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This was the slogan
with which the Adivasi peasants of Dandkarnaya launched a militant anti
imperialist struggle as a fitting tribute to the memory of the three great
revolutionary heroes, comrades Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the occasion
of the 75th anniversary of their martyrdom.
Defying the on going
brutal campaign of suppression, the "Sulva Judum", thousands of Adivasi
peasants held series of meetings in hundreds of villages all over the
Dandakaranya area, distributed thousands of leaflets, pasted hundreds of posters
and erected banners during the period 20th to 23th March, paying rich
revolutionary tribute to the three most beloved sons of our land, comrades
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Speakers at these
meetings dwelled at length on the great patriotic zeal and staunch
anti-imperialist stand of the three great martyr heroes, particularly
emphasising that the only true tribute the people can pay in their memory is to
carry forward the immortal heroes’ banner of struggle against imperialism
through to the end, to wipe out once for all both imperialists and their Indian
agents.
Focusing in
particular on Bastar, the speakers pointed out how the imperialist plunder is
going on unhindered for the past six decades and how this process is being
accelerated under the impact of the globalization policies of the ruling
classes.
Bastar, they pointed
out, with its vast mineral and forest resources has for long been the happy
hunting ground for the imperialists and their Indian agents like the Birlas, the
Thapers etc. The Japanese imperialist have been plundering iron ore from
Bailadilla mines from decades on, that too yet dirt cheap rates. The Indian
ruling classes, forever at the service or their imperialist masters, have even
constructed a railway line right from the mines all the way up to Visakhapatnam
port in Andhra Pradesh – Kirundum – Waltair line – spending thousands of crores
of people’s money, solely to benefit the Japanese imperialist. To further
accelerate this export of the ore at a much cheaper cost of transportation, the
rulers recently completed the laying of a pipeline upto Visakhapatnam, to carry
the ore through the slurry method – this project was executed by one of India’s
big comprador houses, the ESSAR.
Moreover, the
National Mineral Development Corporation (a central government undertaking),
which is the main facilitator for the Japanese imperialists in this route of
looting our ore for the past four decades, recently concluded another agreement
to continue to supply ore for ten more years – which is certain to be extended
until all the mines are totally depleted. This, the speakers pointed out,
happened at a time when 112 iron industries of the small and medium sector,
located in Chattisgarh, closed down as the raw material was beyond their reach –
they had to pay four times the rate at which Japan is purchasing the ore. This
is in essence is the patriotism of our rulers, the speakers pointed out – the
rulers are feeding more and more iron ore to satiate the hunger of Japanese
steal industries, while pushing national industries out of existence by denying
than the raw material. The BJP government in Chattisgarh, for all it’s
rhetoric about "Swadeshi", did not lift even a finger to rescue these
Indian industries, which are dying out. Moreover it is busy signing MoUs with
big comprador houses like the Tatas, the Jindals, the ESSARs, selling away all
the forest and mineral wealth of Bastar forever. Thus, the speakers urged the
masses, unless they stand up and fight for the retention of their traditional
right of ownership over the land, water and mineral resources of Bastar, the
entire Koya (or Gond) race will get trampled out of existence.
This, the speakers
emphasised, was the background and one of the main reasons for the launching of
the genocidal ‘Salva Judam’ campaign.
Since, the people of
the Dandakaranya, during the last 25 years of the revolutionary struggle under
the leadership of the Maoists, have not only vanished all institutions of the
exploitive state from their area but also started building their own organs of
peoples power – the Janathana Sircars - including military organs, with
good capabilities. Moreover through this process they not only accepted their
traditional right of ownership of their land and are firmly determined to defend
their right. So, the rulers at the state and centre were in a quandary, as they
were not in a position to hand over DK on a platter to the compradors and the
imperialist MNCs. So, the speakers explained, the state government, with the
active backing of the centre, launched the genocidal Salva Judum
campaign, aiming to achieve their objectives. The firstbeing to try to wipe out
the revolutionary movement led by the Maoists, under which the people were
running their own organs of power, and the other is to wipe out villages one
after the other and forcefully herd the people in new settlements located on
highways, so that, the MNCs, and the comprador houses will have all the forest
areas for their free exploitation and will, in addition, have a vast reserve of
uprooted Adivasi peasants as a cheap source of labour. As such, the speaker
pointed out the fight against Salva Judum is in essence a fight against
the imperialists and their Indian agents. The speakers urged the Adivasi masses
to act as the true inheritors of the anti imperialist struggle legacy of
comrades Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Shukhdev by defeating Salva Judum,
thus dealing a telling blow to the imperialists and their Indian agents.
Enthused by this, the
Adivasi masses responded with a firm resolve "Come what may, we will
certainly defeat the Salva Judum !", "We will not allow Bailadilla
ore to be exported to Japan !", "It must be supplied to the national
industries only!". The people then gave a call to the owners of local
industries "Come join hands with us in the fight against the imperialism!"
Having taken this
pledge they immediately went in to action. The Koya Bhumkal militia of
Bailadilla, at first, conducted an extensive campaign against the policies of
the NMDC, which is exporting iron ore depriving the local industries of this ore
and thus leading to their closure. They distributed leaflets and pasted posters
about this. There after they raided the Banse railway station on the
Krundul-Waltair line, blasted a railway engine, due to the impact of which the
warhead electric traction also got damaged. There they removed rails to a length
of 30th meters. Meanwhile the Koya Bhumakal militia, roared that they are the
rightful owners of all lands, water and mineral resources, burnt a conveyer belt
at Bachali to a length of fifty meters. Than another batch of this militia
blasted a tower carrying 220 KV(HT) electricity supply lines near Barsoor in
protest against the state and central government negligence towards the closer
of the 110 industries.
Finally, the entire
DK area observed a Bundh on March 23rd as a militant anti imperialist
protest in commemoration of the 75th martyrdom day of the three great anti
imperialist patriots.
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