in
golden letters the names of the martyrs who upheld C.P. Reddy's legacy. They
include Neelam Ramchandriah, Ram Narsayya, Jampala Prasad in the 1970's. Linganna,
Ravi and Rama Rao were martyred in recent
times but till their last breadth although expiring over 3 decades after C.P. Reddy's
death pledged to tread his path. Many martyrs also dipped their blood valiantly
against the Khalistanis in Punjab like Baldev
Singh Mann, Jaimal Singh Padda, Sarabjeet Singh Gyan Singh Sangha etc.
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