Volume 6, No. 9, September 2005

Sept 21st of this year will witness the first anniversary of the formation of the new unified Party, the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Within the muck and gutter of parliamentary filth this new Party stands out as a beacon light. A glowing star on the horizon bringing light to the darkness that entombs to world of the oppressed masses. While the par-liamentary parties of all hues are coming out ever more crudely as gangsters, mafia, dalals of the moneybags and outright traitorous agents of the US imperialists, the Maoist forces are being seen as dedicated and selfless champions of the oppressed masses of India. Since the very formation of the Party, in just this one year, over one hundred comrades have laid down their lives for the cause of the oppressed, including some senior leaders like Karnataka state secretary, Saket Rajan. While Maoists are seen amongst the most oppressed sections of the country, the parliamentarians are only to be seen in the company of the moneyed, business, traders, film stars, imperialists, feudal autocrats and amongst outright gangsters and criminals.

The coming September 21 will be the first Anniversary Day of the newly-unified Party, the CPI(Maoist), marking the completion of one year of the historic merger of the two Maoist Revolutionary Parties, the MCCI and the CPI(ML)[PW]. It can be clearly seen that all the brave martyrs who have given their lives in this last one year stand as models of exceptional communist qualities such as: total dedication to the cause of the oppressed masses, selflessness and adherence to communist values and ethics, indomitable will and steadfastness, exemplary courage, proletarian discipline, simplicity in habits and lifestyle, deep affection, love, respect and an attitude of serving the people, determination to bear hardship and ‘swim against the tide’, hard work, etc. They continue in the glorious traditions set by the founders of the two parties, comrades Charu Mazumdar and Kanai Chatterjee.

In this one year the achievements are tangible, notwithstanding the ferociousness of the attack of the rulers on that new Party, which has now been targeted as the number one enemy of the ruling establishment of this country. The dreams of the reactionaries and revisionists that the unity would not consolidate have turned into nightmares seeing the strengthening of the unity between not only the erstwhile two parties, but also their people’s guerrilla armies with the growing strength of the PLGA.

Firstly, the unity has brought a qualitative leap in the unity of genuine communist revolutionaries of India. It also brought a clear-cut polarization between the genuine revolutionaries and the fake ones. The revisionists of all hues have attacked this unity, while some have maintained a strange silence. Most of such forces do not even condemn the repression on the new party. But, on the other hand, the revolutionary masses and cadres, not only in the Party but also in various ML organizations, have enthusiastically hailed the unification. In the last year some genuine Maoist forces, either as a group or as individuals, have joined the unified Party, the CPI (Maoist).

Secondly, with the birth of a genuine communist party in the country, the unity has kindled a new hope for the oppressed masses of the country. Even the bourgeois media now reports the Party has spread to 150 districts in the country. The Party organization now spans across the length and breadth of the country, from Assam in the east to Gujarat in the west, and from Punjab in the north to Kerala in the south. The Party now has a presence in almost every state though it is weak in some states.

Thirdly, with the merger of the people’s armed forces of the two parties the striking capacity has significantly increased. This can be seen from the step up in the number of actions since the birth of the new party.

Fourthly, with the merger the extent of mass influence of the Party has increased significantly and the areas under the guerrilla zones have widened to such an extent that the rulers, panic stricken, keep yelling about what the media call the CRZ (compact revolutionary zone) stretching from the borders of Nepal to the southern hills of Andhra Pradesh — a distance of about 2,000 kms.

And finally, with the Indian revolution as a part of the World Socialist Revolution, the consolidation and growth of a genuine proletarian Party in a country as vast as India has come as a boost to the international communist forces of the world that has faced a setback since the reversals in Russia and China. The international proletariat as also the anti-imperialist forces of the world continues to hail the advance of the revolution in India whose attack on the Indian ruling classes weakens the entire imperialist system. This, combined with the rising people’s war in Nepal, led by the CPN(Maoist), makes South Asia a burning cauldron of the growing revolutionary forces worldwide.

The unity between MCCI and CPI(ML)[People’s War] was achieved after a long period by going through a process of close interaction, deep discussion, debate and deep study. It was the frank and sincere self-criticism based on MLM, before the masses and inside the party that paved the way to fulfill the long cherished desire of unity of genuine revolutionaries. It is an example to other revolutionary and Maoist forces that if they keep the interests of the masses as primary and the goal of revolution as the key factor, unity between even warring groups is possible. For this a genuine public self-critical approach is necessary from both sides.

Now let us take a brief stock of the developments in the last one year since the unity and birth of the new Party based on reports taken from the media. The achievements are to be assessed on the growth of the three magic weapons of revolution ……. the Party, the people’s army and the united front. All three are utlised to mobilize the masses for their liberation from poverty and oppression.

The first great achievement as even reported in the media is the fusion of the two parties from top to bottom and the thorough discussion amongst its rank-and-file on the new documents. The Party’s political line is open to all, though itself has to remain secret. The entire revolutionary camp is witness to the depth of the unity reflected in the agreements reached on as many as six major documents.

The next major achievement is in the ability of the PLGA to hit back the government’s increased use of force against the Party and masses associated with it. The year following the merger was marked by great developments in their people’s war. The heroic armed resistance of the PLGA and the revolutionary masses had spread to many parts of the country. It began with the great Chandauli ambush in UP in November last wiping out 19 policemen. This took place soon after unity, in a state not known for Naxalite activities. This was followed by the armed guerilla attacks on the enemy forces during the Assembly Election Boycott campaign in Bihar, Jharkhand during the month of February this year. Together with this there was the annihilation of the SP of Mungyr district in Bihar, — an Andhra person who had been given elite counter-insurgency training.

Then came the massive tactical counteroffensive campaign during April-June ’05 in DK that killed 38 CRPF and state special forces personnel and injured nearly one hundred. Here, the government sought to crush the movement by bringing in loads of the CRPF and even the elite forces used against the Naga movement. It backfired, with huge losses to the enemy.

This was followed by the historic raid on Madhuban town in North Bihar close to the Nepal border. Over 150 people in a synchronized attack hit at all the symbols of the enemy — the police station, the Banks, the district offices and the notorious MP’s house. The attackers comprised a mixture of villagers, militia and members of the PLGA. The raid on Madhuban had reverberations throughout the region and even in the country.

Even in Bengal where the Maoists have been facing the bitter attacks of the CPM govt., with over 16 arrested including top leaders, in early July it was given a fitting reply when three local CPM leaders/toughs (acting also as police informants) were finished off and one police killed and 18 injured when they came to investigate the case.

And, as per the latest news reports even after the massive deployment of the cruel STF in Karnataka the PLGA successfully ambushed them causing severe injuries to eight. This is the first ever such attack in the Western ghats. Besides all these, several ambushes or raids in Dandakaranya, Jharkhand, Bihar, AP, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Chhathisgarh, have demonstrated the increased striking power of the PLGA after the merger of the two Parties and the two guerilla armies.

In addition to this under the leadership of the unified Party, the oppressed masses are joining the revolutionary movement in large numbers in some of the struggle areas and also in newer areas. The massive meetings held soon after the formation was indication to the appeal of the new Party. In Andhra Pradesh lakhs turned up, inspite of the government’s hurdles. Seeing the mass response the government scuttled the meeting in Delhi, banned it in Patna and arrested a number of activists, and in Kolkata sought to prevent the masses from reaching the city and arresting them.

From all reports coming in, the Party, people’s army and the mass organi-zations have been consolidated further and the revolutionary guerrilla war against the decadent social system and the reactionary ruling classes and their mercenary armed police and para-military forces has intensified further. Organs of People’s government, the Revolutionary People’s Committees, in its embryonic form are emerging at village to area level by directly electing their representatives by the revolutio-nary masses. The Guerrilla Zones have been spreading to newer areas and the embryonic power has taken form in some of these area moving towards liberated Base Areas. Thousands of oppressed masses are organizing, consolidating and arming in the form of the People’s Militia. It is being reported that their participation in the ongoing revolutionary guerilla war, including combat operations, is increasing. Higher forms of detachments of the PLGA are being formed and the guerrilla war has intensified and expanded further.

Today, the political situation in the country and the world is favourable for advancing the people’s war. Imperialism is unable to come out of the serious crisis afflicting every sphere. The US imperialists have earned the wrath of the oppressed masses all over the world due to their brutal invasion and attacks against Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. The relentless heroic resistance of the people, particularly in Iraq, has shaken the US imperialists. In the name of a global campaign against terrorism, the US imperialists have unleashed attacks against the Maoist revolutionary movements, national liberation move-ments and all anti-imperialist forces. As a part of the worldwide imperialist offensive, recently the Bush administ-ration had included the newly-formed Party, CPI(Maoist), and the ULFA in its list of terrorist organizations.

In India too, the enemy offensive is increasing and is growing more and more brutal. The UPA government, led by the Congress party, has declared an all-out war and has intensified its countrywide coordinated offensive after the formation of the CPI(Maoist). It has declared the new Party as the main danger and has built a massive plan to wipe it out.

But the Party continues to grow as the masses throughout the country can see ever more clearly on whose side the rulers stand. The policies of LPG are making the lives of the already impoverished masses a living hell. And even the smallest protest is met by lathis, arrests and gunfire. This is clearly to be seen by their maniacal attacks on the peasants of Rajasthan and the workers of Gurgaon. The masses soon see through the duplicity of the CPI/CPM and even NGOs that appear on the scene to pacify them and make them passive slaves of the moneybags. The only hope for such masses is the Maoists and their path of struggle. The next year is bound to bring an ever growing bounty of masses to the Maoist fold.

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