Appeal to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (People's
War) and the Maoist Communist Centre
20 December 1999
By the Fourth
Regional Conference of South Asian Parties and Organisations of
the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
With a deep sense of anguish, comradely concern and responsibility,
this Regional Conference of the South Asian Parties and Organisations
of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement issues this appeal
to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (People's War)
and the Maoist Communist Centre.
Comrades, both of your parties have a heroic record of revolutionary
armed struggle and self-sacrifice. The struggles led by you continue
to inspire the revolutionaries, progressives and the broad masses
not only in India but throughout the world. Hence, it is only natural
that reports of armed clashes between the activists and supporters
of both of your parties has shocked them and caused great concern.
True to their reactionary character, the ruling classes in India
and elsewhere are rubbing their hands in glee over this. They are
doing all they can to use these clashes to paint an ugly picture
not only of your parties but of the whole communist project itself.
The evil content of the propaganda of these ruthless butchers of
humanity will no doubt be rejected by the masses. But, comrades,
we must accept that these clashes do indeed raise serious questions
in the minds of the revolutionary masses themselves. We must recognise
that these clashes are raising serious questions that have deep
ideological and political implications for the communist vision
of a new world. These clashes are raising questions about our capacity
to play the vanguard role in uniting the broad masses for the revolutionary
struggle to establish a new-democratic society where the broad masses
enjoy genuine democracy and dictatorship is exercised only over
the reactionaries.
These clashes are causing heavy damage to our entire, common, communist
revolutionary cause. They must stop at once.
We do not intend to enter into a discussion on the rights and wrongs
of the causes leading to these clashes. No doubt, they must be summed
up. But what is more important is to recognise that there is nothing
right or justifiable in using force to resolve contradictions among
the people. This is what Mao Tsetung has taught us. Contradictions
among the people must be resolved only through persuasion, through
political struggle. Never by force.
Comrades, you know how this Maoist principle was applied during
the stormy days of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (GPCR)
in China. You know of the heroic communist standards set by the
workers of Peking who relied only on their ideology and determination
to stop the armed clashes between different factions of the Red
Guards in Tsinhua University. Let us not forget that they persisted
in this Maoist policy despite having to pay the heavy price of their
own lives.
In the context of such clashes it is often argued, "We were
not the first to attack and we are only defending ourselves against
attacks." This argument must also be examined by applying the
lessons of the GPCR. We know how the slogan "Attack with reason,
defend with force" which came up in the midst of Red Guard
clashes during the GPCR was criticised and withdrawn. Yes, it is
true that those circumstances were different. But the lessons gained
by our class through the GPCR and the principles of our ideology
cannot be denied in the name of particularities or inflamed emotions.
The revolutionary prestige earned by your parties places an even
greater responsibility on each of you to break away from a vicious
cycle of clashes and counter-clashes. We fully appreciate the difficulties
and pressures you face and know that implementing a correct policy
in the face of the loss of comrades is no easy matter. We appeal
to you to stand firm on the revolutionary principles of our ideology.
We call on each of you to publicly declare your willingness even
to sacrifice valuable lives in order to put an end to the clashes,
by stopping them unconditionally and unilaterally, by refusing to
retaliate. Such sacrifice will never be futile. It will be a glorious
example of proletarian determination and sacrifice in the cause
of the people. It will unleash a tremendous force of revolutionary
public opinion which no one can ignore. It will give a powerful
impetus in converting a bad thing into a good thing and thus proving
once again the strength of our ideology.
When different revolutionary parties are active in the same region,
wrong tendencies among the cadres and masses can give rise to strained
relations and political differences can be turned into antagonisms.
And there will always be opportunists or even bad elements who try
to fish in troubled waters. Some exercise of mutual restraint and
common sense is called for in such circumstances. This is even more
necessary while extending areas of activities. But the only sound
and lasting way to tackle such questions, including the question
of extension, is that of broadening and deepening ideological, political
struggle - among the masses, within the ranks of the party and,
when necessary, against opposing political views.
The revolutionary masses, the true creators of history, can never
be denied the right to know, examine and grapple with different
ideas and arrive at their own conclusions. Besides, the strength
of a revolutionary line must also rest on its capacity to retain
its support in the face of challenges and even provocation. It can
never be "protected" by any means other than ideological
and political struggle. Indeed, one of the negative consequences
of the clashes is that at a time when the communist movement in
India requires more and deeper struggle over the major questions
of political and ideological line, these clashes interfere with
and obscure such necessary struggle.
Comrades, once again, in a spirit of communist solidarity and with
high expectations of the strength of your revolutionary traditions,
we appeal to each of you to stop these clashes, unconditionally
and unilaterally, and to issue a public proclamation to this effect.
This is the pressing need of the time. For our part, the South Asian
Parties and Organisations of the Revolutionary Internationalist
Movement pledge our assistance in helping end these clashes.
Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)
Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist) [BSD (ML)]
Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist) Naxalbari
[CPI (ML) Naxalbari]
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
Proletarian Party of Purba Bangla [PBSP] [Bangladesh]
Revolutionary Communist Centre of India (Maoist) [RCCI (M)]
Revolutionary Communist Centre of India (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist)
[RCCI (MLM)]