-Harsh Thakor
On October 12th 1974 the Andhra Pradesh Radical Students (APRSU) was born., which wrote a new epoch in Student revolutionary history. It triggered the agrarian revolutionary movement in Andhra Pradesh spreading like wildfire and literally lit University campuses in Andhra Pradesh red. Since the Chinese revolution, possibly no student organisation in the world emulated it’s model in the magnitude of the APRSU. It’s central team was penetrating students within the agrarian revolution and linking economic struggles with ideology of Mao thought. It inspired diverse forces to take up the cudgels against autocracy, particularly making the revolutionary cultural front blossom. The tenacity in which it withstood the currents of adversity or resurrected from the darkest waters, is comparable to courage displayed in any epoch of revolutionary struggle.
Genesis
In Warangal, leaders like Kondappali Seetaramiah (founder of the Peoples War group) and K.G.Satyamurthy led students group teams in solidarity with the Naxalbari struggle. Students of S.V.Arts college and Oriental college ,under the direction of Tripurareni Madhusudan Rao, operated in the name of Radicals. Inspired by the literature produced by Digambara kavulu, the students were drawn into the Srikakulam Struggle. In 1968, the students of Kakatiya medical college forwarded a discussion to print the magazine “Srujana”, which propagated dialectical materialism.
A journal called “Long March’ was published from Vishakapatnam. In Warangal,students commenced work under the banner of ‘Progressive Democratic Students. In Warangal the students took part in the Steel Plant agitation and separate Telengana movement .Intensive struggles were waged against the RSS-ABVP nexus, in the regional engineering colleges. Demonstrations were also held against price rise. Comrades Chandrashekar, R vinder and Janaradh played a major roe in these who later became martyrs. In Turupathi, students first started working under the banner of the ‘radicals. ‘They played role of precursors of the Revolutionary Writers Association and later condemned the implication of R.W.A. activists in conspiracy cases. In Regional engineering college, Surapeni Janardhan led struggles, while in Osmania University George Reddy organized struggles on the university campuses against feudalism and Brahmanical values.
On April 14th,1972 George Reddy was brutally assaulted by ABVP goondas. The Radical Students Union was the first student organization to uphold Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse Tung Thought in it’s manifesto. And uphold the path of the ‘Naxalbari” revolt. The Radicals held the view that unless the present semi-feudal, semi-colonial Indian Society is eradicated and New Democracy is built in it’s place, none of the basic problems confronting the students and people can be resolved. It established the link of the agrarian revolution with the student’s movement and the need for the student movement to be linked with the struggles of the peasantry.
In February 1975 Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union held it’s first state conference. Students from all over Telengana Region in Andhra Pradesh, especially from Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Nalgonda Districts swarmed to the conference in large numbers. Shortly after the conference Emergency was proclaimed in India by the Indira Gandhi Government. More than 500 Radical students were victims of inhuman torture. Hundreds of them were arrested.
Struggles in
1970’s
In that period Comrades Janardan, Murali Mohan
Anand Rao and Sudhakar in Medak District were martyred in Giraipally
Forests. Similarly Comrade Nagaraju was arrested and shot. The
Radical Students Union office was ransacked. The radical Students
Union innovated underground methods of Struggle, They took up
struggles to combat the governments filtration policy of detaining
school students in the pretext of raising the educational standards.
Through that policy the government manipulated the unemployment
figures and stated that together with that problem the problem of
inadequacy of seats was solved for all the time.
The
bankruptcy of the detention system was exposed Pamphlets were also
distributed condemning repression on the toiling masses and secretly
giving support to people’s struggles, particularly in villages.
Secretly, the revolutionary journal, “The Radical “was brought
out to co-ordinate the student movements in various regions. It was a
tribute to the Radical’s relentless courage that they withstood the
emergency onslaught. Campaigns were carried out against the black
laws.I n the post emergency period a major programmes were held in
defence of Democratic Rights. The Radical Students supported the
Railway strike in 1974 in Kazipet and Secuderbad.
In 1977 the Janata Party
snatched power, which was hailed by quarters as a great victory for
Democracy. In the villages of Karimnagar a major campaign was
launched by A.P.R.S.U.Slogans were given off 'Boycott elections and
join he Agrarian Revolution. ‘The peasants of Jagtiyal and Sircilla
taluks were greatly aroused Committees were formed and struggles were
started against local landlords. Strikes for wage increase, campaigns
for the release of bonded labourers, resistance against different
types of caste and gendre discrimination, occurred. In many villages,
units of the Rythu Coolie Sangham were formed. Social boycott of the
most oppressive landlords began, and soon al the exploited and
labouring of the villages responded. Parallel Peoples Courts were set
up.
In 1977,35 years ago the
Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union made history by conducting the
first ever 'Go To Villages' Campaign by a student organisation in
India, or in the world after the Chinese revolution.
What
distinguished the A.P.R.SU from
other revolutionary organizations was linking student movement with
the agrarian revolution.
The following year another
campaign was launched following the 2nd state Conference of
A.P.R.S.U. prompting peasant youth to return o villages to organize
the peasantry. Landlords were forcibly tried in Peoples Courts. Over
800 acres of land was occupied and lakhs of rupees collected as
refunds by the landless peasants. On September 8th amass rally was
held consisting of 35000 peasants Shivers were sent down the spine
amongst the landlord sections and some fled to the cities. A few days
in the aftermath of the rally, the landlord of Chinametupaly opened
fire on a peasant demonstration, injuring 20. The peasants retaliated
by destroying his crops and razing his nephew's house to the ground.
As a
preparation for the 2nd state conference the boycott of elections
campaign was conducted in co-ordination with the task of building
Radical Students Union Units in every college. The 2nd state
conference was successfully held mobilising 3000 delegates. It was
decided to launch the first ever ‘Go to Village campaigns’ to
knit a breeding ground for building a revolutionary Youth
Organisation., forming Youth League Units in every
village.
Signature campaigns were carried out on
democratic Rights Demands In June 1978 the first Ste Conference of
the Andhra Pradesh Radical Youth League was held. In 1979 the 3rd
state conference was held where the National and International
situation was reviewed.
Go to Village Campaigns
In 1977 it was decided to launch the first ever ‘Go to Village campaigns’ to spread agrarian revolutionary politics and knit a breeding ground for building a revolutionary Youth Organisation., forming Youth League Units in every village.
In 1977, the APRSU made history by conducting the first ever 'Go To Villages' Campaign by a student organisation in India, or in the world after the Chinese revolution.
In April,
May and June in 1979 the first joint Go To Villages Campaign was held
jointly of the Radical Youth League and the Radical Students Union.
Preparatory classes were held in 15 centres in which 500 students and
youth participated. This time not only the politics of agrarian
revolution was propagated but students were educated on the Soviet
backed Vietnamese aggression on Kampuchea. Students integrated with
the tendu-leaf workers struggling for higher wages in Adilabad
district, the police arrested the youth. The repression was
particularly grave in Telengana district. The campaign culminated in
the second state conference of Radical youth League in Khammam.
In
1980 they campaigned against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
They also pledged solidarity with the just struggle of the Assamese
people for their nationality. In the 1981 campaign they exposed the
police massacre on tribal peasants in Indarvelli. In 1982 they
pledged for the release of Comrade Kondapali Seetharamiah and other
political prisoners. A judicial enquiry was demanded for those mowed
down in false encounters. The team also mobilised workers for the
first conference of the Singaleri Mine workers. The 1983 campaign was
based on exposing the newly formed Telegu Desam Party. It was
propagated that he Telegu nationality would only be liberated through
proletarian struggle-new democratic revolution of he Proletariat. The
1984 campaign demanded the withdrawal of Central Reserve Force troops
from Telanagana district. The goonda attacks of the A.B.V.P were also
thwarted More than one lakh signatures were obtained on this
issue.
In all the campaigns the central theme
focused on the politics of agrarian revolution. Units of R.YL and
Rytu Coolie Sanghams were formed. In the 1984 campaign,1100 students
and youth split into 150 teams and spread the village of agrarian
revolution in 2419 villages.
It completely rebuked bookish
approach, demonstrating utmost humility and respect to the peasants.
The campaigns had to be carried out with tremendous patience not
always expecting a rousing welcome. They had to sweep the hearts of
he peasants with the utmost patience.
Development in 1980’s in diverse spheres
In 1981 they participated in a major agitation for the release of political prisoners, (Including Koondappali Seetaramiah,the peoples war leader)Meetings were held all over the state. The month of August was observed as Protest week opposing the False encounters. Significantly the Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union joined hands with other progressive organization. They also collected funds for the families of the tribals massacred in the Indravelli police firing.
In 1983 the 5th conference was held in Turupathi. It was propagated that all round development of the Telegu nationality was possible only with New democratic revolution. On March 19th at Hyderabad Radical students participated in massive rally organized by civil liberties organizations attended by over 15000 people. On September 19th a state –wide bandh was led against the repression. Black flag demonstrations were held in order to condemn the massacring of the Assam people by the Indira govt.
The
Organization won several victories in the College Elections In 1985
in Hyderabad Polytechnic college they were victorious in the college
union elections. In 1984 they gave solidarity to the Sikasa Coal
miners Struggle. They educated and organized the peasantry on partial
demands and armed struggle and also formed units of the Radical Youth
League. In the manifesto of Radical Students Union it was declared
that Mao Tse Tung Thought was the guiding ideology.
From
1982-84, section 144 was imposed in all campuses and elections were
banned for student unions. On August 14th Anti-Repression day was
observed. In 1982 a rally was held at Hyderabad on August 18th
protesting against Encounter killings.
In the 1985-86 Period The Radical Students Union chalked out a new strategy of countering the State Repression. Secretist method of functioning would now be adopted in contrast to open methods ,however all the revolutionary politics would be propogated. In that Period Comrade Nageshwar Rao was martyred.
In Hyderabad high school students demonstrated in front of the secretariat on 17th August 1985.In Srikakulam town students demonstrated for the solution of hostel problems in July. 1985. In the same period school students of Chagallu in West Godavri protested against the withdrawal of mid-day meal scheme. On 1th September,1985 Ongole Polytechnic students launched a demonstration. On 26th September 1986, Junior college students of Belampally in Adilabad district fought for a degree college.
The
staging of the 1987 conference reflected heroic resilience when one
weighs the repressive conditions prevalent. Various district
conferences were held in preparation. In the 7th state conference
held in February in 1987 the expansionist policies of the Congress
govt. were condemned, including the Baliapal Missile bae project and
Nageshwar Rao’s death was commemorated. Methods of Struggle were
devised to combat the repression. Later in 1987 struggles were
launched on issues like scholarships. Police were combated in
campuses. The New Education policy was also exposed. An Extensive
propaganda campaign was also launched against brutal state repression
carried out on 50 Girijan villages in Chintapalli agency in March and
June 1987.
In 1987
Ananthapur high school students agitated for better hostel facilities
on 8th July.
In 1988 and 1999 APRSU launched
struggles of issues like BC Scholarships, opposing closing of BC
hostels, cancelling of loans of peasants, opposing the nuclear plant
in Nagarjuna Sagar, opposing the 59th Amendment bill Students
converged into Nagarjuna Sagar in August 1988 to oppose the plant, in
a joint front with other progressive organizations.
In May
1992 the A.P.R.S.U. was officially banned. With heroic resilience
comrades resurrected the work of the organizations inspite of being
banned and still staged state level conferences n 1996 on December
5th,6th and 7th the A.P.R.SU.held it’s 10th State Conference.12
resolutions were passed Earlier that year in East Godavari district
the organization conducted a “Go to Villages Campaign’ in
Anantpur ,accomplished heroically amidst merciless combing
operations.
Errors
A major shortcoming of the APRSU was it’s imposition of the politics of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Thought and functioning as a front organisation of the erstwhile CPI(ML)Peoples War group, or subordinating to the party dictate., or converted into a Maoist platform. In instances it did not mobilise the peasantry and participated in left adventurist actions of annihilation. Weakness in mass line possibly led to it’s disintegration from the late 1990’s.
Impact
The APRSU inspired revolutionary Students organisations spurring in Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka , Haryana and Maharashtra. They emulated the format of the Go to Villages Campaigns, particularly in Bihar.and Haryana. In recent times similar ‘Go To vIllage campaigns’ have been conducted in West Bengal by Revolutionary Students Front and in Uttar Pradesh by Bhagat Singh Chatra Morcha. Some qualitative struggles on economic and socio-political issues have been launched by them, placing stress on Brahmanical fascism.
Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist Thanks information from booklet ‘History of Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union’ by Virasam
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