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The mammoth public
meeting with tens of thousands of people in remembrance of martyred heroes and
heroines at Mogilicherla village of Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh on 28
July gave a lie to the government propaganda that the CPI(ML) (PW) led armed
revolutionary movement has lost its earlier mass base. It was the first public
meeting of such a dimension since 1992 when the State imposed ban on the PW.
After so many years of incessant repression, murdering communist revolutionaries
and stifling any voice for democratic rights, the atmosphere of relaxation
forced on the State by the Andhra people after dislodging the Chandrababu
government proved beyond doubt that the PW commands a massive support of the
people.
Despite assurances by
the Home Minister K. Jana Reddy that police would cause no disruption, private
vehicle owners were warned of dire consequences by the police if they ferried
people to the venue, video cameras remained in operation for recording the
identities of the people and police forces in uniform and in plain clothes were
pressed into service in large numbers.
The open meeting was
to mark the death anniversary of the founder of the CPI(ML) Com. Charu Majumdar
and to pay homage to martyrs. The village Mogilicherla is known for its support
base for the PW and it is this village from where 20 revolutionaries had fallen
to police bullets. The great hero of the people Com. P.Sudershan Reddy,
popularly known as comrade R.K., who was martyred in 2002, also hailed from this
village.
Gaddar, the highly
popular revolutionary balladeer of Jana Natya Mandali, Kalyan Rao, President of
the Revolutionary Writers Association and the revolutionary poet P. Varvara Rao
were the main speakers in the meeting. Before the public meeting JNM singer
Gadar and poet Varvara Rao unveiled a memorial at the village Mogilicherla
jampacked with curious people who braved incessant threat of police repression
with the manning of police forces around the State failed to deter the common
people from participating in the memorial meeting.
The Hindu (29
July 2004) correspondent reports that "the way in which people responded to the
speakers and the patience with which they listened to long speeches interspersed
with songs sung by Jana Natya Mandali singers led by Gadar, showed that the PW’s
popularity had not petered out but had only been eclipsed due to severe
repression let loose by successive governments in Andhra Pradesh."
Varvara Rao, Gadar,
Kalyan Rao — all unequivocally decleared in the public gathering that there was
no compromise on the question of armed struggle. Varvara Rao stated that the PW
would raise issues of democratic rights of the people, land for tribal, end of
police repression and cancellation of Land allotments to multinational companies
in and around during talks with the government.
The anti-police mood
among the huge audience was palpable. Whenever speakers referred to police
brutality or State repression, the audience expressed its response shouting
against the police and hailing the martyrs. The massive support of the people
for the revolutionary struggle is the guarantee of a great leap forward in the
unfolding days.
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