Vol. 4: No.7 MAY 29, 1971
On Other Page~' . LOVE THY LABOUR
COMMENTS 2 IT was a bad public relations job, this idea or la, dialogue wi trade union leaders. At a time when Mrs Gandhi was releasin Letter Ft'om America one socialist pigeon after another from her magic bag, it was a sensele U.S. AND EAST BENGAL act to convene the meeting in New Delhi and evolve a new industri ROllI CHAKRAVORTi 4 relations policy which was a euphemism for a policy to ensure strife-free SPARTACUS IN CEYLON economic growth which was again, 'as revealed in the declared agenda ASHoK RUDRA 6 the meeting, 131 euphemism for strike-free economic production. If th ecstatic advisers of Mrs Gandhi thought that she and her charisma woo MAY DAY IS A PLEA DAY carry anything she wanted, they were sorely disappointed. Mrs Gand N. R. KALPATHI 8 had to take some tumbling right at the beginning when the trade uni ON THE PARIS COMMUNE-I leaders refused' to ~ccept the Government agenda which included 8 PARESH CHATIOPADHYAY 9 prepost~rous subjects as banning of strikes, linking wages with produ tivity, constituting an Industrial Relations Commission to replace the pr Andhra Pradtllh machinery for conciliation, adjudication and arbitration. The union lead CIDEF MINISTER ON STRIKE produced their ideas of an agenda which included things like wages polic NARA MURTHY 11 unemployment, rising prices, closures. That sufficiently sabotaged A FORGE' ETTER meeting before i~ met. The music coming out of these points and count FROM A CORRESPONDENT 12 points could be hardly sweet to the Prime Minister. There was not a sin INCANTATIONS FOR THE point whiCh could take' a concrete shape in the meeting and Mr KhadiIk BUDGET announcement that there was a breakthrough in industrial relations w MANIK DATIA 13 greeted as something between a lie and a joke. - Even the issue, on which there was a semblance of consensus, COd PRESENT INDEFINITE be hardly described as resolved: the issue of the bargaining agent MRIGANKA SEKHAR RAY 14 negotiate between employers and workers. The suggestion that the b Clippings gaining agent would have to take into con'fidence all the minority secti WEST AND EAST 15 is a lofty one. 'West Bengal, where rival political parties would n hesitate to sacrifice the interests of the workers for the furtherance ETTERS 16 the cause of the party (and instances could be cited ad nauseam), woo alone show that such consensus is a myth. All the trade union organis Editor: Samar Sen tions might have given a rare show of unity in refusing to take the Gov PRINTED AT MODERN INDIA PRESS, ment agenda ; but that unity is bound to collapse over the bargaining age 7, RAJA SUBODH MULLICK, SQUARE, -that is to say, if they do not undergo a revolutionary transformatioft CALCUTTA-13 AND PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR GERMINAL PUBLICATIONS (P) LTD. their hitherto displayed character. Wisely therefore Mr Khadilkar s BY SAMAR SEN FROM 61, MOTT LANE, that the suggestion deserved further consideration I CALCUTTA-13 It is not hewever the result of the meeting that is ,astouncJingbut. TELEPHONE: 243202 • I8ttitUdeof Mrs Gandhi who presIded League, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the the stupendous problem of refugees, over the meeting. Her ~remark tha~' rest. Contrary to lassessments, the will blow hot and cold-balk about industrial 'relations were too impor- monsoon may be a greater curse to 'other means' to solve the preblem tant and serious 1li matter to be lett the populace and the fighters than to and then insist that it believes in solely to workers and employers am- the larmy. This army, to date, has persuasion ; Mr Bhutto will whisper ply shows that she takes 'it for grant- been savage and efficient: it has to his friends that 6y November he ed that her Government, which she succeeded because it has been ruthless. will either be in power Or in jail wants to intervene in industrial dis- If the mOnsoon does not curb while knowledgeable Awami Leagu- putes, would be accepted as repre- Yahya Khan, what will? There is ers will talk of a settlement by Sep- senting the workers. In case she Ia lot of talk about an imminent eco- tember. Others would like to know wants to prove such bona fides, why nomic crisis in West Pakistan. The more about the nature and extent doesn'{ she start a few things? Let war against East Bengal no doubt has of the lfighting in East BengaL Us say, why doesn't she do something imposed the severest strain on the about a ceiling on management re- economy but no country in recent muneration in a company? Delhi times is known to have folded up High Court has stru(;,k down the pro- beoause of bankruptcy. There are Palliatives Of Planning visions in the Companies Act for im- aid-givers to pull Pakistan out of the posing such ceilings. mess, and SQit would not do to bank If one takes the original time-table The West Bengal Government too too much on this factor. Popular the Fourth Plan in West Bengal is in has been showing a great concern for discontent in the wake of the econo- the third year of its execution. And arbitrary closures of factories in the mic stJ:1ainis unlikely to break out in yet scarcely any change has occurred State. It is thinking of a bill to en- an upheaval, because most people in to prevent the worsening of the gene- sure that the management gives suffi- the west have been led to believe that ral plight. The economic situation cient time to the Government to judge the crisis in East Pakistan is the re- has actually become bleaker. The. whether the closures are just. A sult of an Indian conspiracy to break number of closures has gone up ; the gesture, indeed. But will the work- up the country and that, in suppress- owners are firing the workers or for- :ers ever believe that the Government ing the secessionists, at hel\ivy finan- cing them to do shorter work hours would take their side in a dis- cial cost, the >army is defending the 00 one pretext or other. (About 200 pute? Can the Government make unity and integrity of Pakistan. units have closed shop throwing more the workers believe that when a fac- Quite a large number of countries th3.n 80,000 hands out). Prices are tory management threatens the secu-, believe, at least, the second part. upward and, with that, the living has rity of workers by te~porarily closing Besides, very few people in West grown costlier., What- in fact has down the workshops, it does not do Pakistan know abOut the massacre in suffered a notable change is. the without taking the Government in the east. past zeal of the newspapers to report £he closest conlfidence, that no mana- But things can't go on like this for these facts. ement would dare to close down months. The struggle in East Ben- From occasional briefings one can without getting the green signal from gal, now scattered land perhaps with- make out that a restructuring of the the labour executives of the labour- out oentraJised leadership, will ~c- State's Fourth Plan is in the offing to loving Government? quire a bigger dimension in course fit it into the exigencies of the times. of time. This neither the Awami The latest hint came from the discus- League leadership nor New Delhi nOr sions between State Minister~ and the Waiting For Something even Islamabad will like and there Planning Minister in the Capital llast must be some planning under way- week. Obviously the emphasis in the or wishful thinking-for a political re-formulation is on the rural un- When there is incessant rainfall settlement before the Awami League employed whose allegiance is vital to few people now think of the likely- loses hold. Whatever it is, some hope the sustenance of a political party in to-be-marooned West ~akistan army must be held out. Thus we hear the state. During the talks the in East Bengal. They think instead cryptic remarks about something hap- Ministers are reported to have pro- o the rain-swept refugees living in pening within six months or even posed a rehauliog Of the crash pro- the border States without hope, in earlier. Something is in the air: the gramme for rurol employment and 'Privation land disease. It now aid-givers are perhaps insisting on {'leaded that blocks, not districts, be appears that the Pakistan army will certain conditions. But a political made the unit of the plan. Develop- be 'able to look after itself during the settlement after the massacre will ment of North Bengal including an onsQon, while leaving part of the conclude only Act I. It is not going extra railway line and ,additional sk of 'pacification' of the country- to be a one-act play, though the ifl- funds for NBDA, also figured in the 'de to those who swear by Islamic terval before Act II may be longish, talks. The expressed purpose of lidarity-the Biharis, the Muslim Meanwhile, New Delhi, groaning with these schemes is to ensure regional
MAY 29, 1971 balance. But, of course, the use of Asoka after the battIe of Kralinga, the the lure of this plan and of the impro- utter futility of war. "The first. (Independence Palace) as Coo Ky· ved roads that it entails to control the thing we should try to achieve", he ,leges, he had better ~ind his intransigent people in this sensitive told an astounded press conference, busi,ness of embellishing his villas zone cannot wholly be ruled out. "is to 'find ways to stop the fighting." the Rivier~ aqd adding to his acco Oalcutta projects have also been given More than a m,ere war protester, in a Swiss bank. Or~ have a priority with a view to solving the Nguyen Cao Ky proved to be the Americans got fed up' with Th' city's twin problems-improvement of latest convert to the New Left. He 'and want ·to change horses in civic amenities and job creation for wMned the Americans not to consKler midstream of "Vietnamization'" the educated youth. him as their "flunkey". At best he President Thieu, incidentally, has Evidently the .assumption of the is their" ally". And that, too, of a opposed to this unfortunate w reoast Plan is to contain the imme- dissenting variety. He charged the that gives the impression that 'the w diate sources of trouble; shorter Americans with having supplied prior to it was an, all-American effo gains rather than substantive changes "obsolete equipment" to South Vlet- And if the success of Vietnamizati in the economies of the state lare its nam and warned them to keep their is made into a precondition of N objective. But .even this calls for "hands off" the coming presidential ieu's tenure in {)ffice the Laos debac liberal aid from the Centre. The election. bodes ill for him. American grOU11 State Government, it is reported, has Last week the Air Vice-Marshal troops have to be withdrawn if Ni
MAY 29, 1971 are not all in their estimate. Newspapermen from India and other "underdeveloped" countries, vi- U .·S. And East Bengal siting this country on Government or Foundation auspices, often make the ROBI CHAKRA VORTI easy mistake of equating the views Of great newspapers las representative ECENTLY, I received a letter remember to make a clear distinction of the "average" American. They R from a friend of mine in Cal- between these three factors. 'forget that these great newspapers cutta asking me why America is silent Let me take the tOud factor IfirSt. are few in number, stl'laddling a coun- over the massacre in Eas\ Bengal. At The Statesman article is very much try geogNphically much larger than about the same time, I came across on my mind, and l' ~ould like to use India and population-wise about two- • an article published in The Statesman it as an illustration of how journa- fifth of Ind~a,'s size. hich claimed that the average Ame- lists often ~islead people in their ignor- ncan was "deeply moved" by the ance combined with a lofty opinion of Average American army laction against unarmed freedom their own vocation. The Statesman's The "average" American, if there fighters in East Bengal. reporter-K. K. Katyal is his name- is one, reads his hO!lletown news- Both reactions are typical of the wrote, "A recent visit to the USA paper, which is fatter than Indi'an ..confusion that, I assume, prevails in land Britain revealed surprising gaps newspapers and frequently, leaner in West Bengal regarding the U.S. pos- between official postures and popular coverage of foreign news. He works ture on East Bengal. The confusion, sentiments. In both countries, there from eight to five, and if .you take I suppose, has been made worse by was no mistaking. the non-official into laccount the time for commuting, .the action of the Senate Foreign Re- mood-expressions of horror 'at the his household worries, his down- lations Committee calling for sus- genocide in East Bengal were forth- payment problems etc., he is a pretty pension of all military aid and mili- right ~nd sincere. The Government, . harassed fellow who does not only tary sales licences to Pakistan until however, dithered-or so it seemed" lack time for absorbing foreign news the conflict in East Bengal is resolved. In another part of the article, Katyal carefully, but often also, intellectual The confusion stems from our talked glibly of the "average" Ameri- oapacity, interest or motivation to do muddled thinking on some simple can, land sermonised, "Whatever the so. Whatever the "average" Ameri- facts of life about the United States, Government or politicians mayor can 1l1ay do Or think, he certainly its political process and its foreign may not do, the average American, does not sit behind a typewriter in :.policy lassumption. When we criti- it was clear, W1a,sdeeply moved by the office of the New York Times or . e, support, oppose or adore the the army action against unarmed. the Washington Post . "United States", we do not know freedom fighters." American public opmlOn, thus, hat we are talking about. Are we oannot be judged froIl1 opinions and eferring to the Foreign Policy exe- Katyal seems to have accepted the news reports published in a few news- cuted by the Administilation, or to people he must have met during his papers and magazines, such the New newspaper editorials in a handful of short visits to big cities as represen- York Times or Newsweek. Second- eat newspapers Or magazines? Are tative ofi the "'average" American. ly, even if these handful of publica- e thinking Of some Congressmen He must have, tllilso,read editorials tions did reflect the opinion of the and public opinion leaders assuming and newspaper reports in great "na- "average" Amerioan, we have to re- that their views can influence Con- tional" newspapers and magazines cognize the fact that public opinion ~-essional deliberations and, eventual- and quickly concluded that they re- is a vague, elusive thing, and that ely, the White House? flect the views of the "average" Ame- unless it is aroused on an issue that To avoid confusion, it is necessary rican. It is not· that simple; if it affects the intereSit of the country to make a separation between three were, . the Vietnam war would have directly, it is unlikely to have any in- factors. relevant to the rmaking of. been over by now and the Negroes fluence on the machinery of policy- U.S. foreign policy. First, there is in this country would have had real, making. The "average" American the executive branch of the United substantive equaHty in all walks of has only peripheral interest in East States Government. Second, there is life, not merely in the small area' of Bengal; he will have. a great deal of Congress. Third, there is the vague schooling. In 'fact, Nixon and his difficulty even in locating the country thing called public opinion which is political strategists are making the On the map. East Bengal is not ~an supposed to be reflected in or mould- point that the mass media do not ac- issue which falls in the area of the by the mass media. When we curately reflect the views of the "laverage" American's interests,-cul- iscuss the United States' silence on "middle America", the ~'Iaverage" tural, political Or economic. The e atrocities in East Bengal, we must American, if you please,, and they situation would perhaps have been MAY 29, 1971 .. different if there were large pockets At the moment of writing, the moment wIlen the State Departme of American residents of East Bengal U.S. Government-different from the was preparing a major U.S. interven:' lancestry who could have campaigned Senate Foreign Relations Com- ·rion a~inSjt Greek 4termrists', a for public interest Or put pressure on mittee and some newspapers and French naval squadron turned· its. Congressmen. magazines-seems to be unflinching in guns on the . civilian population 0 Public opinion in this country may its military and economic support of Haiphong and killed more th1an.s' have taken into cognizance the events the Yahya government. The State thousand . in an afternoon. The in B3St Bengal with a mixture of Department's answer to the Senate United States did not protest, much curiosity, puzzlement and some com- Foreign Rel1a,tions Committee's vote less intervene. Violence in behalf of passion. On some sensitive minds, against continuance of military aid to the established Qrder is judged by one the reports and pictures from East Pakistan is evidence of the U.S. Ad- set of criteria, insurgent viol6nce by Bengal may have left scratches. But ministration's official ,aHitude to the lanother. When established institu- it would be outright folly to claim, las problem. The suspension of aid, the tions kill through their police or their the writer in 'l1heStatesman has done, State Department argued" "would not armies, it is regrettable but, by hypo- that the "average" American has significantly affect the military sitlJlll<- thesis, necessary. When the weak been "deeply moved" by the events tion in East Pakistan· and could! have rise up and kill, their violence in East Bengal. a strongly ,adverse political impact on threatens order everywhere. Sympa- The elites are, however, another our relations with Pakistan." If the thetic as U.S. bureal1cr3ts were with matter. They consist of inteIlectuals, logic appears Machiavellian, it is so the objectives of the Hungarian free- writers, journalists, old India hands, only in the eyes of those who are dom fighters in 1956, they breathed such as former Ambassadors Or Ful- emotionally involved in the struggle a sigh of relief when they were bright scholars and Congressmen. for Bangladesh. To policy-makers disarmed." The Senate Foreign Relations Com- in Washington, it is reaHsm. The State Department's position on • mittee's action on the military aid to The parameter df U.S. "realism" in the miliuary aid to Pakistan shows Pakistan was taken, independent of foreign policy is, of course, a, balance once more what Barnet has so force- any pressure from the "deeply mov- of power that favours its interests fully pointed and what any dispassio- ed" average American. The Sena- and end!angers Communists. It is not nate observer of the U.S. foreign tors on the Committee were moved, that intellectuals in the State Depart- policy must have known. Bengalis not their constituents. Likewise, ment and the White House and are not however. dispassionate on the Chester Bowles exposed the folly of strategists in the Pentagon do not issue of East Bengal and continue to the U.S. arms aid to Pakistan. Peggy hilwe emotions and sentiments ; they equate righteousness with the impulse Durdin wrote tlIn excellent article in do not take them into account in for success. What they forget is -that the New York Magazine. The AP making decisions. The killings in violence can be successful when used correspondent, one of the six foreign East Bengal are not likely, therefore, by the unscrupulous. Hitler had newsmen to visit East Bengal under to weigh as mu~h in the thinking of succeeded with his reign of terror in army escort, described the horrors the U.S. policymakers as they do on Europe and although the movies and Of carnage there. Popular maga- the minds of Bengalis. If a Bengali magazines Later made folklores out zines like Newsweek land Time reader is shocked by this statement of the partisan struggle in EUrGpe, published reports which can be and angrily point out the U.S. con- the fact remains that the undergrou interpreted as critical of the Yahya tradiction in harping on the theme movement by itself could not topple regime. Left-wing journals such as of "bloodbath" in Vietnam and official Hitler. A massive invasion ·army the New Republic and I.E. Stone's ignorance of the same in East Bengal, organized from abroad defeated him. Bi-weekly have called for suspension he is confusing the rhetoric of foreign The U.S. Government which has of tlI,idto Pakistan. policy with its reality, superficiality used violence throughout history may It is one thing, however, to claim with subs~ance. IThe United States have overestimated its value in Viet- thl3,tthese opinions exist ; it is another is a Big Power and like all Big nam; but certainly it knows its to argue that they reflect a deep con- Powers, it controls its tear ducts like use better than the greenhorn fighters cern on the part of the average Ame- a ham actor and tells fairy tat}eslike for Bangladesh who died heroically rican, and that, consequ.ently. the a governess. As Richard Barnet, but uselessly. The latter's fault was U.S. policy towards Pakistan is likely author of Intervention and Revolu- underestimating the power of orga- to change. The Senate Foreign Re- tion, pointed out, the U.S. policy- nized violence and terrorism. lations CO!Dmittee has spoken as did makers are highly selective in the The State Department's position 0 a number of newspapers aQd ~aga- violence they notice tlInd inconsistent the military aid to Pakistat' ~evea1 zines : but there is little indication in the moral judgments they make its philosophy of realpolitik. It sho that policymakers in Washington are about them. that the U.S. policy is not going going to cbange their thinking to- "On November 23, 1946, for ex- change simply because thousands wards Pakistan. ample," Bamet wrote, "at the very people were killed in East Bengal
MAY 29, 1971 A ththa drew attention to the exis- published book, Pro- cidal policy in East Bengal. tence of a clandestine organisatjon Chester Bowles has r It appears that Pakistan may pull which was training for guerilla war- confessed that after eight years of' it off again-over the dead bodies of as Ambassador to India thousands in East Bengal and aided fare, attacking the Left leadership he has encountered no success by the opportunistic policies of Big and taking the youth away from the "Left" coalition. They charged in persuading the State Depart- Powers, including the United States that this was a movement financed ment to revise the U.S. policy in which may deplore the use of violence South Asia. Yahya and the ruling privately but knows its efficacy in in- and! organized by the CIA. The CP clique in Pakistan know this; the ternational ,affairs. After an, as I.F. (Peking) began to carry !irticles in 1970 in their journals criticising the freedom fighters ,for Bangladesh do Stone pointed out, the methods West theories of Che Guevara and Regis DOt. That is why Pakistan has always Pakistan are using in East Bengal are Debray. In both these parties, the ,gotten ~.way with murder-in its con- "fully 138 cruel as those we have been youth movements had been penetrated licts with India and now, in its gena- using in Vietnam." deeply by the JVP, despite the fact that the organization operated in a clandestine manner. The influence that the JVP gained within the Trots- Spartacus In Ceylon kyist LSSP did not reach the same extent;, though they did manage to ASHOK RUDRA win away substantial sections Of LS- SP youths in the rural areas. IT is now possible to piece toge- the nationalistic aspirations of the ra- ther fragments of facts re- dical Sinhalese petit-bourgeoisie, these Witch~hant The witch-hunt and repression -ceived from various Ceylonese sour- people glorified the island's past and that the UNP government launched eesand get a somewhat coherent view spoke strongly of the cultural of what has happened in Ceylon. It invasion by the West. In their early in the beginning of 1970 against what is termed the "subversive" Lef- would appear that the revolutionary period they also took the position uprising was indeed an authentically that the estate workers of Indian ori- tist organisations brought the exis- tence of this new movement to the indigenous one engineered by an or- gin were not only not capable of pation composed largely of young playing any revolutionary role but notice of the broad public. Though ;people. It may thus be not so fruit- were in fact positively counter-revo- the repression was aimed at all new ful to chase the hypothesis of an in.,.- lutionary, acting as a fifth column organizations which claimed to be revolutionary, the JVP was made the :temational conspiracy and better to within Ceylon for "Indian expansion- main target of attack. The Press iew the phenomenon as a part of ists", They called fora sel'f-suffi- tried to whip up hysteria among the the world wide phenomenon of youth cient national economy (an end to public so as to justify the repression. .king leadership of the most radical the plantation economy), and mea- The UNP government arrested Wije- ;political movements. The uprising in sures to restore the ancient irrigation weera in April 1970, while. the cam- Ceylon. was organised by the JVP- systems in the dry zone of the coun- paign for the election of May 1970 1anata Vimukta Peram.una-a radical try, thus ending the sufferings of the waS well under way. Immediately :youth organisation established in 1965 peasantry in those areas where the afterwards the whole country was ost members of which, including its main problem was that of water. The flooded with posters and leaflets cal- leader, Rohana Wijeweera, had earlier way to achieve these aims, according ling for his release. This campaign belonged to the Peking-oriented Com- to .them, lay through an armed anti- had no parallel in Ceylon in its his- munist Party. The group drew into imperialist struggle which would unite tory of political agitations. around itS 'folds many of the more radical all sections of the people on the ba- suchan issue. Because of all these fac- cadres of the various extreme left sis of patriotism. A short-term is-' tors, in a very short period of time aroups that were born out of splits land-wide insurrection was the pers- the JVP had emerged as a movement in the Moscovite, Pekingese and pective which was put forward, though which attracted the attention. of the Trotskyite parties. the concrete details, 0'£ course, wen.: entire public and which appealed to Despite its militancy the JVP is not publicised. A great deal of at- the revolutionary and militant feelings Dot easily classitfied in Marxist cate- tention was paid to the military-tech- of large sections of the youth. ies. Its ideology has had some nical preparations for the uprising. The JVP was not 'from the begin- arrow extreme nationalistic ~ver- The official "Left" leadership was ning committed 'firmly to an. anti- tones. Of course it declared the largely unaware that -the youth were parliamentary line i as a matter of antry to be the main basis of the being weaned away from them by fact they supported the United Front volution and called for total break this movement. But in 1969 the CP of Mrs Bandaranaike's Freedom th imperialism. But expressing all (Moscow) sponsored daily paper MAY 29, 1971 P'6rtY, the LSSP mId m ry. GOYemmen.t, breUing 0 has beeIi s ematicaDy un e elections that were held in May 1970. relations with Israel and expulsion or totany suppressed in··the In Their members were very active of the Asia Foundation and Peace Press ; for good reasons; for the ui everywhere in the election campaign. Corps) the actual nature of govern- .;fuportant imperi!;l!ist help the Sin- Though the movement did not then ment policies was clearly capitalistic. mavo government has received . have an official mouthpiece it mobi- The first flush of enthusiasm disap- drowning the .rebellion in blood h lised its forces in support of the can- peared, disillusionment grew, helped gone from India. It is thus not w didates of the UF in a most energetic by the raging inflation. Workers were known to us that the army land po . manner. In this period the JVP was also becoming restive. The case of the have virtually taken over the island caught up not only by the anti-UNP spontaneous strike of the CTB em- the civilian authorities have very li~ feeling that was sweeping the whole ployees over a cut in their bonus was sa,y. No MP or Minister can go to country but also by the illusion that a very important sign of -this situa- a police station or to a jail to. inquire the UF would, if elected, follow a tion. The relationship between the about the prisoners' plight. TJu} radical course but thought that the government and mass movement land army is brutally massacring you~ UNP and imperialist forces would between the Left leaders and their even by dra,gging them out of their not allow the UP to come to rank and file followers was fast homes. Everyone between 16 aM power, even though its victory in changing. 25 is potentially suspect, as in some the elections was practically certain. The youth in particula,r started en districts of West Bengal. Eyewitness Hence the perspective was one of masse to turn away very: sharply from stories of police atrocities, army kilo. preparing for an armed uprising, if the government. Illusions of large ling of civilians, public executions the ruling class refused to accept the sections of them disappeared in a and savage conduct by the police and verdict of the elections. This, they very short period of time. Moreand army remind one of Bangladesh. The thought, would create a situation in more of them looked for quick and rivers are full of corpses and cr~ which the broad masses would rally radical changes and were very recep- stand at the bridges wa.tching for . round them because of their violently tive to the idea of an immediate arm- dies of young persons shot and ~ anti-UNP feeling reaching the point ed revolution. rown into the rivers by the army and of explosion. police. Deaths are estimated at After the UF government came to Hold on Workers 20,000. power the JVP agitated for the re- The JVP uptil this point did not Arrests have been so numerous lease of Wijeweera land other patriots. have much hold amongst organised that the jails are full and the Vidyo- After Wijeweem was released the JVP workers. As a matter of fact they daya University has been turned into began to hold a series of public meet- seemed to have left more Or less a detention camp with electrified ba.r ings in the important cities. Large alone the plantation workers. In the bed wire round it. The leaders of crowds flocked to see
MAY 29, 1971 ment', ut this is'imf)ortant-it does Ceylon is a.t the most .critical jurf blooo of C-eyl()Deseyouth has 100sen- nat dismiss whatever defiant gestures t9{e of its modern history. Illusions ed a mask which the blood of' it has perceived as worthless. Little. of left parliamentary democracy '~e r men, women and children of Bangla- drops, Peking seems to thing, do destroyed for ever. The island is" desh had helped Indira Gandhi to put make an ocean. poised between twa drastic altern a- on. She has, through her very pro- tives:'. the .\Suppressed' ~nsurrectian mpt rushing of military aid ta Ceylan, There was also the vigaraus reasser- being born in,a generalised working annaunced a new dactrine, the dac- tion that the Chinese Revolution is a class revolt; ar the present left fa- trine of India's military presence in part of the world revolutian. This is cade government ceding 'place ta a all neighbouring caut'tries menaced by certainly a crucial point that the edi- 'litary regime supparted by the communist guerillas. torial was emphasizing. That is, China U.S. and Indian imperialists. The will nat remain cantented with the autonomous and insulated develap- ment of the revolutionary processes at hame and that the cansalidation of May Day Is A Plea Day China is only part of an effort ta strengthen a warldwide movement. N. R. KALPATHI China, the editorial emphasized, is anlY a terminal in the path af warld THE joint editorials in the Chinese clarifying the Chinese position on revolution and not a dead end. And Party press on important occa- these issues. One also gets the im- hence, as a logical carollary, the edi- sions such as May Day are significant, pression that Peking is making a fer- tarial asserted that "with the mother- land at heart and the world in mind for these are the accasians when the vent plea, particularly ta the third the Chinese people wha have wan Chinese leadership either puts far- wor1d, that it should not be. viewed ward a new line ar gives ample praaf as a conservative revolutianary pawer liberation will never forget all the people af the world who are struggling of the cantinuance af an aId ane. But with concomitant interest in the pre- to win their liberatian and defend .most af these editorials have same- servatian of the st,a.tusquo. One could ta their independence and freedom. Ta thing new to say and they show the even say that this appeared to be the ~orget them me8iDs betrayal. '1' One .current thinking a~ the Chinese underlying but cardinal theme of the gets tbe feeling that it is with the eadership. The New Year day edi- editorial. recent develapments in Bangladesh torial (January 1970), for instance, It has become almost customary and Ceylan in mind that the editorial ~aid that China had na intentian these days in Peking to begin an im- had been written. Peking's earlier whatsoever ta became a super-pawer. portant editorial with a quotation ambivalent attitude ta these issues It alsa carefully noted the "irrever- fram Mao. This editarial was no ex- seems ta be changing. At least, ane sible trend" among the small and ception. We are told in the beginning cannot rule out this passibility. 1Jledium pawers ta oppose the super- itself that the danger of a new world powers. The May day editorial this war still exists. Imperialism may be On the much-talked-abaut ques- ;year was equally impartant because a paper tiger in the long run but in tion of China's gestures ta the it came at a time af momentous the short run-in its "death struggle" United States the cansistent Chinese Changes in Asia I(\nd the warld. 'os Peking would put it-it is tactics af tit-for-tat struggle could Iq the caurse df the four manths a ferocious one . equipped with explain its action of inviting the since the beginning of 1971 mucb iron teeth, nuclear health and what American ping-pong team ta visit water bas flawed dawn the Ganges, have you .. It has not resigned itself China. Further, the Chinese have the Megbna, tbe Mabaveli, and tbe to defeat. It may be compelled to never taken the dagmatic stance that Missisippi. The law-level stability af do sO in the future, but in a despe- they will nat strive to narmalise re- uth Asian palitics has been undane rate effort to save itself it-may even lations, if passible, with the United by interna,l forces. The green- launch a major war. Peking is not States. It is the United States that coloured ping-pong table came into discounting this possibility. has all alang been-and to a large arp facus, and for a few days, even The resentment among the medium extent S;ti'll is-a stl1.mbl~ng·plock. e amber-flamed battlefields af Inda- and small pawers against the super- However, to sell the line, as the world ~hina receded tol itJ~eJbackg~ound. powers-imperialist and social-im press has deliberately dane, that 'na's reactians ta these events have perialist-again received fond notice China has come raund ta accepting become a subject af cantraversy. in this editociab. The edli1lorli al America's imperial rale in the world . a seems to realise it tao. If ane said that they ha;ve "daringly stood is a bit too much for the Chinese to were to see the May Day joint edito- up" against the managers of the inter- swallaw. The fantastic dimensions 'at in tbis light, it would appear as national system. Peking certainly is ta which the sa-called "thaw" has skilful exercise in explaining and not aver-optimistic abaut this 'resent- MAY 29, 1971 J .' beep blown up can be seen from the others' perception 0'( their policies "J:9r heaven's sake please don't thihk fact that American travel agencies and programmes. Hence the redou- JA'fat we are collaborating with tho since the pliig-pong episode have been bled effort by Peking to state its views United States and letting down re;- painting rosy pictures of flocks of more strongly than ever before. This volutionary. struggles". It is an un- gum-chewing Yankee tourists mar- is perhaps the reason why among the derstandable concern-at' ~east from ching into the Middle Kingdom in bunch of exclamatory sentences 'at Peking's point 0'£ view. It apJ1eam the near future. One of the obvious the end of the editorial, the call, that the complex and fast-developing politioal motives behind this pro- "People of the world unite and defeat events are causing a bit of strain even paganda build-up in the West is to U.S. agressors and all their running to theAcool and clear-headed decision- confound the confused Soviet Union. dogs" was assigned the pride makers in Peking. Could that be But the Chinese are well aware of the of place. In short, the Chinese ·arc the reason why May Day tnis time adverse effect it might have on telling the world in simple terms: was made la plea day?
On Paris Commune-I
PARESH CHArtOPADIIYAY
The working class 'd.,idnot expect consciousnes.s of their hiStoric mis- fight for 'five days in the miraclelf from the Commune. They sion, and the herOic resolve to act up Paris, were defeated in ,a bloodbath. have no ready made utopias to in- to it, the working class can afford to The bourgeoisie, at least its upper • troduce par decret du peuple. They smile at the coarse invedtive of ~e strata, got scared of the revolution know that in order to work out their gentlemen's gentlemen with lihe pen and was not prepared to defend the own emancipation ... they will have to and inkhorn, and at the didactic pat- Republic. This bourgeoisie together pass through long struggle, ~hrough a rOnage of well-Wiishing bourgeors doc- with the remnants of the feudal a,ris.• series of historic processes, transfor- trinaires, pouring forth their ignorant tocracy supported Louis Napoleon ming qircumstances and men. They platitudes and sectarian crochets in Bonaparte-Napoleon Ill-in his coup have rw idea~ 10 realize, but to !set the oracular tone of scientific infam- d'etat against the Republic on De-. free the elements ,of the new society bility"-Marx-The Civil War lin cember 2, 1851. The Second Empire- with Which old collapsing Ibourgeois France 1871, sec. Ill. was born. society itself is pregnant. In the full It was under Napoleon III Fvance experienced a rapid growth THIS year is the centenary of the demal)ds, hOwever incoherently put of industry and commerce and the: Paris Commune of 1871 (March forward, ultimatelly amounted to the enrichment of its bourgeoisie to all J 8-May 28). In what follows an at- demand far the abolition of class an- extent hitherto unknown. Speculai' tempt has been made to analyse that tagonism between the bourgeoisie and and corruption also flourished to all, great event and to draw certain les- the proletariat and thus constituted unprecedented degree. 'At the. slUllOt sons therefrom. The first section a direct threat to the existing social time, even after the bloody repr 'Oli gives the background to the event, the order. The workers who advanced of June, 1848, the proletariat coul second discusses the event itself while such demands being still ,armed, the not be silenced'. It was already fight- the third deals with its lessons toge- disarming of the workers was the 'first ing against its stagnant wage level • ther with some of its wider implioa- thing the bourgeoisie wanted after the face of the rising cost of housin tions. The study is based on the every revolution. ,and food. In spite of all the la~ well-known classics of Marxism. The reign of Louis Philippe (J 830- courts, all the police, and the entire 1848) was already rich with the repressive machinery of the statet I struggles of the working class, more workers' strikes were spreading all ,and more inspired by socialist aspi- over France. In J 864 the authorities Engels, while introducing Marx's rations-culminating in the insurrec- were compelled to abolish the civil classic work on the Commune point- tions at Lyons in 1831 and in Paris code ,article which bal(j, during ed that ever since the bourgeois revo- in 1839 and 1840. Much more im- previous years, upheld the legal s lution of 1789 the economic and po- portant was the revolution of 1848 periority of the employers over litical development of France placed when the liberal bourgeoisie in workers. Organizationally arso tho Paris in such a position that no re- FI1a,ncein its sfruggle against Louis proletariat was illdvancing. In 1861 volution could break out there with- Philippe for a Republic had workers trade union chambers were formed. out the proletariat advancing its own on their side but later turned ott these The influence of the International class demands after victory. Such same workers who, after a heroic Workingmen's Association~the Fir uternational-formed in London in' and salutations o'f the working men repression of the working class l.ead- 1864 under the direct guidance of France". On the others ide of the ers. The day the members of the German Social Democratic Workers' Marx, also began to be felt in Rhine the German workers ,asserted Party were arrested the General France. that the "workmen of- all countries The Second Emp¥e was an ap- are our friend, (italics in the origi- Council o'f the International came .peaJ to French chauvinism ; to the nal) and the despots of all countries forward with 'an Address-the Secon<1 demand of France's ruling classes to are our enemies", (italics in the ori- Address-drawn up by Marx. restore the frontiers of the first Em- ginal) and the Berlin section of the After denouncing the war pf con- pire (under Napoleon I). It amount- International, in reply to the Paris quest and the Bismarckian hypOCrisy ed to a demand for the German left manifesto, added, "solemnly we pro- in presenting it as the expression of bank of the Rhine. The pretext mise that neither the sound o'f the the "unanimous will of the German used by the French ruling classes was trumpet, nor the roar of the cannon, people", the Address turned to the the presentation by the Prussian neither victory nor defeat shall divi- French workers. It hailed the Re- prince o'f his candidature for the de us from our common work for the public but pointed out that the lat- Spanish throne. The French Parlia- union of the children of toil of all ter had not subverted the throne, but ment opposed it on the ground that it countries" . had merely taken the empty seat. It would alter the ba,lance of puwer in The war, which the working clas- had been proclaimed not as a social Europe. France declared war on ses could not stop breaking out, was conquest but as a national p:l.easure of defence and was neaded by the Prussia on July 19, 1870. a disaster 'for France. Her army FOUr days later, in the 'First Ad- capitulated on September 2 of the known re:ctionaries. Thus "the -dress of the General Council of the same year and Napoleon III was ta- French working class moves under International Workingmen's Associa- ken prisoner by the Prussia~s. The circumstances of extreme difficulty". tion', Marx reminded the members of Second Empire collapsed and the While acknowledging the reactionary the internationalist duty of the prole- workers of Paris proclaimed the Re- character of the government the work- tariat in the 'face of the wars resorted public on September 4. A 'Govern- ing class must remember that "any attempt at upsetting the new gov- to' by the ruling classes as he himself ment of National Defence' was insti- had laid down in the Inaugural Ad- tuted. It consisted of the former de- ernment in the present crisis, when dress of the Association six years puties of Paris, partly notorious mo- the enemy is almost knocking at the ago: to master the mysteries of in- narchists, partly middle dass Repub- doors of Paris, would be a desperate tcma.tional politics ; to watch the di- lioans with the monarchists holding folly". At the same time the work- plomatic acts of respective govern- the army and the police portfolios. ing class must not be deluded by the ments ; to counteract them 'if neces- With the Prussians marching upon national remembrances of the past as sary by all means ; when unable to Paris and its own leaders shut up in the slogan "Patrie en danger" (Mo- therland in danger), reminiscent of ~revent, combine in si!!lultaneous de- Bonapartist prisons the working class JPlnciations rand "to vindicate the of Paris bore with the assumption of 1792 put out by Blanqui and his fol- \SUnple laws of morals and justice, office by these men with the express lowers-having considerable hold on which ought to govern the relations condition that the govvernment was the French workers-tended to show. f private individuals as the rules to be wielded with the sole purpose Instead the workers should, the Ad- ount of the intercourse of of defending the nation. dress pointed out, calmly and reso- lutely improve the opportunities of ations." As far as the Germans were con- cerned, the war was no longer a the Republican liberty ; 'for the work '4fBrether. of Germany" defensive war, as had been declared of their own class organization" (our In fact, even before Marx wrote by the King of Prussia. It became emphasis). First Address the workers of an offensive war after Sedan as Bis- Meanwhile, for the purpose of ance and Germany had already marck continued it for the conquest defending Paris, all Parisians capable acted according to his advice. Thus of Alsace and Lorraine. The Ger- of bearing arms had been armed and days before the war began the man workers opposed this war of had constituted the National Guard !Cis section 0'£ the International conquest and the central committee where the workers were in the ma- ote, "Brothers of GerlI!any lour of the Social Democratic Workers' jority. The so-called government of ision would only result in the Party of Germany in its manifesto of National Defence got scared because plete triumph of ,despotism on September 5, 1870 said, "We protest they knew that a victory of the sides of the Rhine ... working- against the annexation df Alsace and French working class over the Prus- en of all countries I we, the mem- Lorraine ... we shall faithfully stand sian 'aggressors would mean a victory s of the International Working- by our fellow-workmen in all coun- of the French working class over the n's Association, who know of no tries for the common international French propertied c1~ses and "in lities, we send you as a pledge of cause of the proletariat". The Ger- this conflict between national duty • soluble solidarity the good wishes man authorities replied by massive and class interest, the government of ..
Nl.ltional Defence did not hesitate 'One Thiers opened the civil war by send- iioople. Thiers and his caharts moment to turn int a government of mg an March 18, 1871 'One of his tily fled Paris ana retreated to V National Defectian".! In fact as generals at the head 'Of the traops of saiIles. The .praletarian revalutiaa the documents later revealed, this the line ta seize the artillery 'Of the tthe II 8th March taak uodisp gavernment, almost from the mament National Guard. This attempt, how- sway aver Paris and the Central of the prodamation of the Republic, ever, broke down before the resis- mittee of the National Guard b were plotting the capitulation of Pa· tance of the National Guard and the the provisional Government. ris. On the ather hand the co-exis· fraternizatian of the soldiers with the (To be continus tence between this bourgeois govern· ment and the armed proletariat wa~ possible only beoause the prol~tariat did not want a civil war inside a city Andhra Pradesh beseiged by a foreign military power. At last Paris capitulated on January 28, 1871. In terms of the armistice, France was ta elect a National As- Chief Minister On Strike sembly within eight days for the sole purpose 'Of deciding on peace or war NARAYANA MURTHY and, eventuaUy, to conclude a treaty of peace. With one-third 'Of the ter- THE Chief Minister, Mr K. Who is on strike ~ Is it the NG ritary in enemy hands, Paris cut off Brahmananda Reddi, has gone 'Or the Chief Minister ~ from the provinces and alI cammuni- On an indefinite strike in Andhra The Ga!letted Officers Associa,f cation disorganized it was impossible Pradesh since April 12. Really wanted the NGOs to be called f« to elect-and that too within eight speaking, he has no demands to make; talks and a settlement. Hut the C days-an assembly that would really he has only a stand to take. This says he won't invite them. represent the French people. The -stand, in short, is that he wan't imple. Several leaders of political partiets. result was that the National Assembly ment his assurances to NGOs made except 'Of course the Indira Congr had .a vast majority of royalists (450 in April last year when the latter with- 'Offered to use their good 'Offices t out of 750 deputies)-r-representing drew their 17,-day-ald strike. He end the stalemate. The eM was not the landlords and the reactionary ele- won't pay the interim relief which the prepared to end it and wants it to ments 'Of town and country. L. A. Central Government and many other continue. Thiers, lang known as a lying bour- State governments have paid to their Some of his ministerial calleag11Ui geois historian and a murderer 'Of re- employees. privately of course, sympathised wi publicans and workers under previaus Andhra NGOs, in the first instance, the NGOs. CM has asked them regimes became the President of the did not ask for interim relief at all. shut up. .He has taken a stand an Republic. They only asked the Chie'f Minister he wan't budge, come what may. to put into practice what he had They cannot let him down like • Disarming Workers promised. The CM did not reply. He when he is on strike. Some other Clf The first task that Thiers set him- sat for one year over the lfiles sent by Ministers were faols to submit to self after assuming office was to dis- the Finance Secretary, containing can- mob pressure, but he wauld n arm the warke,s. For a pretext he crete proposals . regarding the assu- Had he not put down the most via claimed that the artiIlery of the Paris rances made by the eM. It was 'Only Telengana agitation .smdl,shot them. National Guard was state property l,ater that they tagged on their interim down by the dozen? Was he and as the war was over it must re- relief demand when their colleagues the Chief Minister who sh turn to the state. It was of caurse a in other States got similar relief. \Vest Bengal the way to blatant lie. The artillery was furnished NGOs pressed their demand for both, dOwn the Naxalite movement ~ by the subscription of the National particularly insisted an the interim Guard and as such had been recog- relief demand, but later, that -is, nised 'Officiallylas private property in wihin a week after April 12, agreed For Frontier contact the capitulation 'Of the 28th January to discuss "unconditionally" their de- and an that very title, exempted from mands with the Chief Minister. They People's Book House the general surrender intQ the hands exh~ited ~same flexihility, tn'.\. the 'Of the conqueror 'Of arms belanging Chief Minister would lIlotreciprocate- Meher House, ta the Government. Nevertheless, he is on strike. Today the NGOs want ta negatiate Cowasji Patel Street, 1Karl Marx, The Civil War In and settle. But the CM says he France (1871). Section I. wan't negotiate and he won't settle. Fort, Bombay ..
-sides, what is the strength of ~'- over the accumulating tax arrears of Minister to swallow. His police shot NGOs ~ He can pilt them down and Rs 50 crores (Government admitted down two employees at Tirupati. their struggle in a ziffX. He would it was Rs 30 crores) and the mount- He expected that this would drive not give way. Yes, he is Ion strike ing outstanding arrears of loan repay- some sense il\tO the heads of the against the 4.5 lakh government em- ments to the tune of Rs 240 crores ~ NGOs. But t misguided lot said it ployees, quasi-government employees, This was too much for a Chief would give him a week's notice. work-<:'harged staff from village up- wards to the State secretariat. He got on to the roof top and shouted' to the people to oppose these NGOs and ,asked them not to believe A Forged Letter 'What this middle class lot said. He tried to follow his predecessors' divide and rule policy by telling them that FROM A CORRESPONDENT these NGOs have been swalIowing .all the revenues by way of wages, lea- THE Revolutionary Communist according to the dictates df American ving practically nothing 'for taking leaders, Mr Tarimela Nagi imperialism and Sovi.et social-imperia- up development activities intended to Reddy and Mr Devulapalli Venkates- lism to discredit not only the Indian benefit the poor people. But this wara Rao, now facing trial on con- revolutionary movement but al.'so idiotic lot of pOor people won't react spiracy charges to overthrow the law- the friendly States of the People's at all. And when they reacted, they fully established government through Republic of China and the Demo- did SO with a state-wide hartal, never violent means, obtained the Hydera- cratic Republic of Korea. heard of in the 15-year-old history bad Court's permission and addressed When a reporter asked the two • of Andhra Pradesh I All the traders a press conference to denounce "as leaders why they were anxious to normally used to down their shutters out and out forged" a ietter alleged contradict when the contents of the omy after someone started throwing to have been written by Mr Devula- letter had not so far come out, Mr stones whenever there was a hartal ; palli Venkateswara Rao to one Pad- Nagi Reddy said a big conspiracy but this time they did not open their manabha Reddy of Anatapur District was going on against them and their sbutters at all. and a 'close relative' of Mr Nagi movement. In the context of the at- Reddy. The letter requested him to mosphere now being created, for ex- The CM told everyone through the receive Rs 35 lakhs through VPP ample, in Ceylon and East Bengal, columns Of he too obliging news- from a book publisher in Bombay through the press "we thought it was papers that the State has no resources at the instance of the ,north Korean of utmost importance to contradict and hence he cannot oblige them. Consulate in Bombay. this fantasy". :To make his statement appear very fi"l a !prepared s:vaJtement" Mr real, he quoted the Rs 75 crore over- Venkateswara Rao said: "The re- Earlier .when the two leaders draft on the Reserve Bank. But the volutionary movements in Asia, espe- sought the permission of the Court to NGOs, who are the real people who cially in India are advancing. The allow them to meet the Press to contra- handle a~ these statistics, asked ,a few government of India is not only sup- dict the letter the Judge,iMr K. Ven- questions: Did he not advance the pressing the movement with its armed katar,amana, in his order said the con- same argument df lack of resources forces, it is also working to disc{edit tents of the inland letter had nothing whenever they went on strike earlier the revolutionary movement by to do with the charges, the accused but conceded the demands later ~ slandering it as foreign inspired. No were facing in the trial. They need Was it not his officers who said that revolutionary movement in any pan not obtain the permission of the verdrafts were something not to of the world ,at any time ever suc- court to put forward their views be- worry about, since there might be ceeded on the basis of foreign help. fore the public. They could do so overdrafts in the morning, but by In India too, we believe that the On their own responsibility and with- oon, they are cleared ~ Was it nor revolutionary movement will succeed out the permission of the court. a fact that the Centre, with a Rs 240 only on the basis of its internal "However", the Judge added in his Crore deficit budget, paid interim strength." ord~r, "as the petitioner is in judi- lief ) Then why can't a State Mr Rao alleged that the letter was cial custody and as he has no access Oovefnment which . produced a Rs the work of the CIA in collaboartion to the public or the press, permis- 9-crore surplus budget, find resources ~ with the CBI who want to "implicate sion is granted to the petitioner to Jt was he that scrapped prohibition me, Comrade Nagi Reddy ,and our interview the press ... " t9 .get more resources, besides those Party in one more conspiracy case." rovided by the latest Finance Com- The statement further alleged that The following is the text of the mission. Why is he keeping silent the Government of India W2S acting letter: 'Conftl:iential are his close relative besides nobody Devulapalli. Venkateswararao, MA, will doubt you as you are a landlord ..• Foi The ~L.Camp: MuSheerabad Central So we asked the Korean embassy to Jail, Hydrabad. despatch the money to your address Budget "Chairman Mao Zindabad by VPP under the name New India Comrade Nagir~ddy Zindabad. Publishing House, Bombay. On the (MANIK DATTA Dear Shri Padmanabha Reddy, next day I wrote a letter to you in- You may wonder to receive this let- forming you about this but I found DEAR IMrs G- I hope ter from an unknown hand. I am no way to post the letter as on the not mind my calling writing this letter under instructions same day I was moved to Vijayawada because I am a humble ~dmirer. from my comrade Shri Tarimala Nagi- under strong police escort to appear Moreover, I don't know if you know reddy, who is now in .Musheerabad before the seiSions judge. In the mean- that is how the committed elite in Central Jail. I am his close friend while the Korean Consulate, Bombay, Delhi address you. I am not trying and associate. We are hoping that as told by us sent currency notes to be familiar but merely emtllating we will be released from the prison worth 35 lakth rupees to you by VPP the example df my betters, because I within a few months to again wage under the name New India Publishing have also been blessed with the pri- armed struggle against this bourgois House, Bombay. But you promptly vilege of an angJicised education. I and reactionary government to estab- rejected the V.P. Parcel because you' also voted for you in the last elec- lish a peoples communist government did not received my letter and you tions. I voted for you because of in India, in the foot prints of People's never imagined that ordinary V.P. your 'Garibi Hatao' slogan. Not Republic of China. As chairman Mao. Parcel contains Rs 35 lakhs. So its that I am poor, not by our Indian said "Political power or Revolution our fault and we again wrote to the standards, but you know Mrs G., life comes only through the barrel of the Korean consulate to despatch the mo- is getting very difficult. I lam quite gun. But as you know its very diffi-· ney to your address. So you please prepared to wait for the price df rice cult to dethrone this popular govern- accept the V.P. Parcel which comes to come down by a few paise. Those ment without the financial support of to you with in a couple of days this of us who live in this wretched ecolo- some friendly countries like People's time under the name Super Book gical mess called Calcutta ,are hardy: China and North Korea. We, the Re- House, Bombay. Please keep this durable types. Defying ail objective volutionary Communist must acquire money in some secret place. We pro- laws we maIlJage to survive and even arms i.e., rifles, machine guns, hand- mise you to pay 10 lak!hs out of this muitiply- 0, I am not speaking out grenades, Crude bombs etc., from some 35 lakhs if you satisfactorily keep this Of any immediate tension, although agencies within India secretly, to train amount until we are released. Don't a fortnight lago my sister's family thousands of our comrades who are disclose this even to your wife in the arrived Irom Jessore, 'adding ten in Srikakulam and Adilabad tribal contrary it will be very dangerous to more mouths to those we already areas, in waging guerrilla type of both you and us. Please burn this feed. After all, as, one of our fa- armed struggle against the govern- letter immediately after receiving you mous writers saidi, "we, Bengalis, did ment. So Chairman Mao instructed will receive the parcel within 15 to not die even of famines". Not quite the Chinese printing presses which are 20 days. Trust you will help yourself true, one would say-there has been at Shanghai and Canton cities of China by helping us. the Bengal famine and now the terri- to print one crore counterfeit. Indian With regards ble massacre across the border. But curren y notes of Rs 100 denomination faithfully yours you know how durable myths are- (Le. 100,00,000,00Rs). So we will get D. V. Rao we still believe in Our immortality 100 crore rupees of counterfeit notes and fight a'dversity with the flourish from Peoples China which is to be P.S. I am sending this letter with distributed to the Naxalites and Re- one of Comrades to post it at Ananta- volutionary Communists thoughout pur because the C.I.D.'s are censoring the country by the North Korean con- our letters at Hyderabad. For FRONTIER readers in sulate in Bombay. For our (A.P Re- Warning: If this agreement is not volutionary Communists) share we favourable to you please rej~ct the West India can contact get 35 Lakh rupees. But the problem V.P. Parcel, but don't try to fool us is with whom this huge sum of, money after receiving the money. If you are S. D. CHANDAVARKAR should be kept (as all of us are in honest we will pay you as promised. prison) until we are released from 10, Kanara House the prison. We discussed this prob- The in1and letter was addressed to lem for 3 days and finally Comrade Shri P. Padmanabha Reddy, Rama- Mogal Lane, Mahim Nagireddy suggested your name and sagaram, Krishn~puram (P.O.), Penu- he said he trusted you beca you gon Taluq, Anantapur (Dt) AP. Bombay-l 6
MAY 29, 1971 of words. However, ler..lhis digres- would change everything by taking on be. The main point is: as a the guardians of democracy-where species or rather, sub-species, ,.,.~_ are they now ~ At least, their families MRIGANKA SEKHAR RAY' have devised ways' of survival where now know better. That is why, at the price of rice does pot matter so the very beginning, I had said I am much. Nor, for that ma,tt~, killings, prepared to wait for the rice-price to s the blurb declares, Tapan now' and then, however brutal. - come down. Let me now &ay-inde- A Sinha's latest fihIl Ekhon pur- Permit me another digression-for we 'finitely. Because I know how many ports to be a tract of the times, per- are the Sanjays seeking your ear. You difficult problems you have to solve. traying the angst, cenfusien ~nd the take the efficient way in which the Mrs G, now that I have demonstrated mental vaid of the young generation. CU, p~1ice land Ithe army have my sense of commitment and loyalty, But unfortunately in this cemplex and tleanecl' up the city. Why, last may I offer one hesitant suggestion ~ difficult task the director is in a Saturday, I ceuld net get a ticket to Give us some hope. If you don't like hopeless !Dess. His protagonists, 3J the night shew ef a cinema. There the werd 'give', you can change it to lighthearted bunch of net-too-ruffian are still a few murders every day but 'affer'. Please offer us some hepe. skirt-chasers, never seem to have any tba>t is only in the disturbed areas. In the last two months, very little in seriaus prablem en their minds. Now that your Gevernment in W. the nature af hope seems to have Their anly aim in life is to make a Bengal has taken resolute action in came aur way. That thing about pass at the nearest girl. Naturally. reshuffling the pack-transfer of top general insurance failed ta click. What the mawkish and artificial dialogue!> dfticials including the Police Commjs- I mean is, something which will keep about laneliness and spiritual cenflicts stoner, popularly daimed to be the us going. Like the privy purse issue, put inta their mauths sound abselu- mosl; cultured policeman, in the bank nationalisation. These ga,ve us a, tely silly. The different independent world-we have no doubt that the lot of hope, although it didn't really stories hinge round different charac- 'Situation will improve. It seems some alIect OUr lives. Or for that ;natter, ters, each hankering after a room at of the tep officials have gone on the lives ef those millions af landless the top and their more or less affiu- . petulant leave-have yeu ever heard in the countryside who all voted far cut surraundings and the mode ef of jokers deciding te choose their you. But bank nationali&ation gave their carefree lives with all the fami. own dimensions ~ But yeur Gevern- a lot of hope to the middle class in liar singing and swinging ef the ifilm- ment in West Bengal, headed by the the villages and you saw the result. people make their tall talk ef suffer- most decisive pelitical leader of the Similarly, yeur Steel Minister's recent ing and frustratien utter nonsense. century, perllaps does not realise, speeches ha've given us quite a bit of Tapan Sinha's craze fer centem- that what you de with such 'firm hope. At least, far ene year, we can paraneity has alse led him te dabble finesse cannot be matched by others. live an that. What happens after a in current pelitical issues and the And troubled areas ~ They have year is irrelevant. What we now result is a debacle. As ~lways, the bll1'dlyany relevance to the city's life. know is that the minister has made it directer's palitics is totally uncertain, They are all serts of refugee colenies clear, in no uncertain terms, that in fact, dubious. An example will -DOt evacuees frem BangIa Desh MORE STEEL MUST BE PRODU- help ta illustrate the peints. Towards t full ef maladjusted types who had CED. Sa there is hepe. tbe end of the film when these young readily rejected rehabilitation from But yeur ministers have only mar- folks are on the brink of exhausting 1947. So, what de you expect, naw ginal value as pedlars of hape. They their patience in the tiring reutine ef that the secend generation is on the are nat really credible. Maybe they jab-hunting, suddenly a messiah ap- rampage ~ Give us rice, give us jabs, ~eed a lat af hope themselves. That pears ta initiate one of them into political educatian and this boy is give, give, give ... how can a demo- IS why, it is necessary ta get the cracy functien under such unrease- message from yeu. When yau say whisked away into a village. But as aable pressure? A cauple of theus- semething, we believe and we hape. the camera fellows the leader and and misguided lads theught they And th,at sustains us. Self-appainted the disciple into the rural panorama, VIPs in the capital have given us te the nature af their jaurney is no- understand that the caming budget where clear. We are net sure whe- ,will be a miraculaus bundle af hapes. Yeu knaw what your efficials lare I NOTICE ROLET ARIAT BOOK SO, please find the time to include a Articles cannot be returned hape er twa in the budget by yaur persenal intervention-atherwise, in unless accompanied by return this infernal heat, out of sheer irrita- posta~e. Lane, tian, they may just paint a black pic- ture. One or two hopes and we pre- Business M~m~er mise nat te bother yau fer some time. Frontler MAY 29, 1971 ther they will join the viUage guerilla His camera is never trained to probe remained one of autonomy and ha or become gramsevaks in the com- the inner emotions j it hac; failed to not turned into a war of national in•.. munity development projects or are capture even the outward reality with dependence. East .Bengal's secession just there for a spot Of countryside any measure of authenticity, although is found to weaken the hands of tint picnic. To cap all this, there are there is nQ dearth of Calcutta loca- autonomists in the smaller provine some highly ridiculous stray oracle- tions in the film. But Tapan Sinha's of West Pakistan. As it is, they jar like comments on the current socio- Calcutta is a dumb entity. It' never ed very badly in the elections in Sind politioal scene thrown arbitrarily on speake;, never whispers, never. ex- and even their performance in the the screen and a stint of vulgar plodes, nor does it breathe a little. NWFP was much below expectations. lampooning of avant-garde cinema The ultimate banality of the director's rhe smaller provinces would pre- and modern poetry by introducing conception and his literary approach fer a disgruntled East Bengal. within the character of a modish poet with to cinema is summed up in the con- Pakistan to ,an independent one since hippie bearing (incidentally, Chin- cluding image of the film, when the the former alternative would increase moy Roy) despite this thoroughly un- camera cranes up to show the cha- their bargaining power vis-a-vis Pun- convincing role, is the only artist in racters adrift on Calcutta streets an jab. As they lare unable and unlike- the film who is able to create some off-screen drawal churns out some ly to opt out of the pakistani system impression). Tapan Sinha's .under- highfalutin existentialist jabber they cannot be expected to be all standing of the urban milieu is, as about the futility 0'P hiuman condi- that sympathetic to the independence usual, puerile, superficial and crude. tiOn. Pity poor Satre! of BangIa Desh. (Moh,ammed AyoolY in The Time of Intljia.)
"Poor" Policemen Clippings Lahori Gate: Rs 30,000 ; Kotwali: Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 ; West And East Sadar Bazar: Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 ; Subzi Mandi: Rs 15,000 to It is naive to expect that the ex- minated by the fundamentalist Ja- Rs 20,000 ; Karolbagh: Rs 10,000 ploited sections of West Pakistani so- maat-i-Islami. to Rs 15,000 ... so the list tapers off ciety will rise in revolt against the The eastern districts of West Pun- until it becomes insignificant for atrocities of the miliary regime in jab, with their bitter experience of Tughlak Road and other parts of. East Bengal. The point that has partition and the' influx of the refu- New Delhi where the burra sahebs been made by Hobson, Lenin 'and gees from Indian Punjab, also bore live. These are the "auction prices" many others is quite pertinent in this the brunt ,of the lndo-Pakistani oon- ... many an inspector of police is context. Even the exploited classes {\ict. Their commitment to an anti- ready to pay in cash for transfer to of the "metropolitan country;' espe- Indian Pakistani national identity can, the desired (police) station (in cially its industrial labour, come to therefor~, be taken for granted. That Delhi). have a vested interest in keeping its was why Mr Bhutto could sweep the ... Transfers from one police colonies intact, for it is the colonies polls in the eastern districts of station to another more lucrative' one which provide these sections a higher Punjlab. are priced at Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 standard of living than they would This is an unfortunate state of af- for 'a sub-inspector and Rs 1,000 fOr. have otherwise achieved. This is as fairs since it has prevented genuinely a head constable. At least in two true of West Pakistan las it was of liberal and progressive ideas from crowded shopping cel1tre beats in Old Britain in the nineteenth century. taking firm roots in their real home Delhi which have a high percenta-ge It is not an accident that the two grounds, the relatively more indus- of illegal hawkers, the constables on most highly industrialised areas ef trialised and urbanised areas of West duty collectively paid Rs 4,000 for West ~akistan-Karachi and the eas·- Pakistan. Such ideas, now extreme- the privilege of patrolling the area tern 'districts of West Punjab-are ly weak, would have provided East and hand over a guaranteed Rs 1,000 also the most chauvinistic. Karachi Bengal with its natural allies in its a month to the officer in charge. is dominated by the Urdu-speaking fight for liberation. (Mohammed refugee population whose whole sense Ayoob in The Times of India). FRONTIER is available from of national identity will be lost if East Bengal breaks away. For them While it is true that the autonomy CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY nothing is so important as the psy- IJ10vement in East Bengal bad the chological satisfaction of seeing the sympathies of various autonomist 25/90 Connaught Place two-nation theory vindicated. Even groups in West Pakistan, this was the trade unions in Karachi are do- true only as long illS the movement New Delhi-]
MAY 29, 1971 Old Delhi a team of policemen go 'mass upsurge' on the one hand and · .. Corruption reaps riCh dividends. on the other her indifference 10 the Two thanas' collect frOlll shops. and ~ round with a bag and 18 notebO<,>kto make their collections from the 75 mUllon people of Bangladesh who hawkers alone an 'estimated Re are engaged in a grim battle for their 10.000 'a week at the rate of four vendors. On Saturdays the collec- tion is made from t~ shopkeepers. very existence. Is it not a 'mass annas a day for the footpath vendor, upsurge' in the real sense of the teRll, ei~t annas from the rehri vendor, After FRONTIER 81, MOTT LANE, CALCUTrA-13 Subscription Ra~es IN LAN 0 One year: Rs 16.50 Six Months: Rs 8.25 nve Years: Rs 75.00 Seven Years: Rs 100.00 America: Rs 168 or 21 dollars By Surface Mail All countries : Rs 40 or 5 dollars Fpreign AIR MAIL Rates (One Year) Europe: Rs 120 or 15 dollars Asia: Rs 88 or 11 dollars Please supply the FRONTIER for Six Months/One year/Five Years/Seven Years I am sending Rs . by cheque/money order. Name ...... •...... Address _ . ••••••••• II •••••••• II •••• II •• II ••••• ••• II II II •• II •••••• II •••• II ••••••••• ••••••••••••• II •••••••••••••• II ••••• ••••••••••••• •••• II •••••••••••••••• Signature • O1equea should be dr.awn in favour of Pf'OffIW. ship In such a struggle and only a when It IS nbt truly seen. And 1lie fbis year agalD, this group is try- real people's party can face the taskl>. greatest surprise in store for the Gov- ing to practically block the admission And such a party must be one of the ernment of India will be a revolution- of students from West Bengal in a peasants and workers of Bangladesh. ary people's government in neighbour- novel way. They are going to be The class structure of. the Awami ing Bangladesh. Will Mrs Gandhi then asked to compete with the students League reveals that it is a party send aid for the suppression and sub- of other universities on the basis of alniost wholly dominated oy the mid- version· of such '<11 set-up, as she has marks obtained at the B.Sc. only. dle bQurgeoisie, students and intellec- done in the ca~e of Ceylon } But to talk of comparing marks tuals who in their struggle for free- U.M. obtained at the iBJSc. examinations dom from Pakistani colonialism have Dibrugarh, Assam of different universities is nonsense, not a~ yet given the necessary atten- because the standards of marking of tion to the peasant in the hundreds of Lock-Up To Morgue papers vary widely. It is well known villages that dot East Bengal. But that the highest percentage of marks the present nature of the struggle Shibshankar Das (31 ), an em- in honours subj'ects like Physics, Che- maJt.es it inevitable that before long, ployee of the State Food Department mistry usuaUy range from 65 to 70% if Bangladesh is to survive, the Bengali at Uluberia" was arrested on April 6 in CalcuttlaJ University, whereas in peasant must be armed, for he at about II p.m. in ~ront of the most . universities it is as high as alone can preserve the country's Paramount Cinema near Sealdah 80-8570. So how can a student, new-found freedom and consolidate R!ailway Station. He was doing even if he is a' first class graduate of it. The 'final defeat of the Pakistani propaganda work for the CPI(ML). Calcutta University compete with colonialists will be in the hands of in the Lalbazar lock.-up he was others from other universities on the this hard, sinewy, haU-starved, sun- severely tortured. The protectors of basis of marks alone ? Why not hold an admission test} baked peasant. law and order did their job so neatly And how will India ~act to all that at about II p.m. on Aprll 1 7 he I hope the students and autl:ority this} Will the Government be will- died. Earlier that day he had been of Delhi University will cooperate in ing to accept a really radical govern-- tl'ansferred to Alipore jail "custody ending the shameful discrepancy in and when some members of his admissions. ment so close to the borders of one R. Roy of OUr most troubled States} Its family had the rare privilege of seeing Calcutta attitude is bound to change and such him he was completely unable to signs are already visible. New Delhi, move and even breathe. The news which has been seriously upset over of his death was brought by the 'Honest' Pathans the happenings in Bangladesh, over- Shibpur police station the next day night found herself bracketed with the at 3 p.m. The body was handed Prof Hiren Mukherjee, MP. in his USA..•USSR-UK as one of the over on the 19th from the Mominpur 'Jai Hoke', printed in an April issue "saviours" of the Bandaranaike morgue. of Betar Jagat Calcutta called the mo- Government. It might be terribly The ,annihilation goes on and on ; vement in East Bengal a hberation ftat'tered by the praise it has got from political parties of all hues remain movement in its true sense, and spoke Ceylon and the rather rare. opportu- silent when the killed are not .their ilt &f the Punjabis but well of the Pa- nity it got to rub shoulders with the cadre or supporters ; the intellectuals Wa'n&.Prof Mukherjee remarked that a super-powers. But the people of forget even to write letters to the Pathan could not help being honest, India see little reason in this mad editors ; the people in general grow and true to his word. Does he want rush for help when their own house is callous. to generalise that virtues like ho- in a terrible mess. As the monsoons LISTENER nesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness set in and the struggle gets more in- Oalcutta etc. belong exclusively to a particular tense, it is natural that a political race or region ? force will emerge in Bangladesh which Delhi University I, however, just to avoid being will not please the Government of called a revisionist, have come to India as well as the reactionary Right A reactionary group in Delhi believe that higher castes like Bl'ah- and "progressive" Left supporters of University l>ast year prevented any mins stand for better human qualities, the Awami League in this country. student from Calcutta University 'from while the lower ones like mine stand The final destiny Of Bangladesh will getting admission into the M.Sc for baser qualities, ever since this be moulded by the people of that course on the pretence that the revolutionary reason was invented- country, with or without help from results of the B.Sc. Part II of Calcutta rather discovered-by a devout com- India, and the new Bangladesh will University had not been announced munist and transmitted through AIR have little in common with the present illt the time of admission (June-July, by our secular and socialist set-up in our country. History al- 1970). In previous years provisional government. NIRMALSAHA Calcutta - ways has surprises in store, especially admission was permissible. MAY 29, 1971