The Red Menace

[Muppalla]

We may delight in Kishenji's death. But as you point out, my assessment has also been that the resurgence of the Maoists post 77, and especially in the 90's - and the survival of such an overtly anti-state movement, implies that it was penetrated by state agencies a long time ago. Since then it has simply been a tool of congress or the long term extension of the congress allied forces that have grown into the rashtryia machinery.

100% true. We have evidence in several states where there is maoism. YSR, Ajit Jogi, Mamta behaved in similar fashion. As I said earlier, the Naxals/Maoists are paid cadre that bring votes to congress party from these infested areas. The non-congress parties like TDP, BJP are at a disadvantage and hence they strived to root out the menace with improved security and improved infrastructure.

I would rather you do not go into the subregionalism within Maoism or so-called Bengali-nationalism or even Telegu-nationalism. The contest for dominance between these two subregions within the extreme left has been negligible. Telegus and Bengalis mix well on radical viewpoints. [Its not mango-milk but kheer+sugar]. In fact even the legendary Bangali-Bihari catfight does not affect the northern wing of the movement [at least it did not with MCC].

Agreed. My comment was related to a news item post Kishenji's death . But what the heck, if there is such fissures in mass scale inside the Maoists we should encourage the fights so that they will kill each other and cut down the work of security forces. It does not matter if a Bengali mao dies or a Telugu mao dies.

In summary
(1) It is living in fools paradise to think that Maoists does not have influence on certain masses in these regions. Telangana for sure has their say in remote regions
(2) Maosits and congress party are hand in glove and there is no if and buts there

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the left

Ground reality
The CPM has argued that the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill that has been tabled in Parliament fails to address the interests of the peasantry and suffers from many other infirmities. An article in CPM journal People’s Democracy calls it an exercise in deceit.

It says that the bill’s provisions will not apply to land acquisition under 16 important legislations and gives sweeping powers to the government to include any other act in this list through a notification and to acquire land in the case of certain emergencies. “The very purpose of the legislation is defeated by these exclusions,” CPM Politburo member S.R. Pillai argues. Besides, he says, the bill gives the government arbitrary powers to occupy land temporarily for public purposes and also for the use of private companies. “The cumulative effect of all these types of exclusions makes the bill totally worthless,” he argues. Further, according to the article, the definition of “public purpose” in the bill includes almost all human activity while the definition of “affected families” is a narrow one.



The article demands the inclusion of elected representatives in committees that conduct social impact assessment studies. It also objects to the fact that the bill bars the jurisdiction of the civil court for disputes relating to land acquisition, saying that such a move is unconstitutional.

Nuclear mistakes

With the government notifying the rules of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act, an article in People’s Democracy claims the rules do “what the US government has been demanding of India — completely dilute the liability of the nuclear suppliers.”

“No rule can override the basic act itself: this is precisely what these rules are doing,” the article says, arguing that Article 17 — which laid down the provision of a right to recourse by the nuclear operator — was nullified in three different ways.

“The right to recourse has been restricted to either the period of granting of initial licence or the product liability period, whichever is longer,” it says. Referring to Clause 24 of the rules, it says the clause states that the amount of liability in the right to recourse will be up to the operator’s liability if this is provided explicitly in the contract, or the value of the contract, whichever is less. “As the contractor will not agree — given this choice — of including such a liability in his contract, this effectively limits the liability only to the value of the contract,” it argues.

It also draws attention to Explanation 2 to Clause 24 of the rules, which states the operator’s claim shall not exceed the actual amount of compensation paid by him up to the date of filing such claim. “By this clause, the accident has to take place, the compensation claim would have to be filed by the victims, should be settled and paid by the operator, all within the first 12 months of the operation of the plant, if the operator has to exercise his right to recourse. This is as good as no recourse at all,” it says.

Bias and injustice

An article in CPI weekly New Age focuses on the granting of bail to nine Muslim youths who spent five years in jail in connection with the Malegaon terror blasts. It asks: “Why do the government probe agencies not bother about the consequences of ‘falsely implicating innocent Muslims’?”

“Their lives are ruined and their families shattered because of the terror tag on them. Who could be the guilty? Is it the investigating agencies? Or was it the government itself? Or is it the mindset of a section that brands people belonging to a minority group as terrorists? Should we blame the media?” it asks.

It says that the Malegaon case is not an isolated incident. “In other incidents in Mecca Masjid, Nanded, the Godhra train mishap, the blast at an RSS worker’s residence, Modasa, Parbhani, Jalna, Aurangabad, Ajmer and the Samjhauta blasts, the bias against Muslim youth can be seen. There are about 225 Muslims, charged in 39 cases, languishing behind bars whereas these terror activities are the handiwork of the RSS,” says the article. It demands that all these cases be reinvestigated and the terror tags dropped.

[hulaku]

Rashtriya Rifles to move from J&K into Red zone

The home ministry has moved the Union Cabinet for deploying Rashtriya Rifles units and inducting additional helicopters for logistics in Naxal-affected areas of the country particularly Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-new ... 76773.aspx

[sum]

^^ Is this troop reduction as a CBM in J&K through backdoor?

[Pranay]

http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/ ... m-who-fell

Kishenji - The phantom who fell... Some nuggets and why nothing will change...

Kishenji was among the first batch of Maoists to receive arms training from a fringe group of Sri Lanka’s LTTE.

Kishenji first worked in Andhra, and then shifted to Bastar in the mid-80s. He also worked in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli (part of DK), leading guerilla squads. In 1993, he was made a member of the Central Committee (then known as the Central Organising Committee, the highest decision-making body of Maoists). He was also simultaneously put in charge of the Eastern and Northern zones. He is believed to have shifted base to West Bengal in 1995. Three years later, he entered Lalgarh and silently began working there among Adivasis. He was married to a Maoist commander, Maina, who is now the secretary of the Maoists’ Dandakaranya Special Zone Committee (DKSZC).

Kishenji also played a significant role in the merger of Maoist parties to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. In recent years, he had also established links with Northeast insurgent groups, particularly with the Ulfa, to establish bases in upper Assam. To this end, he had met Ulfa top commander Paresh Barua among other militant leaders.

Kishenji’s killing is part of the Government strategy to decimate the Maoist top leadership. The Government hopes the insurgency will die down if the top leadership is erased. But it won’t be so easy. Over the past few years, Maoists have suffered some big losses. But there are still senior leaders around who can hold the Maoist cadre together. That apart, leaders like Kishenji have, over the years, nurtured and trained a second line of leaders; Orissa-based Sabyasachi Panda is one such Maoist commander.

Around the same time as the Kishenji encounter, a team of doctors in Kolkata was conducting a medical examination of Soni Sori, an Adivasi woman arrested in Delhi on charges of being a Maoist. The exam clearly notes the presence of foreign bodies (probably stones) in her private parts and severe damage to her spine. This has busted the Chhattisgarh Police’s claim that she was not tortured in custody. While turning her over to the Chhattisgarh Police, the Chief Judicial Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi had assured Sori that “not all police are bad”. Also, around the same time, urban outrage erupted over the slapping of Sharad Pawar (by Delhi resident Harvinder Singh)—with everyone from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to the Prime Minister to Rajya Sabha MP Shabana Azmi voluble in their condemnation—but Soni Sori was forgotten. That’s perhaps why Kishenji’s death will make no difference. That’s why there will always be others to fight this war.

[brihaspati]

http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/ ... m-who-fell

Kishenji - The phantom who fell... Some nuggets and why nothing will change...

Around the same time as the Kishenji encounter, a team of doctors in Kolkata was conducting a medical examination of Soni Sori, an Adivasi woman arrested in Delhi on charges of being a Maoist. The exam clearly notes the presence of foreign bodies (probably stones) in her private parts and severe damage to her spine. This has busted the Chhattisgarh Police’s claim that she was not tortured in custody. While turning her over to the Chhattisgarh Police, the Chief Judicial Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi had assured Sori that “not all police are bad”. Also, around the same time, urban outrage erupted over the slapping of Sharad Pawar (by Delhi resident Harvinder Singh)—with everyone from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to the Prime Minister to Rajya Sabha MP Shabana Azmi voluble in their condemnation—but Soni Sori was forgotten. That’s perhaps why Kishenji’s death will make no difference. That’s why there will always be others to fight this war.

The tribal uprisings have always been on two major counts : extreme humiliatory treatment by exploitative biz-interests, and collaboration with these biz-interests by the uniformed regional wings of rashtryia coercion. The army perhaps has its own ways of maintaining "order" and a semblance of civility with civilians within operational necessities. Not so the local and regional uniformed goons - who practically get away with anything and everything as long as they look after the then existing regional political [and hence biz and hence criminal networks] interests - and all this under full protection by the state in the name of keeping up the "morale" of the police forces.

A lot of excuses are given about the so-called low-pay drive behind atrocious behaviour. But the fact of the matter is that there are a lot more people earning a lot less who do not indulge in such perversion and sadism. No, it s simply a case of no change from the colonial mentality when the uniforms served [under the ubiquitious so-called oath of loyalty] a foreign emperor or king against their own countrymen and perhaps felt themselves a cut above mere mortals.

The fact that regional uniformed forces indulge in practices that can in no way be justified even as interrogation techniques - has amply been proved. The famous Calcutta group which helped a woman relative of a suspected Naxalite transition into a state whereby two bodily passages fused into one because of repeated application of an iron rod - survived well - healthy and hearty, in service - with no consequence whatsoever.

I understand the supposed need for interrogation - intimidation, etc and whats better to break a woman on the subcontinent than by stripping her before a lot of starved male officers or pandus, and then subjecting her to all the fantasies these uniformed veers could not indulge in on their own family women! The subcontinental cultural milieu would ensure that the woman cracks - and cracks well. But when you know very well that the woman you have is just a relative without any tangible knowledge useful for you - that speaks of a superb mind that is thinking in terms of psychological warfare - of a mental torture on the absconding man you are trying to catch. But then surely that absconding man has to know and experience what is happening? So you do then have a channel of communication open to him with capacity to transmit vivid descriptions of torture etc? You have time for all that and still no time to catch the guy or liquidate him in an encounter? or you have him in your clutches already and you are using the special treatment of an innocent relative in front of his eyes to break him down? But then did you really need to go that far with the woman to prove your point? day after day -for such a long time that the fusion of the passages could happen? Or was it something else altogether? That you were merely using the situation to indulge in your private dreams of emulating Marquis de Sade's feverish imagination? Maybe you joined the uniforms only to enjoy that power over the bodies of helpless men and women and children? No excuses of "duty" please! This goes way beyond duty.

The Maoists are no saints. They hanged/tortured/maimed/killed. Some of them raped. But the big difference was that they had no state protection behind them covering up their actions in the name of protecting their morale. What the uniforms do on ground - generate reactions that sustain a bitter hatred of anything to do with the rashtra. There are disturbing signs that even if penetrated well, the movement is gaining recruits. My hunch is that kishenji's killing will lead to fresh recruitment. The more fresh blood gets in, the lesser will be the effectiveness of central undercover penetration of the org. Moreover people sent into the other camp - often switch sides and join those they were sent against- if your own ideological conditioning of them is not rooted in reality and fairness. His death could actually turn the wrong way for the planners of the encounter in the long run. They eliminated someone not playing the game according to the rules set already, and fine. But he appears to have been a charismatic recruiter and nurturer. His removal may give him a recruiting power he never had while still living. I am not sure that the "controllers" of the Maoist movement understand the fine point at which movements begin to gain mass character and start to grow. The coming months will show, but my assessment is that they are going to gain ground.

I don't know. My mind has always been against the Maoist method, and I blame the leaders who hail mostly from "forward caste" Hindus - for wasting several generations who might have otherwise have a sobering effect on mainstream politics. But from what I have seen of regional uniformed behaviour - I sometimes can no longer be sure that they do not deserve to be lynched into pulp as much as the Maoist leadership do. I abhor sadism in any form and I feel people who indulge in it should be made to be victims of their own fantasies and that society would be a much better place if they are eliminated.

[Upendra]

Kishenji’s end could be new beginning

By all means, the November 24 killing of Kishenji, the third-ranking leader of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in West Bengal’s Jangalmahal area, is an achievement for the security forces. The usual allegations of the encounter being ‘fake’ by the Maoist bandwagon notwithstanding, the fact remains that in the war between the state and the extremists, the former’s policy of targeting the top leaders has met with a significant success.

The impact of Kishenji’s killing on the Maoist movement in the country has been debated upon. While a writer termed the death as the precursor of the end to the “third wave of the Naxalite movement in the country”, others have been vociferous in saying that this ‘serious setback’ does not essentially end the movement that seeks to overhaul the system of governance in the country. The movement has suffered several losses among its senior leaders in the past. But the CPI-Maoist has managed to quickly fill up the vacuum rather easily.

Even then, from an operational point of view, the killing of Kishenji constitutes a far more serious setback for the outfit than the earlier series of losses. Whereas most of the other neutralised leaders like Azad, Kobad Ghandy, Patel Sudhakar Reddy, Lanka Papi Reddy et al belonged to the Central Committee of the outfit and were essentially responsible for its political activity, for the first time the forces have been able to neutralise somebody so high in the organisational hierarchy of CPI-Maoist and much more importantly, belonging to its Central Military Commission (CMC) that oversees and implements the outfit’s military operations. Kishenji was almost single-handedly responsible for the uprising in West Bengal for the past couple of years. Maoists will still be able to replace him, but the process will take much longer than the earlier replacements.

The loss also gives the CPI-Maoist something to ponder over its strategy over peace talks. Way back in 2004, when the outfit conducted its famous peace negotiations with the Andhra Pradesh government, the Maoist cadres carried out open campaigns across the state organising public meetings and rallies to explain their activity in the state. They went on to recruit cadres and carry out extortion activities in complete violation of the spirit of the peace talks. However, the cessation of violence between the Andhra Pradesh police and the Maoists also provided the former an opportunity to gain significant insights into the movement in terms of its strength and dynamics. As soon as the peace talks broke down over the issue of surrender of arms in January 2005, the Andhra Pradesh police could use the information it had collected over the past months, to strike a series of bloody blows on the extremists. And that was, in short, the counter-Maoist success story in Andhra Pradesh.

Coming months would unveil whether the same method had been duplicated in West Bengal in the past several months when the Maoists and the state government did attempt to play out a ‘peace process that never took off’. It is difficult to premise whether Kishenji’s killing was the result of a meticulously planned operation or the maverick extremist leader simply fell due to his fetish for being overtly media- friendly and thereby giving away his possible location. In fact, Kishenji had been previously castigated by the Maoist top leadership for being far too accessible to journalists and had been instructed not to use mobile phone. In any event, senior security officials in West Bengal had mentioned privately that they used the ‘period of no operation’ to collect intelligence about the movement and its leaders. It is not unlikely that this ‘wealth of information’ came for good use once the state Government lifted its restrictions on the operations against the extremists, following the killing of party workers of the Trinamool Congress.

The removal of Kishenji is an opportunity for the West Bengal government to consolidate its hold in the Jangalmahal area. The government of Mamata Banerjee now must get down to the task of reviving governance in the area and address the issues concerning the alienated tribal population, among whom Maoists have found not just silent support, but also a steady stream of cadres. It is also a time for the Rural Development Ministry to unveil a development plan for the area. And more importantly, the huge number of security force companies stationed in the state must now be put to effective use to deal with the demoralised extremists.

In a nutshell, it all boils down to the pace at which the Government can consolidate its hold over the area vis-à-vis the accelerated efforts of the Maoists to recoup and regain control.

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the left

Selling out to the US

The CPM has gone hammer and tongs against the government over FDI in retail in its weekly People’s Democracy. The editorial claims that the Congress violated the spirit of parliamentary democracy by announcing this decision when Parliament was in session. It says that the Congress, while it was in opposition, had objected to similar policy decisions being announced when Parliament was on — like P. Chidambaram’s privilege motion against the V.P. Singh government in 1989 for the decision to establish National Rifles and Santosh Mohan Deb’s motion against Prime Minister Vajpayee in 1999 for announcing the resignation of cabinet ministers outside the House.

On the question of FDI in retail, it says that various studies have shown that the entry of supermarket giants would lead to a fall in prices and that the increase in employment is a myth. It quotes a 2004 report of a committee of the US House of Representatives saying that “Wal-mart’s success has meant downward pressures on wages and benefits, rampant violations of basic workers’ rights and threats to the standard of living in communities across the country.” It claims that the decision reflects a commitment made by Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh to US President Barack Obama, and that it only facilitates profit-maximisation for international capital at the expense of the Indian people and the Indian economy.


why subsidise diesel?

Petrol prices continue to rise while diesel continues to be heavily subsidised — a People’s Democracy article sniffs a scam here. While petrol prices have been de-controlled, diesel prices continue to be fixed by government at relatively much lower rates, it says. While it acknowledges the argument that diesel is used by farmers and the railways, the article says: “Of late, an entirely different class of people, middle class and wealthier owners of diesel-powered personal vehicles and automobile manufacturers are benefiting from this subsidy, entailing a huge transfer of money to these sections and a massive loss to the exchequer and to oil marketing companies.”

It says that the sales of diesel cars have soared over the years — from only 4 per cent of all four-wheeler sales a decade ago to 30 per cent of all passenger vehicles now, expected to go up to around 50 per cent in the next few years. “Demand for passenger vehicles has roughly doubled in the past decade, but within that, demand for diesel vehicles has gone up by a shocking 430 per cent,” it says.

The article agrees with the recommendation of the Expert Group on Viable and Sustainable Pricing of Petroleum Products chaired by former Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh, that “in order to offset the loss to the exchequer and to provide a level playing field to users of both petrol and diesel driven vehicles, an additional duty of around Rs 80,000 be charged and remitted to government on each diesel passenger vehicle up-front at the time of sale.”

Still neo-liberal

CPI journal New Age discusses the “deepening” world economic crisis, and says that India, having pursued neoliberal economic policies, cannot be saved from the vagaries of the international system. It says that the government, which had been arguing that the crisis would have no impact on the Indian economy, has now changed its tune, attributing inflation to the international situation.

While the manufacturing sector grew only by 2.7 per cent in the second quarter of the current fiscal, the mining output declined by 2.9 per cent and agriculture growth slowed down to 3.2 per cent from 5.4 per cent in the same quarter last year. “Obviously all this falsifies the tall claims about maintaining the GDP growth above 8 per cent. It is also going to be less than 7 per cent,” it says. However, instead of breaking away from the neoliberal path, “the government seems to be in haste to speed up the process of implementation of more and more retrograde economic ‘reforms’.”

“There are reports that the Congress and BJP are having behind-the-scenes talks for passage of many more retrograde laws like opening of the banking and insurance sector as well as pension fund to foreign investors and push through anti-labour laws. This is the real danger that can be ignored only at our own peril.”

[skaranam]

Coordination of Democratic Rights Organization

A new outfit???

Following Kisheji's killing, in a joint statement signed by Maoist parties from Italy, France, Canada, Malaysia and the Philippines have condemned the killing and have reiterated that "the movement will continue, the revolution will continue", tacitly pledging their support to the cause.

[Agnimitra]

Indian tribals reject Maoists

A refusal of villagers in India's Odisha state to accept Maoist demands to boycott a by-election and hold a strike suggest the tide is turning in favor of Delhi's initiatives to push back insurgent influence. The defiance is not all victory for Delhi; it mirrors peaceful protest methods villagers employ against government-sanctioned mining and energy projects that have impoverished and displaced thousands in the area.

[brihaspati]

Indian tribals reject Maoists

A refusal of villagers in India's Odisha state to accept Maoist demands to boycott a by-election and hold a strike suggest the tide is turning in favor of Delhi's initiatives to push back insurgent influence. The defiance is not all victory for Delhi; it mirrors peaceful protest methods villagers employ against government-sanctioned mining and energy projects that have impoverished and displaced thousands in the area.

No its not "centres" efforts. It is behind-the-scenes work of social-workers from a particular cultural affiliation not from the proselytizing branches of the Abrahamic.

[Agnimitra]

No its not "centres" efforts. It is behind-the-scenes work of social-workers from a particular cultural affiliation not from the proselytizing branches of the Abrahamic.

Yes, I was wondering what the reported meant by "Delhi". My parents have been serving with social service projects in Odisha for the past few years, and they use the facilities and help of all organizations active there, including "social-workers from a particular cultural affiliation not from the proselytizing branches of the Abrahamic." Its clear who the force behind the above anti-Maoist results are (certainly not "Delhi").

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Left

[abhishek_sharma]

Naxals hit IAF chopper in Dantewada

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Left

Broken wings

An article in CPM weekly People’s Democracy claims the aviation industry is lobbying for a government bailout. It claims that ideas being discussed include getting oil companies to lower aviation fuel prices, reducing taxes on fuel, persuading banks to restructure debt and offer new credit on easier terms, and changing the rules to allow foreign airlines to bring in capital in return for equity are being discussed.

It claims that promoters and top executives of leading private airlines have met the prime minister in this connection and the PM is said to be inclined to intervene in their favour. It says that while the airline industry is an important part of the country’s infrastructure, fuel prices have a larger impact. “Directly and indirectly they affect every segment of the population, including the poor and the middle classes. Yet the government in recent times has been clear that it will not go back on its decision to reduce fuel subsidies by doing away with the administered pricing mechanism and will stick with its policy of adjusting domestic prices when international prices change. Nor will it forego revenues by cutting duties on fuel any further. Money, the PM is reported to have said, does not grow on trees,” it says.



It says that one of the reasons for the current “mess” in the aviation sector is the government’s open skies policy, which it thought would enhance competition, reduce prices and improve customer service. “One danger, however, is that competitive markets often result in failure” and says “when losses occur, governments should not intervene but should let markets work.”

Diluting ‘equity’

A People’s Democracy article focuses on the Durban climate agreement, saying that despite the talk of India having succeeded in inserting equity into the Durban Platform, in exchange for acquiescing to the new instrument, “there is in fact no mention in the DPEA of either ‘equity’ or the Kyoto principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility(CBDR)’.” This is now being explained away with claims that the new instrument would be “under the convention”, thus implicitly endorsing the equity principle enshrined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The article says:”This argument, however, does not hold water. The convention certainly and explicitly recognises equity and CBDR. But the fact that the US could remain a signatory to the UNFCCC while opposing the Kyoto Protocol, and the fact that the Copenhagen Accord and Cancun Agreements drove a truck through the Kyoto firewall between developed and developing countries, also under the convention, shows that operationalising equity and CBDR is not a cut and dried matter.

“The very fact that there was not even a token mention of equity or CBDR, indeed that mention of these was actively resisted by the US and the EU, is indication that these principles are consciously and deliberately sought to be kept out,” it says. It also argues that “India requires to do far greater technical and analytical work to build solid justification and backing for any stand it wants others to take seriously.”

Small Change

Even as it demands the passage of the Lokpal bill in the winter session, the CPI believes the Lokpal will not make much difference in a class society and argues that a change of the system is needed.

The editorial in New Age takes potshots at Team Anna, the government and the BJP. It says that CPI leader A.B. Bardhan had told team Anna at Jantar Mantar that they had belatedly but correctly concluded that no movement can succeed without involving political parties.

It accuses the government of “deliberately creating confusion” over the Lokpal and alleges the BJP has been taking “contradictory positions” on the issues involved. The article repeats the Left’s argument that corruption is a by-product of capitalism, and thrives despite the many laws meant to check it. “Hence the fight against corruption... has to be linked with the fight for the change of the system,” it says.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.

[Aditya_V]

Naxals hit IAF chopper in Dantewada

from the link

A few years ago, an IAF sergeant was killed in Dantewada forests when a bullet pierced through the chopper’s window and hit him.

Bloody Pakis.

[JE Menon]

>>"social-workers from a particular cultural affiliation not from the proselytizing branches of the Abrahamic."

Excellent one

[abhishek_sharma]

Abhishek "Munshi" Premchand was a good dhimmi, no surprise there.

So was the Marxist Rahul Sankrityayan, though he was more sympathetic to Dharma than the other commies.

Yes, Rahul Sankrityayan was a super-Marxist. I bought a few books written by him recently. I will post some paragraphs when I read them. His "Volga se Ganga" is considered a great book. It has been translated into many languages.

[Yayavar]

^^ I was impressed by his Sinh Senapati. It is a good read - vaishail vs Magadh though he does keep describing 'pingal kesh' (red/yellow hair?). iirc, implying 'Aryan' descent. However, stopped 'volga se ganga' as it seemed to me he was assuming too much and agreeing a lot with AIT. This was when I had started finding issues with AIT. I should have a copy of 'Volga se Ganga tak' somewhere. Been a long time since I read them.

Premchand - I dont see him as a dhimmi. He is describing the village/city life that he saw. He is not advocating any particular behaviour.

[Yayavar]

^^ btw, the other two well-known Hindi authors who were greatly influenced by Budhism and adopted new names are Vatsayayan (Agyeya) and Kosalayayan. The events one goes through or the thoughts that influence one cannot be easily classified. Agyeya was with the HRA of Azad, and was part of a group making bombs (he was the 'chemist' of the group). Was arrested and spent 3 years in jail. Later he could not reconcile to Bose's view and fought against the INA. Real conflict there. It is hard to categorize and same would be the case with Premchand or others.

[Rahul M]

rahul sankritayan was obsessed by gandhiji's goat milk drinking. then there was the blind belief in dialectic materialism, dynamics of a closed mind are always off putting.

[brihaspati]

^^ he was also expelled from the "party". In the latter half of his life he changed over more to Theravada Buddhism. He spent the last 20 years of his life working on Sanskritik and early Tibetan manuscripts. He also brought back a huge amount of copies of older texts from Tibet and donated it to Bihar Uni. Last I knew they were not very well maintained.

His most well know works are the works also popularized by the communist propaganda and the p-secular publicity. His later works have not been published or popularized. Kamala ji has tried but these works will be difficult to push because they are not as "secular" or "Marxian".

[brihaspati]

There are people who remain un-critical of their own conclusions in the past, and many of us continue to parrot what previous narrators have foisted on us. Especially where it concerns carefully constructed public versions of what we are required to believe as marxists, or muslim, or hindu, christian, or buddhist or a post-colonial Indian.

There are historical events, persons, we are required not to look back in critical questioning, or re-explore conclusions that have been developed through an active mutual collaboration [sometimes also competitive] between narrators and the state.

We all start out with what we were taught and given out as facts from figures we trust and respect. Hence it takes a lot of intellectual courage to re-explore them as well as the very narrators for conscious or subconscious sources of distortion.

Rahul Sankrityana at least started this process on himself. Most others do not have the guts to do so.

[Yayavar]

Thanks Brihaspati ji for the additional information on the Mahapandit Sankrityayan. Which are the later books/writings you are referring to?

[Rahul M]

I would like to know too.

[brihaspati]

Rigvedic Arya for example, or Mahamanav Buddha (1956) -7 years before his death. His two biographies on Sardar Prithvi Singh, and ChandraSingh Garhwali should be read up as to see how he had started moving away from the Indian brand of communism from 1942 onwards. He was active in the 1942 non-cooperation movement and as far as I know he went to jail thrice on this count. This was the period he became close to Babu Rajendra Prasad - which alone should indicate that he was no longer a pure Marxian secularist. He has written several books on his non-cooperation experiences and if you can read Hindi, it should come across as highly sympathetic and ideologically supportive. Remember that official communist whip was against the 1942 non-cooperation.

If you can read Bhojpuri - look at the Pancha Natak (written in the 42-43 period). In Bhojpuri his linguistic flair comes out best even if he was a native Azamgarhi.

RM, many of his works remain unpublished.

[Suppiah]

If you are a Stalinist rapist goon stuck in the 1930s, something loony Kim says or does in the 1950s does seem progressive indeed..on top of that he is a Beijing stooge...and a womaniser in the true leftist fashion...not wonder he gets high marks..from fellow Beijing puppets..

[brihaspati]

If you mean Rahula was a "stalinist rapist goon" stuck in 30's, it would perhaps be not consistent with the reality of his life. Not many stalinists are found writing appreciatively of RigVeda or early Buddhist and Upanishadic literature. He parted ways with the official communist party beginning with the 42 non-cooperation movement. He continued to increasingly work with Vedic and Buddhist source material. His increasing distance from the leftists made it increasingly difficult for his wife to get them published. If those writings were favourable to leftists - including those that sat on the ruling congrez side, he would have continued to find favour from the ruling congrez and the allied CPI branch. He was not outright a bootlicker of Maoism - his biography of Mao - even in the early hagiographical days of early 1950 - shows that. He was critical of Stalin too in the same period.

By the way, to get a context of 30's, 40's, 50's , hagiographical atmosphere that existed among Indian intellectuals about these two leaders - one should start reading of Rabindranath Tagore's relevant essays and letters about Stalinist Russia, or JLN's comments in various letters and writings. If they could remain patriotic after writing or saying such stuff, we can perhaps look more sympathetically at Rahula.

We should understand that a lot of the communist fervour generated in India comes from a particular socio-religious background - sections of Hindu middle and upper elite, who carry within them a family/societal/clan/network/educational ambience maintaining older Vedic/Upanishadic/epic memes of social justice, fairness, equitability, anti-conusmerism or anti-arbitrariness, anti-authoritarianism. These underlying values come into conflict with the reality of how society is structured around them. To the extreme idealist then the radical alternative option becomes easier - because their own network seems to be preaching diffrently from practice.

Sankritayana's womanizing consisted of a very early arranged marriage according to social custom to a child bride. He ran away from home as a child. His second marriage was to a Russian-Mongolian scholar. Stalinist Russia did not allow his wife and son to accompany him back to India when he wanted to return to India. [His biography of Stalin should have indicated his critical stance if you read it]. His third marriage to a noted linguist and scholar decades his junior should not be seen in a negative light. It was more a devoted/admiration of a student who was keen to accompany him and take care of him. It would be really an insult to Kamalaji as a human being to say that their relatioin was out of womanizing. There was a similar case for example of a famous Muslim female singer who married a famous Bengali Hindu lyricist much older than her when he had virtually been abandoned and in dire straits. The lady was under great strains and pressures but remained steadfast. We should look at such relationships with honour and respect - for they signify the very basic core idea of Vedic/dharmic marriage - that of devotion, sacrifice and care of the deepest level. If not the husbands, the wives and hence their relationship deserve our respect.

There are other "womanizers" we can lambast with good reason - but they appear all across the spectrum. One can take up cases of the ex-communist writer Samaresh Basu for example, or the entirely non-communist husband of IG.

[Suppiah]

Brihaspathi-ji, my post was not about the sub-thread you are talking about...sorry. It was about Dear leader.

[brihaspati]

Brihaspathi-ji, my post was not about the sub-thread you are talking about...sorry. It was about Dear leader.

Sorry - I could not distinguish. Yes, Mao definitely showed womanizing behaviour - in the sense of callous and non-committed behaviour. Stalin on the other hand seems to have been "gallant" but basically fixated on his second wife - Nadya - all the way since her suicide. In a society where almost every indiscretion in sexual behaviour seems still to have come out [in spite of iron curtain] Stalin appears to have "hermitted" himself once Nadya shot herself. In fact it has been suggested that he took this as the ultimate betrayal and his paranoia started in earnest right after this [1933-34].

There is a pattern where fanatically determined men, who lose their strongly bonded female partners - become obsessively paranoid about power. It is thought to be a kind of redirected deep seated anxiety and sense of vulenrability or loss of trust. From the founder of Islam to Jinnah and Stalin - perhaps - it just might be true.

[member_21708]

maoists were caught receiving funds from the infamous essar group, the same group implicated in 2G scam

makes one question the real motive and supporters of maoists

maoists fighting for the rights of tribals? or fighting a shadow war for corrupt industrial group to finish of competition through targeted violence?

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Left

US and West Asia

This issue of CPM journal People’s Democracy talks about the recent arms deals between the US and Saudi Arabia and the UAE. While the media suggested these deals were aimed at sending a message to Iran, it claims the real picture is more complex — and points to the US long-term security calculus not only to do with the Persian Gulf and the larger West Asian region, but also its own internal situation. “Within the US, the deal is being hailed as a major stimulus to the domestic industry and the economy, expected to support 50,000 jobs.” Official statements underlined it would translate into about $3.5 billion annually. It says the US has also ramped up its arms sales to other countries in the region. The UAE sale, though, is strategically more significant. “West Asia is one of the regions where the US has been able to place its land-based anti-missile systems, whereas Japan and South Korea have acquired more advanced ship-based systems and the US has faced problems in Europe due to unease in those countries with hosting missiles and inviting Russian ire... The UAE deal is thus more than a sale: it physically ties up regional security installations with the US security infrastructure and provides greater strategic reach to US forces in the Gulf. For all the specifics of the current situation vis-à-vis Iran, these recent US arms deals are thus solid pointers to the US security presence seeking greater depth and more permanence in the wider West Asia region,” it argues.

‘Reform’ and ruin

THE editorial in CPI journal New Age attacks the government for pursuing “policies of economic neo-liberalism”. It says UPA 2, in the name of ending its “policy paralysis”, is endorsing disastrous “reforms”.

“It will engulf the country further in the web of the global economic crisis. If we were saved from the serious negative impact of the first global recession, it was due to the reason that our financial sector — particularly banking and insurance — were in the nationalised sector. Now the government is bent upon allowing FDI in these sectors as well and demolish this safety wall,” it says. Condemning the government’s recent decision to allow foreigners to invest in the share market, the editorial says: “The logic advanced by the government is it will attract investment in dollars and ease the burden on the rupee exchange rate... The rupee got devalued in the beginning of the double dip recession that actually is a deepening of the global economic crisis. The FIIs that were allowed investment in share market started withdrawing massively... and took away the money. This raised demand for dollar and rupee got devalued,” it says. It also reiterates the Left’s argument that the share market is no indicator of development.

Forest wrongs

AN article in People’s Democracy focuses on the implementation of the forest rights act in the context of a parliamentary standing committee report. It blames the government’s lack of political will for failing to implement the act despite the December 2009 deadline.
According to the article, the slow and unfair implementation of the act is clear from the number of claims rejected after the initial screening. Out of 31.4 lakh individual claims filed as of September 30 last year, 28.08 claims were disposed of and only 12.3 claimants got titles, it says. “The claims of 50.7 per cent claimants were rejected — a figure that continued to be high despite the concerns expressed by parliamentarians in the standing committee’s report of October 2010,” it says. According to the report, the standing committee had observed that “the momentum gathered around the act should not be allowed to wither, the pace of its implementation expedited and no laxity in the implementation... either on the part of the Central government or the state governments should be allowed... However, the root cause for the lacklustre performance lies not merely in the lack of political will or ineffective institutional mechanisms of implementation, but the conflicting neo-liberal economic policies where the resource rich tribal areas are rapidly being opened up to corporate capital, especially in the mining sector,” it says.

[member_21708]

Grievance redressal in Maoist-hit areas

After the resounding success of comprehensive people’s grievance redressal system in Purulia district, the West Bengal government is now mulling over introducing this unique system in all the Maoist hit districts and remote areas with very minimal administrative penetration.

In November last year, the state government decided to introduce this system in Purulia so that the people deprived of basic amenities and having drifted away from the democratic set up, can reach out to the administration, immediately. “Before the introduction of the system we used to get 60 to 70 letters a month and we used to work as postmasters- only send those letters to the concerned department,” Purulia Disitrict Magistrate Avninder Singh told Deccan Herald over phone.

“Now after the introduction of the system we not only get 130 to 140 complaints per week but we can monitor the progress of the development through this system,” Singh said. Buoyed by the success of the project, the state government is considering introducing the system not only in the maoist infested districts like west Midanpore and Bankura but also in other rural districts with poor accessibility.

“We are trying to introduce this system in some other districts of the state which will enable us to develop relationship with the people and there are chances that they would share some vital information with us” a state Home department official said.

“The district administration has introduced a helpline- 9434036666-called Samadhan (Solution), which is integrated to specially built software and monitored a control cell.

Once a person registers his complaint with his address and mobile number the software will automatically generate three sms directed to the concerned department, the Sub-Division Office and the Block Development Office or the Gram Panchayat. The person will also be given a tentative date of solving the problem” Singh added.

“Once the sms reaches the concerned department, they can open the website and get the full complaint and can call the person if needed and take necessary steps to sort out the problem,” Singh said.

“Not only that the entire process of development can be monitored from the district magistrate’s office,” Singh said.

Developed by National Informatics System (NIC) under the guidance of Andhra Pradesh unit of UNICEF, the system was first introduced in Maoists affected Medak district of Andhra Pradesh some two years back. And the district administration succeeded in reaching to the people at the grass root label.

When asked whether they had received any information regarding the Maoists, Singh said: “We have given advertisements that if the person wants to share information like manufacturing of illegal liquor or regarding Maoists his or her identity will not be disclosed.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/218 ... areas.html

[Asit P]

Govt to assist Rama Krishna Mission develop Maoist heartland
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 483481.cms

The Centre is set to involve Ramakrishna Mission in development activities in the Naxal heartland, impressed by its dedicated pursuit of welfare in the thick of fear and chaos in Narainpur district in Chhattisgarh.

Union rural development ministry is positively considering the Mission's Rs 23 crore proposal to aid education, health, greenery, water harvesting and sports in the region.

Noting that he was impressed by the RK Mission Ashram during his visit to Narainpur, RD minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh that various categories of work mentioned in the Mission's proposal be taken up under central schemes.

Ramesh told TOI that the Mission was involved in serious and fearless work, and was the only organization active in the feared Red zone. He said the Mission's quiet work would help mitigate the sufferings of common people who were left stranded by the official machinery in view of booming Naxal guns.

The Mission runs a model residential school, a 30-bed hospital, maintains a 90 km kachcha road and stop dams among other activities started during its 25-year stay in the region.

To boost its existing work, the Mission has sought government backing for a hostel extension for 70 boys, new boys hostel for 300 students, girls hostel extension, stadiums, construction of ponds, wells and repair of a few old buildings. The works are estimated at Rs 23 crore.

Ramesh said the state should aid the Mission which was involved in Narainpur despite the vast rugged terrain being a haven for Naxals.

In his letter to the CM, the minister said, "Some of these activities can be taken up under MGNREGA while drinking water supply and hand pumps can be approved under National Rural Drinking Water Programme. For other proposals, the funds under Integrated Action Plan or Backward Region Grant Fund can be utilized." He added that a senior officer be asked to coordinate with the Mission.

A welcome step indeed. They must help institutions like Ramkrishna Mission & Arya Samaj spread their wings in North East too.

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Left

Hunger pangs
The Communists have cited a recent report on hunger and malnutrition — which revealed that 42 per cent of India’s children under the age of five are underweight and 58 per cent are suffering from stunted growth — to attack neo-liberal economic policies.

An editorial in CPM journal People’s Democracy says that while the prime minister has rightly called malnutrition a national shame, he “remained silent over the bombastic claims made by his government concerning India having achieved the status of an ‘emerging economy’ and the euphoria over the so-called great success of 20 years of economic reforms ushered by him.” It says the government had been repeatedly arguing economic reforms would automatically lead to the improved livelihood of the people. However, the report on hunger and malnutrition, and the recently-released Human Development Report of the Planning Commission, which showed that nearly 310 million people live under the officially defined poverty line, belie those claims.

The article also talks about the government’s “neglect” of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). “If the prime minister is really serious about changing this dismal future of India, then steps must be taken to universalise primary health care for all. This requires that at least 3 per cent of our GDP must be spent on health care. Much more than these amount is, however, currently being foregone from being legitimately collected as tax revenue by this government. This came to a staggering Rs 14,28,028 crore during the last three years. Of this, Rs 3,63,875 crore have been concessions to the corporates and the rich,” it says.

Tribal rights

Another report in People’s Democracy highlights the demands to increase budgetary allocation for tribals.

It says while specific allocations were earmarked for the tribal sub-plan for the first time in last year’s budget, the figures point to serious problems. “The Central government’s allocations fall far short of the mandatory allocation of at least 8.5 per cent of the budget, proportionate to the tribal population, for tribal development. In the 2011-12 budget, it was only around 5.6 per cent. Moreover, the allocation for tribal specific schemes is a dismal 1.41 per cent of the budget,” it claims. The report also highlights the need for the “automatic inclusion of all ST communities in the BPL lists and requisite budgetary allocations for that, a special Central scheme for expanding government procurement and guaranteeing a minimum support price for minor forest produce including medicinal plants, increase in stipends of students, setting up of vocational training centres in tribal blocks.”

Quoting a memorandum submitted to the finance minister, the report claims that allocations being made to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) for the Green India Mission and other afforestation programmes are being used against tribals, “as the forest departments are indiscriminately planting trees on tribals’ and other forest dwellers’ lands, denying them their rights.”

As an interim measure, the report suggests for all afforestation schemes, the allocation of funds should be given under the joint jurisdiction of the tribal affairs ministry, the panchayati raj ministry and the MoEF, to ensure the provisions of the Forest Rights Act and the PESA Act are complied with, and the rights and powers of forest dwelling communities respected. It also highlights the need for the creation of a Central monitoring body and annual public reports on the tribal sub-plan.

UP and away

An article in CPI weekly New Age laments political parties have shed lofty ideals like secularism and political morality, and relegated issues like development, corruption, rising unemployment, price rise and malnutrition amongst children to the backburner in their Uttar Pradesh election campaign.

“The political class has very shrewdly put burning national problems and especially those of UP under the carpet to hoodwink the people,” it says. The article talks about the controversy over BJP’s induction of Babu Singh Kushwaha and alleges the “party with a difference has become a shelter house for the corrupt and the criminals.”

Another piece on UP elections wonders whetherMayawati’s decision to sack Kushwaha and otherl “tainted ministers” in an attempt to refurbish her image would work. An article in the New Age attacks the Congress, the BSP and the BJP, but is silent on the Samajwadi Party. For the BJP, it points out the last two years have been a roller-coaster ride. It backed B.S. Yeddyurappa , then replaced him after the Lokayukta report. To improve its image, the BJP then hopped on to the Anna bandwagon, and now it has inducted “tainted” leaders into its fold, claims the piece.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.

[Suppiah]

I was shocked to read that Beijing puppets had caused Bengal's boycott of Republic Day parade all these years - these Nandigram rapist goons who had no objections to their patron saints in Beijing having nuclear weapons, had used that as an excuse...

Thankfully Didi is in power now and Bengal is back in India...Jai Hind!!

[Yagnasri]

today they have killed 13 police jawans and kidnapped 3 people in Jarkhand.

[sum]

^^ Not just"ordinary" killingby landmine blast but the scum actually pulled out the injured policemen from the wrecked vehicle, looted all the weapons, set fire to the vehicle and then pushed the injured jawans into the fire...

True barbarians at work here.

[member_21708]

Punjab and Haryana high court denies bail to Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy

CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday dismissed the bail application of Maoist leader, Kobad Ghandy in a criminal case registered against him in Patiala.

Ghandy was booked by the Patiala police in January this year following a tip-off that he visited Punjabi University, Patiala, under a fake identity.

In his petition filed before the HC, Ghandy had pleaded innocence alleging false implication in the matter.

The FIR was registered against the 63 years old Ghandy and one Manoj alias Rajesh at the sadar police station Patiala under section 10, 13, 18 & 20 of the Unlawful Activities prevention Act and section 419 and 120 B of the IPC. Ghandy, a politburo member of the banned CPI (Maoist), was arrested in September 2009 in Delhi following a joint operation by intelligence agencies and the police, since then he is behind bars.

In its petition filed through advocate R S Bains of the HC, Ghandy had pleaded his innocence stating that he was booked for delivering a lecture in Punjabi university Patiala in April/May 2009 for spreading Maoist activities. He pleaded that at the time CPI (Maoist) was not banned. CPI (Maoist) was banned in June 22, 2009, he argued.

He also pleaded that Lt Governor Delhi had stayed all proceedings against Ghandy pending in various other parts of the country while exercising powers under section 268 of criminal procedure code (CrPc). As such Ghandy a right to get bail, the petition said.

It was also contended by the counsel of Ghandy that witnesses of the prosecution agency in the case had not signed their statement. Claiming that Ghandy was an intellectual and had written two books, his counsel sought directions for granting bail in the case.

After hearing his contentions, however, Justice V S Malik of the HC dismissed his bail application.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 602783.cms

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Left

Spend more

Citing a recent World Bank forecast that developing countries, including India, should be prepared for a 2008-like or worse financial crisis, the CPM has again called for greater public spending. People’s Democracy warns that India cannot ward off the global economic recession by furthering the neoliberal agenda.

An editorial in People’s Democracy says the government’s hopes, that further liberalisation will attract foreign funds and provide an impetus for growth, were misplaced because the World Bank has warned that rich countries had little monetary or fiscal ammunition available to stem continuing recession. Despite this, the editorial claims, the government appears all set to bring in financial reform legislations in the budget session of Parliament and plans to open up the retail sector to FDI soon after the five assembly elections. The need of the hour, says the editorial, is massive public investment to build social and economic infrastructure while generating large-scale employment. “The consequent growth of domestic demand in India is what that can sustain a healthy economic growth rate,” it argues.

Student politics

An article in People’s Democracy takes on the Trinamool Congress for the attack on a college principal in West Bengal. The article, by SFI General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee, alleges that ever since the the TMC came to power, its student wing has been attacking SFI activists. “The peaceful environment of learning and teaching has been completely disrupted. The recent addition to this phenomenon is teacher bashing... a war against democracy has begun.”

Banerjee argues that banning politics in campuses is a neoliberal design, one that views students unions as an impediment in the implementation of the privatisation and commercialisation agenda, and hides behind arguments about preserving the academic ethos, says the article. The TMC government is pursuing that path too, argues the article.

NGO business

The CPI’s weekly journal New Age has published the draft political resolution to be adopted at its forthcoming party congress in March. The draft, among other issues, talks about “international finance capital” increasingly using NGOs as a weapon to “de-politicise and de-ideologise” the masses to blunt their “class-consciousness.”

The party, in effect, has dusted up an old CPM theory that action groups and voluntary organisations were a factor in the imperialist strategy. It says capitalist forces were financing and encouraging NGOs to “hijack” issues that their “ideological opponents could have used to sharpen the class consciousness of the masses.”

The draft resolution also talks about the role of regional outfits in Indian politics, the reasons for the Left debacle in West Bengal and Kerala. In Bengal, where the Left had been in power for 34 years, it says “arrogance of power, corruption and non-democratic functioning of the Left Front as well as wrong steps taken in regard of land acquisition in the name of industrialisation” led to the downfall, while in Kerala, factionalism in the CPM resulted in the defeat.

As far as regional parties are concerned — with whom the Left has, in the past, tried to stitch together a third alternative — the draft says they have more or less swallowed the prescription of economic neo-liberalism, and never hesitate to align with the BJP or the Congress. At the same time, it admits these parties cannot be ignored, given their “large followings”.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.