first part
Postmodern Opportunism
Introduction:- The confused petty bourgeoisie in Indian revolution
Since the beginning of class society, crisis begins to find expression in several dimensions of human
existence (social, political, economical, biological etc..). It got more frequent and worse when the reign
of capital got institutionalized. In the present era of world capitalism crisis is a constant phenomenon, it
is actually a result of the inherent contradiction of capitalism; capitalism is based on the model of
individual appropriation (the products of human labor are confiscated by the capitalist) and public
production (workers collectively do the production process). This basic contradiction causes all the
modern crisis be it in share market, data market, extractive industries, land, industrial units, real-estate
market and other such capital generating units crises drive the economy, society and the individuals, it
shapes the mental and physical capacity of people. Resulting into alienation from the production
process and reduction of an individual participatory role in the social and natural structures. This is
termed Alienation. Comrade Marx said that alienation appears not only in the result, but also in the
process of production and productive activity itself. The worker is not at home in his work which he
views only as means of satisfying other needs. For the workers work is an activity directed against
himself, that is independent of him and does not belong to him. This kind of alienated labor succeeds in
alienating man from his species. Species life, productive life, life creating life, turns into a mere means
of sustaining the worker's individual existence, and man is alienated from his fellow men. Finally,
nature itself is alienated from man, who thus loses his own inorganic body.
Such groaning psychic crisis of individual involved in production process finds reflection among
middle classes too. In India during the corona crisis millions of workers and middle class individuals
migrated towards their villages. The pandemic laid open the inherent rift in the society which were
otherwise covered up by the high towering highways, expressways and roads. The working classes
along with a section of middle class migrated from their working places to their villages, many died in
this process. What explains this migration? Is this not social alienation? Lack of a sense of belonging to
a place made them feel vulnerable. Clearly cities are not for the workers, it is a site for gaining strength
(money) in order to retreat to villages. But neither are the city a place to be associated with by the
middle classes. For the middle class it is an idealization. Middle class craves for the city but the city
never completely accepts it, the upper section of this class always remains reserve army of pretentious
city-rulers. The vast number of the lower and middle section of the middle class who do not have jobs
or are severely exploited by being at work for almost 20 hrs can not sustain themselves, they form a
large strata of unemployed/meaninglessly-employed population. They stands alienated from the society
and the family institutions; family expectation besides the need to exercise feudal supremacy in the
society or villages strangulates the middle classes. Ultimately the individual blames one's own being,
panics on ones incapacity to please the family and society. For all his failures, the individual put blames
on oneself. The rationale to blame oneself for the distressful condition is the basic and most primitive
logic of the capital. This diverts the peoples anger from the capital centric world order towards own
self. The question of emptiness and meaningless in life becomes the subject of bourgeoisie self
morality leading an individual to all kind mental and physical illness. The individual groans for help
but nothing comes forward, the bourgeoisie individual morality is no answer for the distressed class.
The precarious nature of the middle classes is due to the political position which it held. What is there
in economy finds reflection in the politics. One section of the middle class connect with the struggle of
the working class and associate with its party and thereby this section remains intact and is moving
towards its liberation. While its upper section is influenced by the liberal bourgeoisie propaganda finds
solace with drugs, supermarket, sex etc.. It is so paralyzed by the propaganda of the ruling classes that
it does not see hope in slow but steady gathering of proletariat momentum in the communist party and
in the facade of being politically neutral it sides with the ruling class parties, while constantly swearing
on being ideologically flexible it follow the ideology and politics of the ruling class and its parties but
still finds something missing. He is chased by this missing link and never compltely amalgates with the
ruling classes. Indecisiveness in all the sphere of existence is what defines this class. This malagation
almost gets stronger after the capitalist reversal in China. Ever since the revisionist came to power in
China a section of the middle class went very close to the ruling class and is propagating falsehood
about Communism and its inevitability. This is typical to the character of the middle class which
comrade Marx had marked in Lassale and against such trends comrade Lenin and comrade Mao
struggled to build a true Bolshevik party. In dark times when our movement grew very weak it is the
middle class that first flights away from the proletariat class ideology movement and becomes the slave
of bourgeoisie iedology. This flight signifies a lack of revolutionary spirit and inability to lead a
proletariat life. Intellectual honesty is also negated by the opportunist (petty bourgeoisie liberal
intellectual) who instead of analyzing ones own failings starts doubting the theory and political line
which they had been practicing some times ago. Finally they come out with some old redundant
theories through which they attack the revolutionary theory of M-L-M and joins the reaction.
In Indian context the revolutionary movement against feudalism and Imperialism particularity against
the Brahmanical feudal order of the Indian society inspired the petty bourgeoisie in the movement they
saw a liberation from the orthodox hold of the patriarchal family, of the superior being, of the blind
faith, of the caste and kin. This marked a period when vast masses of petty bourgeoisie from the
colleges and universities joined the anti feudal anti imperialist movement throughout the country. The
petty bourgeoisie could connect their own desire of freedom from the bondage of feudalism and the
freedom to pursue art and politics of their own choice with the proletariat need to accomplish NDR in
order to move toward Socialism and finally to Communism resulting into a huge influx of middle class
in the revolutionary movement. But when the revolutionary movement got weakened, its members got
martyred and the area under its control diminished then these petty bourgeoisie were the first to claim
that the path which we are to follow is tiresome and lengthy, the future is gloomy and all I can see is
destruction. They base their judgment on experience and that too on personal lived experiences.
The theoretical aspect is muzzled off and forgotten what they have now with them is an experience of
defeat on which basis they tend to stop anyone who is attempting to rebuild the old. They leave the
camp of the revolutionaries. Theory as a guide to action and as a science to understand the further
development and success of the movement or phenomenon is left aside. Finally we are left with a class
which on one end is alienated by the present ruling class order while at the other end have deserted the
revolutionary movement in order to find solace. What would be the conscious part of this life? On
which ideology their solace will be founded upon? The answer obviously is such ideology which
negates both the end but very subtly gives space for the dominance of the ruling classes ideology.
These theories varies according to the given time and space, it becomes Machist at some place
Ambedkrite at the other developing further into post modernism. At present Indian situation and the
world political condition it is the post modernist ideology that guides and strengthen the reactionary
section of petty bourgeoisie. Opportunist argues from the saying of the post modern scholars and
reactionaries like Foucault and others. Opportunist of the Lenin and Mao times were the followers of the Machist/Confuscious school. It would be no exaggeration to say that all the opportunist of our time are the followers of post modern thoughts and ideas.
modern theoreticians provides the best tenant for unity between opportunism and post modern
thoughts. The imperialist finance capital has developed a very good ally in form of the post modern
thoughts and ideas. The firmness of this ally huge, within the party too, the two line struggle revolves
around the struggle against post modern ideas and thoughts. PB resolution of Aug 2024 considers post
modernism as one of the factor leading to the setback in movement. Making it urgent for us to mark the
influence of post modernism within the party and how opportunists derive their theoretical and political
power from it. Our party in PW-20 issue had brought an article on post modernism, in this several
trends of post modernism within the structure and comrade were highlighted. The article showed how
the assault of post modernism on our party is a part of the large psychological offensive of the state.
The article further stated that apart from the ideological role, post modernism is a political tool of the
ruling classes to rob the proletariat of its party. Presently when our party is waging a sharp political
ideological struggle against opportunism-liquidationism-revisionism it becomes very important to
identify major ruling class ideologies which help sustain opportunism
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