|
The states of Bihar,
Jharkhand and Haryana are to go to the poll in February 2005 — called the
political mainstream. Since the last two months we have seen what this entails.
Crude horse-trading, money, guns and most importantly — caste and community
configurations. As in all other elections, what are clearly lacking are
questions of policy. This is quite natural as all the parliamentary outfits have
similar basic policies. This is clearly to be seen after the Congress front took
over from the BJP front. Beside talk of Hindutva and secularism there is nothing
much to differentiate between the two. Particularly on the crucial issues of
economic policy all follow a similar approach of capitulation to imperialism and
servility before the Big Power. All serve the interests of the money-bags, yet
squabble amongst themselves for the fruits of power. Some represent specific
business houses but change colour to the highest bidder.
The mainstream means
to become a slippery reptile doing the bidding of the ruling classes against the
oppressed masses of the country. The mainstream means to turn unpatriotic,
betraying the interests of the country and licking the boots of the
imperialists, particularly the US. The mainstream means to ride rough shod over
the masses and make money for oneself from the crumbs thrown by the powerful.
The mainstream means: be greedy, be ruthless towards the masses and servile
before the money-bags, be unpatriotic and fall at the feet of the imperialists,
be casteist and beg votes on caste equations, and be unprincipled even within
the realms of bourgeois parliamentarism. People are sick of this ‘stream’ which
has turned into a filthy gutter, but for lack of an alternative vote for what
they think is better of the evils, or according to parochial considerations
hoping for some favour/protection due to caste or religious affinity.
And the rulers,
whether in AP or at the centre, are always requesting the Naxalites to "join the
mainstream". Witness what is taking place in any of the three states going to
the polls. In Bihar and Jharkhand all are busy horse-trading with each other and
if at all there is any consistency it is caste-based. The BJP have their upper
caste constituency; the RJD have the Yadavs, Muslims and a section of the dalits;
Paswan has sections of the dalits and OBC; and the Congress are vying with the
BJP for the upper caste vote. In Jharkhand the JMM have the tribal votes. And in
both states a sizable section of the oppressed are expected to boycott the polls
at the call of the CPI(Maoists) and also out of disgust with all the parties.
Till the last day the parties have found it difficult to strike alliances due to
the unrelenting greed for seats within their respective parties. So much so that
on being denied seats they have resorted to rioting and smashing their own party
offices. That is the mainstream. Is it really worth joining?
And the Election
Commission must make their regular show of being the watchdogs for a ‘fair’ poll
through making a show of warning Lalu for distributing a few hundred rupees,
when it is common knowledge that crores flow on the days nearing the polls to
buy votes. At present the EC is more pre-occupied on how to prevent the Maoists
from implementing the boycott call. They are visiting these states in person to
estimate how many companies of para-military forces will be required to prevent
the boycott campaign. They are making even a peaceful campaign for the boycott
of elections illegal. This creation of illegality for a legitimate political
act, even according to their own constitution, shows how much they fear the
awakening of the masses to the truth of the situation. Forcible voting, fake
voting, voting at gun-point, caste-based voting, voting on payment, etc etc are
all a part of the game called "elections". Take your choice: pick a dacoit, a
rapist and looter, a village tough, a landlord, a political pimp that changes
flags overnight …….. or the best of them all, a mere corrupt social worker.
What can the masses
gain from this political system? And as for the Maoists they have a clear-cut
economic and political programme which undenyingly favours the poor and is
against the rich — i.e., in the interests of the 90% and against the handful of
ruling elite. But for that they must be arrested, hounded, tortured, raped and
killed in fake encounters. In Andhra Pradesh while offering the olive branch
they have mowed down 14 in cold blood in just a fortnight, including even two
from the seperate Telengana parties. It is like talking sweetly and stabbing in
the back. They still talk of "joining the mainstream". At the Centre in a recent
top level meeting, the Home Minister announced that they have planned a Special
Task Forces to butcher the Maoists along the lines used for Veerapan. Then where
is the question of the mainstream? They are building a new Indian Reserve
Battalion with over 2 lakh forces (from amongst the oppressed in the affected
areas) only to crush the Naxalites. They are upgrading their intelligence with
the assistance of the Israeli Mossaad — who are nothing but one of the most
notorious gangs of assassins. Should one join this type of "mainstream"? Should
one sacrifice the interests of the 90% and betray the masses just in order to
join the "mainstream"?
No and a hundred
times no. One cannot sell ones soul to the devil like the Liberation Group (only
to find their MLAs killed in the gangster politics of electoral rivalry).
Boycott is a political campaign; not a ‘terror’ campaign as made out by the
political parties and even the Election Commission. The ruling classes do not
fear electoral violence as much as they fear an awakened mass that rejects this
electoral farce. It is for this reason that they bring in their armed might to
stall the boycott campaign. (See report on the back page)
In fact in Bihar more
booth capturing, murders and mayhem go on under the very electoral system.
Witness the recent murder of the Liberation MLA. The media and police sought to
put the blame for the killing of the Jharkhand MLA on the Maoists, when in fact
the Liberation themselves put the blame on the local DSP and a minister of the
BJP government. Besides, a full fortnight earlier the CPI(Maoist) Central
Committee (Provisional) issued a public press statement to unilaterally cease
clashes with the Liberation. In this Press Statement the Maoist party called
to: Unilaterally end all actions against the ‘Liberation’, no matter what the
provocation; and to intensify the political struggle against the revisionism of
the Liberation group. The statement in fact went so far as to apologise for
any action taken against the ordinary supporters of the ‘Liberation’, as that
harmed the interests of the masses. It appealed to the masses that remain under
the revisionist influence of the ‘Liberation’ to come forward and join the
revolutionary stream. The Press Statement also challe-nged the ‘Liberation’ to
take up the political battle and stop killing ordinary people if found to be
hostile to them and sympathetic to revolutionary politics. When this state-ment
has been publicly issued and distribu-ted widely it was sheer mischief on the
part of the establishment to blame the Maoists — in order to provoke further
killings between the Maoists and the Liberation.
The issue before all
is to build a just and equitable order. The moot question before us is how? What
could be the possible path to achieve it? Is it through what is to occur this
month in three states of is it through a new path that seeks the liberation of
entire mankind? The first may be relatively peaceful, but it is treacherous; the
latter may be relatively more painful, but then even to give birth to a
beautiful baby the mother must undergo the enormous agony of birth-pangs.
Jan 20th, 2005
|
