Just as Strength of philosophy Bolshevism finds in is precisely the prole- that it is tariat its not afraid material of criticism weapon, so and that, in the prole- criticising tariat finds its defects, in philosophy its spiritual it acquires energy for making weapon. — Karl Marx further progress. — J V Stalin Volume 43 No. 13 Organ of the SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA (COMMUNIST) March 1, 2010 Founder Editor-in-Chief : COMRADE SHIBDAS GHOSH Price : Rs. 3.00 RED SALUTE GREAT REVOLUTIONARY COMRADE NIHAR MUKHERJEE PAGE TWO MARCH 1, 2010 PROLETARIAN ERA COMRADE NIHAR MUKHERJEE — a great lifelong revolutionary of rare mettle Comrade Nihar Mukherjee, renowned leader of freedom counsel, however, could party formation. Realizing that General Secretary, SUCI movement had to be brought to successfully act so much so that the emancipation of the oppressed and (Communist), a great communist Dhaka for mediation. The charges could not be proved and exploited Indian people could never revolutionary till death and movement was withdrawn only after inevitable death sentence for both be achieved without overthrowing comrade-in-arms of Comrade the legitimate demands of the could be averted. Finally they were the national bourgeoisie poised to Shibdas Ghosh, Founder General students were acceded to. In order to sent to jail for three years. Within assume state power of independent Secretary of the Party and great escape arrest by the British police, Anushilan Samity a movement to India through compromise with the leader of the proletariat, has passed the leaders of Anushilan Samity sent cultivate Marxism-Leninism had British imperialist rulers, and it was away. After prolonged illness, he Comrade Shibdas Ghosh and been released by a section of imperative to have a genuine breathed his last on 18 February, Comrade Nihar Mukherjee to freedom fighters in the late 1930s revolutionary party of the proletariat 2010 at 11 p.m. at the Calcutta Calcutta in 1940 and 1941 and both Comrade Shibdas Ghosh to bring about this anti-capitalist Heart Clinic & Hospital. He had respectively assigning them the and Comrade Nihar Mukherjee were revolution, he took upon himself the been suffering from a number of charge to build up uncompromising drawn towards that. historic task of building SUCI as a serious ailments including COPD genuine communist party on the soil and Parkinson’s disease and finally following Leninist model. A handful sepsis with multi-organ failure. of his revolutionary compatriots Comrade Mukherjee had crossed 90 including Comrade Nihar years of age. With this not only a Mukherjee immediately realized the sublime revolutionary character need and joined him in the arduous ceased to breathe in the proletarian struggle of Party building. movement, but an unprecedented After being released from the revolutionary struggle against jail in 1945, they built up a disease and death also finally came platform of action as a part of that to an end. Deaths are always sad process of building the Party. and painful but all deaths are not the Following that, the founding same. Some not only bring sadness, convention of the SUCI was held at but cause irredeemable loss too, as Joynagar, West Bengal, from 22 to they mark ceasing of a heightened 24 April, 1948. In the founding struggle to build up revolutionary convention, Comrade Shibdas movement and character. The Ghosh was unanimously elected as struggle of the departed ceases to the General Secretary and Comrade live, but the lessons of his struggle Nihar Mukherjee was elected a remain alive forever. Comrade member of the Central Committee Nihar Mukherjee’s death is like that, First Central Committee elected in the Founding Convention in 1948. and Secretary of West Bengal State but he has left a shining example of Seated in the middle Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, Committee. In the exemplary how a revolutionary should conduct standing on extreme right Comrade Nihar Mukherjee painstaking struggle of Party his life struggle. revolutionary freedom struggle and While in the British jail, it building, Comrade Nihar With the yearning for freedom organization. It is in the course of dawned upon the consciousness of Mukherjee, as close comrade-in- from the yoke of the imperialist rule discharging this responsibility that Comrade Shibdas Ghosh that all the arms of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, burning in his heart, Comrade Nihar Comrade Nihar Mukherjee became fruits of independence achieved played a very significant role. In Mukherjee, born in 1920 in Dhaka a close comrade-in-arms of through the heroic sacrifices of those grimly uncongenial days of (now in Bangladesh), was drawn Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. During the countless martyrs were going to be Party formation when there was no into the vortex of Indian liberation preparatory days of ‘Quit India’ usurped by the aspirant Indian certainty of food or shelter for the movement in 1933 at the tender age movement in 1942, Comrade Nihar bourgeoisie and true emancipation Party leaders, no source of funds, of 13 as an activist of the Anushilan Mukherjee was assigned the of the Indian people from all sorts the person everyone depended on, Samity that pledged to free the responsibility of organizing the of exploitations and oppressions of for smooth conduction of all affairs country through armed struggle. It students of Calcutta and its suburbs. man by man was not going to come with due attention and consideration was here that Comrade Nihar Comrade Shibdas Ghosh’s plan was about. This imminent tragedy was of each and every aspects was Mukherjee, caring little for life and to capture Writers’ Buildings (the due to absence of a genuine Comrade Nihar Mukherjee. career and striding forward with the then headquarters of the British communist party on the soil as a After independence, Comrade flag of freedom movement, came in regime), Fort William and Lalbazar result of which the Indian working Nihar Mukherjee under the direct close contact with Comrade Shibdas Police Station through an armed class failed to live up to its guidance of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh and was immensely attracted upsurge in Calcutta and declare historically determined role in the Ghosh, his leader, teacher and guide, towards him. Thus was cemented a them as liberated zones. The British anti-imperialist movement which carried on the struggle to acquire an deep bond between the two as intelligence managed to get the was so full of possibilities. Deep elevated communist character by compatriots in the freedom struggle. news and both Comrade Shibdas and critical analysis fast convinced conducting an all-embracing Comrade Mukherjee invited the Ghosh and Comrade Nihar Comrade Shibdas Ghosh that the relentless struggle for applying the wrath of the authorities while Mukherjee along with 138 other party under the name Communist noble philosophy of Marxism- organizing student movement first in revolutionaries were arrested. They Party of India, or any of the so- Leninism in every walk of his life. Dhaka Government collegiate were charged with “declaring war called Marxist parties for that Side by side, when Comrade school and later in Jagannath on British regime and planning to matter, had not developed as a Shibdas Ghosh, responding to the College, Dhaka. At that time, the overthrow British rule by violent genuine party of the working class need of the time, assigned the students’ movement there assumed means” and were accused in the on this soil because they had not crucial responsibility of developing such a dimension that Sarat Bose, a “Ward Institute Case’’. The defence followed the Leninist principle of Contd. on page 3 PROLETARIAN ERA MARCH 1, 2010 PAGE THREE COMRADE NIHAR MUKHERJEE — a great lifelong revolutionary of rare mettle Contd. from page 2 new height of communist character united left democratic movement in and kept the thoughts of Comrade West Bengal to Comrade Nihar Shibdas Ghosh ever flowing among Mukherjee, he demonstrated great the Party comrades as well as the organizing skill stemming from true toiling masses. It was at the realization of revolutionary initiative of Comrade Nihar purposiveness and successfully Mukherjee that the Study Centre of carried out the task by bringing all Marxism-Leninism- Shibdas Ghosh the left-democratic forces on a Thought was set up at Ghatsila so single platform of struggle which that comrades could periodically spearheaded intense mass struggles. assemble there in batches to attend Comrade Nihar Mukherjee played a schools of politics, collectively leading role in building up teachers’ study the various aspects of Marxist movement, anti-Bengal-Bihar ideology and methodology as well merger movement, movement in as the latest developments in science protest of rise in tram fare, historic and human knowledge and also food movement and such other learn to lead collective camp life. It is under his leadership that the struggles that developed against the With Comrade Shibdas Ghosh at Saheed Minar Maidan, Calcutta, 24 April, 1973 anti-people policies and steps of the Party expanded throughout the then Congress government. In length and breadth of the country. In price rise stirs, agitations against the banner of movement and began to course of that, he emerged as a all the states the Party under his noxious prescripts of capitalist adopt non-left anti-people policies front-ranking leader of united left leadership developed legitimate globalization — all crystallized, in dexterous articulation of modern movement and democratic mass democratic mass movements of all developed, spread and intensified revisionist politics, it was under the movements. While leading the class sections of the oppressed people, under the able leadership of leadership of Comrade Nihar and mass struggles, he was either singly or in association with Comrade Nihar Mukherjee in the Mukherjee that the Central imprisoned several times during the other pro-struggle forces. post-1976 period firmly established Committe of the Party, based on Congress rule in independent India.