Naxalbari, India

1987 marks the twentieth anniver• CPM. In West Bengal, especially, a parliamentary arena its actual main sary of the outbreak of armed strug• great number of genuine revolution• focus of work. gle of the peasant masses led by aries took part in the formation of That is to say the CPM (like most communist revolutionaries in the vil• the CPM as a result of the latter's "centrists") kept two goods in lage of Naxalbari, located in India's vocal criticism of the CPI revisionist stock: revolutionary posturing state of West Bengal, near the city of leaders. directed at the masses and real revi• Darjeeling, not far from the borders But it soon became apparent that sionism and class collaboration of Nepal and what is now Ban• the CPM itself had not really broken aimed at keeping these same masses gladesh. Before 1967 this remote vil• with revisionism. On an internation• forever enchained to the reactionary lage was unknown beyond the sur• al plane, the CPM tried to steer a system. rounding Terai region in the foot• ' 'middle road'' between Soviet revi• It was in this context that in 1965 hills of the Himalayas. Today Nax• sionism and the Marxist-Leninist Charu Mazumdar began developing albari is known to scores of millions line that was represented at the time a revolutionary opposition to the as the symbol of the people's war by the Communist Party of China. revisionist leadership of the CPM that will one day sweep imperialism Although the CPM came out against and began training the cadre of the and reaction off the face of India. Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin Darjeeling district committee of the Before Naxalbari, the communist and even made a show of ' 'defend• CPM in a radically different line movement in India was dominated ing" him, and although the CPM which would explode two years later by revisionism. The Communist had a so-called positive assessment in Naxalbari. These early writings of Party of India (CPI) had long be• of Mao Tsetung, it was unable to Charu Mazumdar became known as fore abandoned even the pretext of make the kind of radical rupture re• the "Eight Historic Essays." In revolution in favour of the quired with the long revisionist his• them Mazumdar stresses that the "parliamentary road" to power. tory in India and to assimilate Mao revolution in India would follow the Under the pressure of the criticism Tsetung Thought as the new stage of path of China — specifically the of revisionism begun by Mao Marxism-Leninism and apply it to path of protracted warfare and of Tsetung and the Communist Party the conditions of India. On the prac• surrounding the cities from the of China in the early 1960s, a section tical front the CPM was content to countryside. This analysis went of cadres and members of the CPI uphold the necessity of armed strug• straight up against not only the revi- had split off and formed the Com• gle in words while making the' 'tac• sionists' "parliamentary road" but munist Party of India (Marxist) or tic" of participating in the also the earlier, secret so-called Tac- 5

parts of India: in Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala as well as in many regions of West Bengal 20 YEARS where it all started. The Naxalbari struggle dramati• cally reconfigured the political land• scape on the Indian left. The revi• SINCE sionist CPI and CPM became thoroughly exposed as they openly sided with the central authorities who responded to the Naxalbari THE CLAP OF movement with widespread slaught• er and terror. On the other hand, throughout the country young peo• ple came forward from within and SPRING outside the traditional communist movement to take up the banner of Marxism- Leninism-Mao Tsetung THUNDER Thought and the armed struggle for power. Charu Mazumdar was at the centre of the efforts to group the genuine communist revolutionaries and his line became the basis for the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) on 22 April 1969. While the centre of the revolution• tical Line which held that the revo• albari is located. Although this ary work of the CPI(ML) was in the lution in India would follow neither "Report on the Peasant Movement countryside, the movement had pro• the Chinese road nor the Russian in the Terai Region" was signed by found effects on all aspects of Indi• road but be a combination of urban Kami Sanyal, who later degener• an society, including the urban uprisings in the cities and what they ated into a right opportunist, it can areas. This was particularly true of called "partisan warfare" in the be said to represent, in the main, Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal. countryside. Although often Charu Mazumdar's line at the time Calcutta is infamous throughout cloaked in the garb of India's "par• and the report still provides valuable the world for its despicable inhuman ticular conditions," this argument insight into the Naxalbari movement conditions and its teeming millions was in fact aimed at defeating those as well as some of the thinking of of slum dwellers. It was also, and re• who wanted to uphold and apply those who led it. mains, the stronghold of the CPM Mao Tsetung's line. The Communist Party of China, as well as an important intellectual In his "Eight Essays" and in a under the leadership of Comrade centre in India. more developed way later on in Mao Tsetung, was quick to recog• Under the impact of the peasant other writings, Charu Mazumdar nise the importance of the Naxalbari upsurge in the countryside the in• develops his thesis of the "area-wide movement. The political support fluence of the "Naxalites" grew in seizure of power." This was of the given by the CPC, mainly through Calcutta by leaps and bounds. A utmost importance in distmgrushing its radio and press, helped further powerful movement developed the Naxalbari struggle from the fan the already spreading flames of amongst the youth and students many militant struggles of the the struggle. The articles in the against the comprador educational peasants in India which frequently Chinese press were also a means by system; statues of Gandhi and other went over into revolutionary vio• which the CPC was able to indirect• pro-imperialist, anti-national mis- lence. As Mazumdar points out, if ly offer comradely advice to the In• leaders of the people were destroyed. such struggles did not aim at seizing dian communists (see the article, The movement spread to the slums power but remained merely struggles "Let the Red Flag of Naxalbari Fly as well, where large numbers of the for land they would degenerate into Still Higher" reprinted in this issue, workers and the urban poor saw the "mihtant economism." with its stress on the importance of CPI(ML) and the armed struggle it In 1968 a report was prepared by guerrilla warfare.) Within a very was waging in the countryside as the the communist revolutionaries in the short period of time Naxalbari-type road to eliminate their oppression. Siliguri subdivision, in which Nax• struggles were taking off in many Charu Mazumdar, while hailing and 6

Supporting the movement in the ised to fight with their traditional problems of the relationship be• , cities, continually .called upon the weaporis while, at the _ same time, tween such''annihilations'' and ef• revolutionary youth to go to the striving to seize guiis from the reac• forts to launch and develop people's countryside, integrate with the tionaries themselves. He saw guer• war. But such questioning has noth• peasants and in this way help rilla warfare as the main fofm to ing in conirrion with the hysteria of propagate trie armed struggle. In mobilise the' entire strength of the the bourgeoisie and its apologists in factyntanyhuh^edsheeci^d"his call. people against the enemy — and ar- the face Of the "Naxalite violence,'' .. Asthe-arhieH sfrugglfe'was raging gtled that revisionist-led mass move• As Mao put it, "A revolution is not . inthehe^^ ments could never do so.,Arid, in a dinner party, or writing an essay, ^b^'afelt^elfeegaalkJ develop in fact, in some areas the'OP'l(ML) was or painting a picture, or doing em• the'cities theniselyte.-lt.se'ems that able to lead the poof peasants in broidering; it cannot be so refined, this- fa&f have" Been sp'orrtanequs in establishing guerrilla squads on a so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, origin, but b'edarne more systematic wide scale — it is estimated that kind, courteous, restrained and a's revolutionary youths arid slum several thousands were mobilised in magnanimous. A revolution is an in• dwelieft sought to participate in the such squads in' 1970 iii West Bengal surrection,, an act of violence by

C;Pl(ML)'s ^guh-snatching'' cam* alone. . ..• which One class overthrows

r paign aimed at seizing weapons He argued that people's war must another." from the reactionaries and theif be waged on the plains as well as in Does this mean, then, that com• armed forces, to provide the afma- the more inaccessible mountain and munist revolutionaries Of India did rrfent for a people's army. While forest regions in order to rely on the not make any mistakes or that Com• l&fge number's of amis were s*eize"d broad masses of the peasants. He rade Mazumdar solved all of the ah4. a-considerable number of constantly stressed the need to mobi• problems of the Indian revolution?

• - , pofic*ine,n arid' other, reactionaries . lise the peasants to establish their Obviously, such a situation would wete wiped out* the reactionary own rule through revolutionary be unlikely in any revolutionary • forces,' aided by the CPM, were able cornmittees, named after the organs movement and all the more in the to unleash a vicious onslaught of of political power established in Chi• case of a movement that erupted so white terror that eventually restored na in the midst of the Great suddenly that in the space of two or ' 'order'' at the cost of thousands of Proletarian Cultural Revolution. three years it was affecting millions lives. In particular, Charu Mazumdar of people. Furthermore, although ^ From the beginning the fledgling has been widely denounced for his Comrade Muzumdar was a long• party faced gigantic tasks as it policy of "annihilation," the term time communist (he had taken part oo fought to lead forward and direct he used in India to describe the exe• in the historic Tebhaga peasant ^ the unprecedented storm of revolu- cution of class enemies, especially movement in north Bengal in the af• ^ tiohafy struggle that Naxalbari had feudal tyrants in the countryside. termath of World War 2, drawing § unleashed and as the reactionaries Mazumdar held that annihilation is important lessons from it), the great stepped up their attacks on the Party a higher form of class struggle and majority of the comrades were new ^ and the revolutionary masses. In a the beginning of guerrilla warfare. to the communist movement, and ^ remarkably short period of time a He saw the execution of the most the party itself had just been formed g wealth of experience in waging notorious tyrants who had long in the crucible of the struggle. Q revolutionary struggle was accumu- sucked the blood of the peasantry as Under such circumstances, it ^ Iated and a series of important two- both a continuation of the peasant would seem that some mistakes were ~ line struggles developed within the struggle to a new level and as neces• inevitable. Many have called atten• party in which Maztrmdar's line was sary to further unleash the en• tion to the fact that Charu Mazum• opposed. Comrade Mazumdar him• thusiasm of the masses. The guerril• dar did not develop a policy for self continued to fier&ly battle revi• la squads would often carry out work in the urban areas or in the sionism Within Ss well as outside the these "annihilations" after public trade unions. Similarly it is often party. trials in front of-hundreds of people, said that in insisting that the armed Since the time of Naxalbari Corn- and where this was not possible they struggle is the main form of struggle fade Mazumdar has often been would always take into account the and that all other forms were sub• slandered by revisionists and oppor• sentiments of the masses. Nor ordinate to it he had a tendency to tunists as a "GueVarist" or evert a should it be forgotten that in the lose sight of the importance of mass "terrorist,'' Which is a complete countryside where the ''annihila• struggles as a means of winning reversalof right and Wrong. In fact, tions" were carried out, the feudal broader sections of the masses to the Charu Mazumdar constantly tyrants and their armed thugs ruled revolutionary position. It is general• stressed the need to mobilise and rely over the peasants and, as one ly believed that the Communist on the masses of people, especially CPI(ML) report put it, had "an ex• Party of China, while upholding the the poor peasantry, in all areas. He clusive right to murder, which they CPI(ML) under the leadership of sharply criticised: those who argued enjoyed for ages." These tyrants Comrade Mazumdar, had made that revolutionary warfare could were also closely liriked to the over• some important criticisms along only be waged by relying on modern all reactionary state apparatus. these lines (for example, it was Weapons arid argued, .that- the\ The genuine communists hi India pointed out that it is one-sided to peasants could and must be mobil• have long debated the, knotty say, as implied in the' 'Report on the 7

Peasant Movement in the Terai demarcation between the enemy and munist revolutionary position, the Region," that the peasants ourselves. It is still better if the en• widespread understanding that only are struggling for political power emy attacks us wildly and paints us Mao Tsetung Thought can point the and not for land.) as utterly black and without a single way for liberation, is very much a It is essential that the rich exper• virtue: it demonstrates that we have part of the political landscape. That ience of the Naxalbari period be cor• not only drawn a clear line of demar• this is still the case today is testimony rectly summed up so that the cation between the enemy and our• to the lasting impact of Naxalbari. genuine communist revolutionaries selves but achieved a great deal in The experience of the Marxist- will be able to build on the achieve• our work." Most of those who have Leninists in India who dared to kin• ments of that period as well as to led the charge against Comrade dle the flames of revolution, an ex• avoid the mistakes of the past. It is Mazumdar quickly revealed their perience paid for at the cost of thou• important that the standpoint up• own revisionist nature. Many, for sands of martyrs mcluding Comrade held in the Declaration of the example, became followers of Deng Charu Mazumdar himself, is an im• Revolutionary Internationalist Xiao-ping and supporters of his in• portant part Of the heritage of the in• Movement be used to guide this famous "three worlds theory." ternational communist movement. process: There is evidence that Charu Summing up this experience is part "In the 1960s and early 1970s Mazumdar hfmself was struggling to of an important debate going On in Marxist-Leninist forces in a great correct some of the weaknesses of the Indian communist movement. many countries, under the influence the movement. In one of his last ar• The outcome of this discussion will of the Cultural Revolution in China ticles before his death he called for have far-reaching effects on the fu• and as part of the general worldwide the party to lead a struggle of the ture of the movement and is bound revolutionary upsurge, joined with peasants to seize crops and specifi• to intertwine with similar questions sections of the masses in waging cally pointed out, "This is the first under study in different countries armed revolutionary warfare. In a time that we are leading a mass and at an international level. Today number of countries the Marxist- movement since we started our the comrades of the Central Reor• Leninist forces were able to rally armed struggle. . . . Without con• ganisation Committee of the Com• considerable sections of the popula• ducting this mass movement we can munist Party of India (Marxist- tion to the revolutionary banner and in no way realise our objective of Leninist) and the Leading Commit• maintain the Marxist-Leninist party making every peasant a fighter. tee, Revolutionary Communist and armed forces of the masses Otherwise, the all-embracing char• Party, India, both participating or• despite the savage counter-revol• acter of the people's war can in no ganisations of the Revolutionary In• utionary repression. It was inevita• way be attained." ternationalist Movement, are strug• ble that these early attempts at build• On 16 July 1972 Charu Mazum• gling against revisionist attempts to ing new, Marxist-Leninist parties dar was arrested in Calcutta; on the bury the role of the revolutionary and the launching of armed struggle night of July 27-28 he died at the storm and Charu Mazumdar in would be marked by a certain prirni- hands of the police. After the death charting the road to revolution in In• tiveness and that ideological and po• of Charu Mazumdar serious politi• dia, while engaged in serious efforts litical weaknesses would manifest cal differences and the attacks of the to critically evaluate this whole themselves, and it is, of course, not enemy led to the collapse of the or• revolutionary heritage as part of surprising that the imperialists and ganised centre of the party and the forging a correct political line and revisionists would seize upon these movement suffered a setback. programme for revolution in India. errors and weaknesses to condemn No proletarian internationalist The fulfillment of this task, given the revolutionaries as "ultra- can be indifferent to the develop• the complexities of the terrain in In• leftists" or worse. Nevertheless these ment of the revolution in India. Its dia compounded by the interplay of experiences must, in general, be up• immense population, the intensity of contradictions on the national and held as an important part of the the class contradictions, its existence international level, would be of great legacy of the Marxist-Leninist move• as a weak link in the world imperi• significance for the communist ment which helped lay the basis for alist system all mean, as we pointed movement in India and worldwide. further advances." out in the first issue of A World to Today these comrades, and all of the It is certainly true that, in the case Win, "if you're talking about world genuine Marxist-Leninists in India, of India, the revisionists have revolution, you're talking about are preparing a new phase Of Spring repeatedly seized upon weaknesses India." Thunder. It is certain that the next of the Marxist-Leninist movement India is not only objectively ripe high tide of struggle will not Be a — real or imagined — to condemn for revolution, it also one area of the mere repetition of the movement of it. Often these condemnations have World most profoundly marked by the past — it must and can be deep• er, richer and more powerful still. taken the form of virulent and hys• Marxism-LehihismTMao Tsetung terical attacks against Charu Thought. Although in India, as else• But it is also certain that when the Mazumdar, attacks which can only where, revisionisih has grown saga of the liberation of India is bring to mind Mao's famous state• stronger as a result of the loss in Chi• finally completed the songs of Nax• ment that "It is good if we are at• na and the crisis of the Marxist- albari will be among those that fill tacked by the enemy, since it proves Leninist movement, the vast reser• th6 air. • that we have drawn a clear line of voir of support for a genuine com•