INTERVIEWER: There are some, including some who view themselves as “communists”, who hold a defeatist attitude towards the people’s war in India, and some proclaim it has no hope of victory. Could you explain to our readers why we should be hopeful and optimistic in our view of the people’s war in India, and, despite setbacks, what advances and gains the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and PLGA have made in recent times?
COMRADE BASAVARAJ: Yes. You are correct. Some individuals including those who claim themselves to be ‘Communists’ have a defeatist attitude towards People War in India. Some else lack confidence in its victory. They lack the primary Marxist understanding that imperialism and the semicolonial, semi-feudal system of India that slaves it is in decline and the People’s War going on in India as a part of Socialism and World Socialist Revolution is the sprouts. It is because they lack dialectical historical materialist perspective towards the rules of social development. They did not understand the rules of social development. They analyse and understand the conditions in metaphysical manner. They see only the problems, difficult conditions and losses of the revolutionary movement in the present conditions.
They thing that the present situation of balance of forces between the enemies and the people as permanent and unchangeable. They do not consider the opportunities to strengthen leaning valuable lessons from the objective revolutionary condition, the weaknesses of the enemy, the contradictions between the enemy classes and the practice of revolutionary forces. They lack confidence in the nature of the present imperialistrevolutionary era and the revolutionary nature of people. They do not understand or deny to understand the ongoing and future changes in the balance of forces with the enemy through conscious revolutionary efforts of the revolutionary forces and revolutionary party, through taking up tactics in a planned manner according to conditions and by overcoming the blows and setbacks. They do not confide in the people the genuine makers of history, on the utmost progressive, scientific theory of MLM (the present Marxism) and even on themselves. They think the enemies of the broad masses and their strength is invincible. Such persons bring forth defeatism. Your clearly know that defeatist attitudes are seen not only in our country and party but in several countries and parties of the world. We are totally confident in the success of People’s War in India. MLM is our guiding theory. It is the utmost progressive, revolutionary, dynamic and scientific theory among all the theories existing until date. It is the theory of the utmost advanced class, the proletariat. It is the utmost magnificent theoretical weapon in the hands of the oppressed people of the society. People’s War shall definitely achieve success through organising the oppressed classes, sections and nationalities in the light of this theory, through leading them and continuing class struggle—People's War. We absolutely believe that people are the makers of history and they shall attain the final victory. We are making class struggle/people’s war with total confidence on our theory, people and future. We thoroughly know our friends and foes. We see the enemy strategically as a paper tiger and tactically as a real tiger and are making PPW.
Marxism says that the contradiction between the forces of production and relations of production is the origin of social change. Indian socio-economic system is presently semi-colonial, semi-feudal. The comprador bureaucratic capitalist class and feudal class collaborated with the imperialists and are continuing as the exploitive ruling classes. The imperialist has indirect rule, exploitation and control on our country.
The Indian state that represents the exploitive ruling classes is unleashing exploitation, oppression and repression on the workers, farmers, petty bourgeois, national bourgeois classes, special social sections such as Dalits, tribal people, religious minorities, women, LGBT, the oppressed nationalities of Kashmir and the North East and others. All the policies of these governments in political, economic, industrial, agricultural, service, defence cultural and environment sectors are anti-people and traitorous. Those are in the interests of a few comprador bureaucratic capitalists, landlords and imperialists. therefore the broad oppressed masses shall definitely fight and are fighting against these exploitive ruling classes. This is the basis, the source and also the guarantee of the success of People’s War.
Ours is a broad country where there is economic, social and cultural unequal development. We are relatively weak. Our enemy is strong. The revolutionary movement is at present in the stage of strategic selfdefence.
It is also going on with unequal development. It is yet to spread to all the areas and sectors. Enemy is trying his best to eliminate us before we strengthen.
Our enemy is not only the old Indian state. The world capitalist imperialism in support to it too. We face the challenges that the Russian revolution faced at the time when there was no Socialist camp anywhere in the world. However, there are Maoist parties and forces fighting for the success of revolutions in several countries all over the world. We have their support. When we fight with a strong enemy we have ups and downs and advance and retreat. We take up the challenges, spread to all the areas and sectors of the country, enhance the mass base and shall fight courageously and with dare. We shall achieve success. People are invincible. They are the decisive factor. If we organise the oppressed people the majority people shall definitely bring down the few exploiters. We are absolutely confident in the historic truth that there is defeat-success-defeat and ultimately success. Capitalist imperialism is not permanent on this earth. In the process of development of human society, ultimately a society without exploitation and oppression, Communism shall be established.
The present international and domestic conditions are very favourable to advance the revolutionary movement. The three fundamental contradictions are sharpening day by day. The four fundamental contradictions in the country are also intensifying.
These are creating favourable objective conditions for revolutions. In the recent times and especially since the Hindutva Fascist forces in the leadership of Modi came to power at the centre and in the majority states, they have been implementing LPG policies that fulfil the interests of imperialists and Indian comprador ruling classes very aggressively. The farmers of the country made a prolonged, historic, militant struggle for one year in Delhi against the anti-farmer, traitorous three agrarian acts that forced Modi to withdraw those Acts temporarily. These Acts were brought forth in the name of ‘Atmanirbhar’ as a part of the conspiracy to transform the country dependent on imperialists for food material. Apart from the Shaheenbagh struggle of Delhi against CAA, the ongoing people’s struggles against police camps, roads, displacement, construction of devastating mega projects and state fascist repression in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Bihar, Keralam, Punjab and Maharashtra, workers, teachers, employees, students, unemployed, oppressed social sections and others are making struggles all over the country. These reveal favourable conditions for revolution in the country.
The central and the state governments are trying to suppress the movements in fascist methods. Especially as a part of building Brahmanic Hindutva Fascist neo-colonial India in the name of New India the Modi government is making constant attacks on religious minorities, especially the Muslims, Dalits, tribal people and democrats. It is making many kinds of attacks on their religious customs and food habits and are trying to make draconian Acts to justify their acts. It lifted Article 370 and Section 35A and dissolved autonomy to Kashmir. It made an Act annulling triple talaq, building Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, suppressing the questioning voices, foisting conspiracy cases and putting in jails and unleashing the ‘SAMADHAN’ multipronged offensive to suppress the revolutionary movement in the utmost fascist methods are all part of it. But the vast oppressed people and democrats understand the conspiracies of the RSS and the BJP at the centre and are raising their voices and are organising against it.
Now, let us briefly see the condition of the ongoing People’s War in the leadership of our Party, the Party, PLGA, and Revolutionary people’s organs.
After Naxalbari our movement setback in a short time. There was despair and disappointment. But we reviewed the movement, learnt lessons from the mistakes and weaknesses, overcame and gradually stepped forward. Since the end of 1970s, two revolutionary streams, the CPI (ML) and MCC started work in small areas of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and other states, gradually learnt and developed. In the process we faced left, right and various kinds of revisionism inside and outside the party. We strengthened and expanded into all sectors. We formed PLGA, organs of state power and various forums of United Front under the leadership of the Party. The process of unity of genuine revolutionaries tookplace during this time.
The two main revolutionary streams of India, the CPI (ML)[People’s War] and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) merged on 21st September 2004 and the CPI (Maoist) emerged. Thus we developed into a detachment of international proletariat and as a vanguard from a single centre that leads New Democratic Revolution in India. Subsequently we successfully held the Unity Congress—Ninth Congress of the party in 2007 January. The Congress adopted the enriched basic documents and few policy papers. We formulated the central, main tasks and other important tasks. We consolidated the leadership through election.
After the Congress our practice continued in the direction of achieving other tasks including the central main task of seizure of state power through armed struggle. In 2005, various state governments unleashed Salwa Judum, Sendra and other such repressive campaigns with the support and in the guidance of the centre in a bid to suppress our movement. We defeated Salwa Judum and other campaigns by the end of 2008 through the heroic political and military struggles of the three forces of PLGA namely the main, secondary and base forces, Revolutionary people’s organs, revolutionary people, progressive and democratic intellectuals and social activists in the leadership of our party. Later the central and the state governments together started the countrywide strategic multipronged offensive Operation Green Hunt since 2009. We faced this offensive making enormous sacrifices until 2017. We did not allow the objective of Operation Green Hunt to be fulfilled.
Then the enemy is unleashing another multipronged strategic ‘SAMADHAN’ offensive since 2017 May. PLGA, Revolutionary Mass Organisations and revolutionary people are making heroic guerrilla war against the Special Police, the Paramilitary, Commando forces possessing the support of power, economic wealth, modern weapons and heavy training and the Indian Army forces being secretly deployed in the veil of these forces. On the whole, to put it briefly, the revolutionary movement that went on in the leadership of our party in India from the end of 1970s to 2011 was in the stage of advancement. Thousands of martyrs shed their blood for this advancement. During this time the party stepped forward to a little extent in the direction of achieving the other tasks including the central task. It gained several utmost valuable and new experiences in political, military, United Front and Cultural sectors.
Our party had been making efforts to enlighten the people with the politics of New Democratic Revolution as the alternative to the fake parliamentary system and the state of the exploitive classes, organising them, taking up class struggles, developing its subjective strength and build People’s Army. By taking up People’s War/Guerilla War in a planned manner, it destroyed the state power of the comprador exploitive ruling classes and built, developed and expanded the guerrilla bases. These guerrilla bases contributed to further consolidate and expand the movement and to advance the People’s War. We built these guerrilla bases in Dandakaranya (DK), Bihar-Jharkhand (BJ), Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB), Telangana, West Bengal and some parts of Odisha state. We established RPCs as the organ of state power at the village, area and division levels depending on the balance of forces of the movement. These are holding the New Democratic state power. These people’s governments are exploring the abundant initiative hidden in the people and are making efforts to develop agricultural production through collective labour; to advance toward achieving eco- nomic development and self-sufficiency; to develop New Democratic culture; and to support the Party, PLGA, Revolutionary people’s organs, people’s strug- gles and People’s War. However, certain severe shortcomings, weaknesses and limitations came up in the process of development of the Party, People’s Army and United Forums that are the three magnificent weapons that guarantee the success of revolution since 2012.
Due to the shortcomings and limitations in adopting and implementing tactics according to the changes in the relations of production owing to imperialist globalisation policies and in the conditions of war, due to the lack of enough bolshevisation of the party, PLGA and people’s organs and due to the constant counter-revolutionary offensive on the party and the revolutionary movement, of the Indian comprador ruling classes in the dictates of the imperialists, there were big losses in this period. Various bureaus, sub-committees and departments were affected. Scores of central and state leaders were arrested since 2005 and the party faced a severe loss. 21 members of the CC were arrested after the Congress. Seven became martyrs in fake encounters, encounter and 13 CCMs out of ill health. The losses were mainly in the urban and plain areas. In this condition the party is not able to utilise the favourable atmosphere all over the country.
We have to view the difficult conditions, problems and challenges of the party in this background. However, when compared with the time of Naxalbari, although there is improvement in the party and revolutionary movement in all the sectors, we could not protect the revolutionary leadership and the subjective forces in the severe enemy offensive and thus this situation arose. The 6th (contd.) meeting of the CC adopted tactics, direction of general practice and a strategic plan. It made the necessary changes in the immediate, main and central tasks basing on the facts in the light of MLM. The party needs to make efforts with a firm determination accordingly.
In the recent times, we have been achieving certain successes in theoretical, political, organisational, military and cultural sectors. Let us look into them in brief. The CC took up certain concrete and important tasks in theoretical and political sectors in its 6th and the 6th (contd.) meetings. It adopted a document ‘Changes in Relations of Production in India—Our Political Program’. It ‘answered’ the unreal, immature discussion that the relations of production in India turned to be capitalist and affirmed that the Indian social, economic system is yet semi-colonial, semifeudal.
However, it also said, that as a result of the policies of the imperialists, comprador bureaucratic capitalists and feudal classes there are considerable distorted capitalist changes and formulated the Political program and tactics. It formulated and released a document ‘Nationality Question in Indi — Our Party’s stand’. It made the necessary changes and additions in the documents on Caste Question in India—our perspective and China—a new socialimperialist country and re-released those. It prepared and released the Central Political and Organisational Review from the Unity—Ninth Congress of the party held in 2007 until 2020. In the changed conditions and the present background of the movement it changed the central task thus—‘Let us work with the objective to develop Dandakaranya and Bihar-Jharkhand, East Bihar-North East Jharkhand into base areas. Let us intensify anti-imperialist, anti-comprador bureaucratic capitalist, anti-feudal class struggles in all the areas of the movement in the country’. It made the necessary changes in the immediate tasks in the political, organisational, military, United Front and urban sectors in accordance to the main central task.
The CC released a document on the understanding of the party on the formation of an International organisation in its meeting in 2017. It released circulars and letters on the political conditions and enemy offensive on various occasions. It could thus take the perspective and understanding on various aspects up to the cadres. It became easy to adopt the necessary tactics to take up people’s struggles on people’s problems in the light of these documents.
As a part of consolidation campaign of the party we held plenums of various Special Areas/Special Zones/States. We adopted Political and Organisational Reviews of the movements in the respective places. We assessed the conditions of the movement and adopted tasks. We elected new members into the leadership committees and consolidated them. We also successfully took up a campaign of party membership in some states and developed the primary membership of the party. We consolidated party cells and GPC.
We held four revolutionary days of international prominence in 2017-18 such as—the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Fiftieth Anniversary of Naxalbari Armed Peasant struggle, Centenary of Russian October Revolution and the 200th birth Anniversary of the great Marxist teacher Karl Marx with revolutionary enthusiasm. In certain areas, basing on the syllabus released by the CC for political education of the party cadres in 2019, subjects for study were selected in view of the concrete conditions in the respective areas and political training imparted at all level. Apart from study we also took up bolshevisation and field training in certain areas. In some other areas we took up struggle against non-proletarian trends in the party and PLGA.
In the military sector, depending on the mass base in the various guerrilla zones and red resistance areas, PLGA forces took up Tactical Counter Offensive Campaigns and retaliation programs in the leadership of the party and countered the ‘SAMADHAN’-Prahar offensive. In the Eastern region, resistance was taken up under the name ‘GHAMASAN’. The TCOC and retaliation campaigns were successful in a few places and partially successful in some others. In some places they failed.
In 2020, PLGA made 99 guerrilla actions on the whole. The ambush in Vimpa was a big one. PLGA eliminated four soldiers of the Indian Army secretly deployed in the cover of Police, Paramilitary and Commando forces apart from a few of these forces in this ambush. This is a new and higher experience.
PLGA made 350 guerrilla actions all over the country from 2020 December to 2021 September. It wiped out 66 personnel and injured 85 of the police, Paramilitary and Commando forces. It seized 15 modern weapons, thousands of ammunition and other war equipment from the enemy forces. The ambush in Jeeragudem and Kadiyanar are the big actions and the rest were of small and medium kind. The PLGA forces retaliated the police, Paramilitary and Commando forces in more than 65 encounters in this period.
We need to make a special mention of the political and military importance of Jeeragudem ambush. PLGA divided the enemy forces that were in Battalion num- ber (above 750 in number) and eliminated a platoon number (28) forces, eliminated them and injured another 31 in another platoon. The ambush gave a stiff resistance to the Prahar decisive attack that went on from 2020 October to 2021 June. It could temporarily stop the enemy plan. It instilled confidence among the revolutionary people, party and PLGA that we could defeat the ‘SAMADHAN’-Prahar offensive. If such Maoist style of struggle is implemented in all the guerrilla bases and red resistance areas, we can defeat ‘SAMADHAN’ offensive.
PLGA forces implemented defence tactics and escaped safely from the heavy drone attacks made by the police, Paramilitary, Commando and Army and Airforce on the camps of PLGA in the area of struggle in Dandakaranya in the midnight of 14th and 15th of April 2022. There was large scale protest to the drone attacks in the country and the world.
In 2022, PLGA forces eliminated four Jharkhand Jaguar policemen in TCOC and retaliatory actions in Bihar-Jharkhand, East Bihar-North East Jharkhand Special Areas and injured some more in retaliation to the ‘SAMADHAN’-Prahar offensive of the enemy.
In Andhra-Odisha Border area PLGA injured four policemen amidst persistent combing and attacks by the enemy.
In the past one year PLGA forces eliminated 14 Paramilitary, Commando and Special police in guerrilla actions of the PLGA forces in various guerrilla areas. It injured 54 Paramilitary, Commando and Special police, seized 7 AK-47 Rifles and ammunition from them.
In some areas of struggle people’s militia took up guerrilla actions independently and seized weapons from the enemy.
PLGA forces made deliberate ambushes, opportunity ambushes, sniper actions, booby traps, remote actions, sabotage actions, seizure of enemy supplies, elimination of informers, elimination of counter revolutionaries, elimination of people’s enemies, attacked the police camps with shelling/grenades and other tactics in TCOC and retaliatory actions in order to defeat the counter-revolutionary ‘SAMADHAN’-Prahar offensive. The guerrilla war of PLGA played an important role in protecting the guerrilla bases and RPCs.
We imparted political and military training to the PLGA forces. We celebrated the 20th Anniversary of PLGA yearlong from 2nd December 2020 to 2nd December 2021.
By taking up people’s struggles and people’s wars with coordination we could temporarily stop mining, industrial projects, mega dams and tourist centers.
In some areas of struggle we recruited youth into PLGA in the recruitment campaign. We have been taking up these campaigns every year. Coming to United Front, as a part of consolidation of Mass Organisations and RPCs representative election meetings and Conferences of Revolutionary mass organisations were held at various levels. New leadership committees were elected. People celebrate revolutionary days and protest days every year in the leadership of the Party, PLGA and the Mass Organisations on 26th January, 15th August, the great Bhoomkal struggle day on 10th February, International Working women’s day on 8th March, anti-imperialist day on 23rd March, May Day, martyrs’ week from 28th July to 3rd August, foundation day anniversary week from 21st September to 27th, Russian October Revolution Day on 7th November, PLGA foundation day from 2nd to 8th December and other such. On this 23rd March, the anti-imperialist day we held meetings and programs upholding the martyrdom of Comrades Bhagatsingh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, opposing the aggression of Russia on Ukraine and the war frenzy US, EU and NATO and greeting New People’s Army of Philippines on its 53rd Anniversary. We are opposing the Brahmanic Hindutva Fascist forces penetrating into the struggle areas through people’s struggles, retaliation and guerrilla actions. We are taking up propaganda and retaliatory programs against the attacks and massacres of Dalit and tribal people. several anti-Brahmanic Hindutva Fascist struggles are going on in various forms all over the country from the local to the central level.
Anti-imperialist, anti-comprador bureaucratic capitalist, anti-feudal class struggles are expanding and intensifying all over the areas of the movement.
People are making militant fight against new police camps in Bijapur, Dantewada, Sukma, Narayanpur and Kanker districts of Dandakaranya for the past years. Especially the struggle against the Silinger police camp in Bijapur district going on for the past 15 months is attracting the people, especially the indigenous people of the country and the world. In Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Area, people are occupying coffee plantations and subsequently cultivating them in the leadership of the village committees. In Telangana people are fighting against the ‘Haritaharam’ scheme of the government that displaces the tribal people from Telangana, against the anti-people policies that chase away the tribal people from the podu lands and against Government Order (GO) Number-3 that reduces the importance to tribal people in jobs in the tribal areas.
PLGA forces mobilised the people widely and destroyed the properties of comprador bureaucratic capitalists and the government worth crores of rupees as a part of coming in the way of mining and infrastructure projects necessary for mining in Surjagarh and Amdai and other hills.
Thousands of people held militant movements carrying their traditional weapons such as axes, knifes, sickles and bow and arrows against the proposed police camps in Tesaphooli, Parvatpur, Dholkatta, Banpura, Pandedih in the Tarayi area of Parasnath mountain range in Jharkhand. They destroyed the police vehicles.
They burnt them. Tribal peasant struggles are going on in Dandakaranya, Jharkhand, AOB and Odisha against the camps of police, Paramilitary and Commando forces, against roads and culverts, police atrocities, fake encounter, massacres, atrocities on women and displacement. Lakhs of people are participating in these struggles. We called for a campaign to preserve peoples’ health against Corona pandemic and combined it with anti-imperialist, anti-comprador bureaucratic capitalist, anti-feudal class struggle. Our doctor teams served the people with treatment. We took up people’s struggles with demands such as free vaccination, treatment, free ration to those who lost livelihood and to provide job facilities.
On the occasion we convey revolutionary greetings and revolutionary thanks to the ICSPWI and various revolutionary parties who have been taking up solidarity movements in support to the People’s War in India at the international plane for the past one and a half decades. You are aware that the International Action Day against the counter-revolutionary, strategic ‘SAMADHAN’ offensive and Prahar offensive as per the call of ICSPWI. The propaganda and agitation activities that took place in a wide level regarding 10th February, 23rd March and 13th September were because of the initiative in the International Communist Movement.
One of the successes the Party achieved was to enlighten women, half of the sky, developing their efficiencies in political, organisational, military, cultural and other sectors. Presently there are nearly 50 percent women in PLGA in almost all the areas.
Party paid much attention to develop the revolutionary, democratic cultural sector. This sector helped to develop revolutionary, democratic values among the oppressed classes, oppressed social sections and oppressed nationalities.
One more important issue is the struggles of political prisoners in jails and the development of struggles of ordinary prisoners with their support.
On the whole, we see that efforts are going on to expand-intensify class struggle-guerrilla war (People’s War) all over the country. efforts are going on to organise the Party, PLGA and United Front. We are gaining new experiences politically, organisationally, militarily and technically. The combination of positive experiences in this effort shall undoubtedly help to defeat the counter-revolutionary ‘SAMADHAN’-Prahar offensive and to advance the Indian Revolutionary movement.
However, we have the unfavourable factors and challenges created by the enemy. Protecting successes is one important factor. We are aware that there shall be more difficulties, tests and losses in future. However, we will learn from mistakes, develop our subjective strength and efficiency, win most of the people, friendly forces and organisations on to our side, adopt tactics to educate the party and the people, develop the understanding and culture not to be depressed with losses and feel great of successes, utilise these experiences on the basis of successes and victories achieved until now, utilise the present revolutionary conditions and shall definitely advance from the present state of the movement. Therefore optimistic perspective and confidence are necessary towards the success of Indian People’s War.
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