By Harsh Thakor
HAIL IMMORTAL COMRADE SHAMSHER SINGH SHERI ON HIS 75TH BIRTH
ANNIVERSARY YEAR WHO ARGUABLY MADE THE GREATEST EVER CONTRIBUTION IN COMBATING
REVISIONISM, LIGHTING THE SPARK OF MAOISM[1]
AND PAVING THE PATH OF NAXALBARI IN PUNJAB. WITH FASCSIM REACHING ITS CRESCENDO
IT IS HEARTENING TO WITNESS THE RESURRECTION OF THE SPIRIT OF SHERI IN A
MEETING AND MARCH BY A CONTINGENT OF COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARY FORCES IN KHOKAR
KALAN IN PUNJAB.
A well attended rally and public meeting was held in Khokar Kalan village in Sangrur resurrecting the spirit of legendary Comrade Shamsher Singh Sheri who till his last breadth lit the spark of the invincible ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and exuded the spirit of Naxalbari. Around 200 persons participated in March and then gathered in the Dharamshala for the homage Meeting. The event was addressed by Punjab Lok Sangram Manch President, Sukhwinder Kaur, Narinder Singh Nindi of Krantikari Jamhooori Morcha, Stage secretary Sone and Swaranjee t Singh of Inquilabi, Lok Morcha. Speakers vehemently condemned the Brahamanical Hindu-Fascism pervading the nation and summarized the fascist overtones of the cases foisted on Vernon Gonzalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vara Vra Rao, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale etc. They explained how the tentacles of Fascism were sharpening day by day and the need to build an anti-fascist movement from the very grassroots. They also spoke about how the Communist revolutionary movement in Punjab must follow the path of the Maoist led movement in Dandkaranya to extricate itself from the infection of the rightist trend. In their view even if part of the revolutionary camp the trend exhibited by C.P.I. (M.L.)[2] New Democracy supporting the line of C.P. Redy-Satayanarayan Singh and the Communist Party Re-Organization Center of India(M.L.) supporting line of Nagi Redy-Harbhjan Sohi represented rightist trend. They expressed that even if conditions were not ripe in Punjab to launch an armed struggle at least a preparatory path must be laid for people’s war by building agrarian revolutionary movement.
The meeting was qualitatively a great success and proved that the Communist revolutionary of Maoist spirit still burn sin the heart of the masses of Punjab. Such gatherings also lay the base for combating economist trend in revolutionary movement and putting the revolutionary programme before the people. It lit a spark that could turn into a prairie fire for the victory of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Personally I differed from his views on T. Nagi Reddy-HBS line and on Revolutionary Internationalist Movement which had deviationist overtones. He failed to recognize the contribution of Nagi Reddy line carried forward by Com. Harbhajan Sohi towards building the mass line as a whole and the premature stage to form a Communist International. I also wished more contingents of the Communist revolutionary camp in Punjab could have participated in such a meeting. Today even the Maoist camp in Punjab is divided, lacking the complete orientation towards staging people’s war or sufficiently developing political class mass organizations.
It is debatable whether Comrade Sheri was completely a protagonist of the mass line but what is indisputable was his invaluable contribution to the Maoist movement as a whole. He combated revisionism from the very roots when opposing Dengist theory of three world’s capitulationist line of participation in elections and the revisionist path of socialist revolution. Arguably no comrade contributed more in laying the path of people’s war path and combating revisionism and rightism at its very roots in Punjab. Tooth and nail he defended the armed struggles of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Dandkaranya and defended path of people’s War in Punjab. He played a major role in the eventual merger of the MCCI[3] with the C.P.I.(M.L.) People’s War in forming the C.P.I.(Maoist)[4] and earlier in putting an end to the inter-group clashes of the squads of the 2 parties. Sheri resembled a boulder withstanding the most intense storms lighting the flame of revolution within the boundaries of the most powerful counter -revolutionary winds. The commemoration meeting held in his memory in 2005 was one of the most impactful and touching in the history of Punjab. Every section of the C.R. camp including the C.P.R.C.I.(M.L.) praised his great contribution and the meeting was great boost to the unity of communist revolutionary forces in Punjab. Significantly till today he is the most revered and remembered leader from the Naxalite movement in Punjab overshadowing
A well attended rally and public meeting was held in Khokar Kalan village in Sangrur resurrecting the spirit of legendary Comrade Shamsher Singh Sheri who till his last breadth lit the spark of the invincible ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and exuded the spirit of Naxalbari. Around 200 persons participated in March and then gathered in the Dharamshala for the homage Meeting. The event was addressed by Punjab Lok Sangram Manch President, Sukhwinder Kaur, Narinder Singh Nindi of Krantikari Jamhooori Morcha, Stage secretary Sone and Swaranjee t Singh of Inquilabi, Lok Morcha. Speakers vehemently condemned the Brahamanical Hindu-Fascism pervading the nation and summarized the fascist overtones of the cases foisted on Vernon Gonzalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vara Vra Rao, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale etc. They explained how the tentacles of Fascism were sharpening day by day and the need to build an anti-fascist movement from the very grassroots. They also spoke about how the Communist revolutionary movement in Punjab must follow the path of the Maoist led movement in Dandkaranya to extricate itself from the infection of the rightist trend. In their view even if part of the revolutionary camp the trend exhibited by C.P.I. (M.L.)[2] New Democracy supporting the line of C.P. Redy-Satayanarayan Singh and the Communist Party Re-Organization Center of India(M.L.) supporting line of Nagi Redy-Harbhjan Sohi represented rightist trend. They expressed that even if conditions were not ripe in Punjab to launch an armed struggle at least a preparatory path must be laid for people’s war by building agrarian revolutionary movement.
The meeting was qualitatively a great success and proved that the Communist revolutionary of Maoist spirit still burn sin the heart of the masses of Punjab. Such gatherings also lay the base for combating economist trend in revolutionary movement and putting the revolutionary programme before the people. It lit a spark that could turn into a prairie fire for the victory of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Personally I differed from his views on T. Nagi Reddy-HBS line and on Revolutionary Internationalist Movement which had deviationist overtones. He failed to recognize the contribution of Nagi Reddy line carried forward by Com. Harbhajan Sohi towards building the mass line as a whole and the premature stage to form a Communist International. I also wished more contingents of the Communist revolutionary camp in Punjab could have participated in such a meeting. Today even the Maoist camp in Punjab is divided, lacking the complete orientation towards staging people’s war or sufficiently developing political class mass organizations.
It is debatable whether Comrade Sheri was completely a protagonist of the mass line but what is indisputable was his invaluable contribution to the Maoist movement as a whole. He combated revisionism from the very roots when opposing Dengist theory of three world’s capitulationist line of participation in elections and the revisionist path of socialist revolution. Arguably no comrade contributed more in laying the path of people’s war path and combating revisionism and rightism at its very roots in Punjab. Tooth and nail he defended the armed struggles of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Dandkaranya and defended path of people’s War in Punjab. He played a major role in the eventual merger of the MCCI[3] with the C.P.I.(M.L.) People’s War in forming the C.P.I.(Maoist)[4] and earlier in putting an end to the inter-group clashes of the squads of the 2 parties. Sheri resembled a boulder withstanding the most intense storms lighting the flame of revolution within the boundaries of the most powerful counter -revolutionary winds. The commemoration meeting held in his memory in 2005 was one of the most impactful and touching in the history of Punjab. Every section of the C.R. camp including the C.P.R.C.I.(M.L.) praised his great contribution and the meeting was great boost to the unity of communist revolutionary forces in Punjab. Significantly till today he is the most revered and remembered leader from the Naxalite movement in Punjab overshadowing
those from any other trend within the Maoist camp. Comrade
Sheri was firm supporter of the original line of Charu Mazumdar and the
C.P.I.(M.L.) he formed and although later joining the pro-Nagi Reddy
UCCRI(M.L.)[5] he left
it classifying it's line as having right-reformist deviation. He was the founder
of the Revolutionary Communist Centre of India which was a breakaway group from
it. In 1984 this organization led by Sheri joined the Revolutionary
Internationalist Movement.
Quoting an extract in a resolution by the C.P.I.(Maoist)
"On the whole, Com. Sheri was a versatile leading figure of the Naxalite movement, who devoted all his life to the liberation of workers and peasants. He had youthful vigor even at the age of 63. He never surrendered before the problems of the revolutionary movement. He never submitted to state repression. He always subordinated his personal interests to the common interests. He made relentless efforts to unify the fragmented Maoist movement. He played a leading role to unite the Maoists of Punjab with those of the country and the world. It will not be an exaggeration to say that com. Sheri was a living history. The revolutionary ranks and labouring people will always remember him. They will always seek guidance from this heroic son of the land, for whose liberation he devoted all his life. Let us pledge to follow his ideals and
foot-steps!"
Quoting an extract in a resolution by the C.P.I.(Maoist)
"On the whole, Com. Sheri was a versatile leading figure of the Naxalite movement, who devoted all his life to the liberation of workers and peasants. He had youthful vigor even at the age of 63. He never surrendered before the problems of the revolutionary movement. He never submitted to state repression. He always subordinated his personal interests to the common interests. He made relentless efforts to unify the fragmented Maoist movement. He played a leading role to unite the Maoists of Punjab with those of the country and the world. It will not be an exaggeration to say that com. Sheri was a living history. The revolutionary ranks and labouring people will always remember him. They will always seek guidance from this heroic son of the land, for whose liberation he devoted all his life. Let us pledge to follow his ideals and
[3] Maoist
Communist Centre.
[5] Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India (Marxist–Leninist).
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