For a PDF of Comrade Ganapathy Book visit here :
At
a meeting of the polit bureau of the Communist Party of India in 1945
in Bombay, (from left) B.T. Ranadive, G. Adhikari and P.C. Joshi.
Birth of Indian Communist Party:
Communist Party
of India was formed on October 17, 1920 in exile in Tashkent of then
Soviet Union and it was recognized by Communist International in 1921.
Since then some youth with communist ideology started working for
propagating socialist ideas through their writings and speeches. For
nipping in the bud of this movement Kanpur conspiracy case was filed on
them alleging that they were propagating Bolshevism and organizing
farmers and workers against the government. Muzaffar Ahmed, S A Dange,
Shaukat Usmani, Nalini Bhushan Dasgupta and others were arrested. On
November 5, 1925 Workers and Peasants party was formed in Bengal.
Communist Party organizations are formed under different names in
various parts of the country.
In 1923,
thousands of workers from 56 mills went on strike for 2 months
protesting against the wage cut of 20% imposed on them. Thousands of
workers from Bombay had participated in struggles and demonstrations in
1924 demanding for the representation of workers in legislative
assemblies and voting rights and opposing the retrenchment in railways
and against the police force against agitating workers and in the “Simon
Go Back” movement in 1928. Though working class was not able to take up
the leadership of political movement it had militantly participated in
it. In 1928-29, the textile workers of Bombay went on general strike.
Since 1927, May Day was dutifully celebrated every year.
In spite of the
fact that trade union movement in India was being led by bourgeoisie
leadership since its inception, the militant struggles between 1926-29
had attracted many communist revolutionaries into its leadership.
The political
conditions prevailing in the country had created a necessity for the
working class to have a united front. At that time AITUC had the
followers of different ideology- communist, congress socialist and
Royist (M N Roy). With growing struggles the membership in trade union
also started increasing. From 1945, workers’ strikes became widespread.
In 1945 there were total 820 strikes and they became 1629 in the year
1946. There were many strikes in all the industrial centers of Bihar,
Bengal, Orissa, Punjab, United Provinces, Bombay and Madras provinces.
For suppressing these movements organized by the working class, British
government resorted to brutal acts of suppression like arrests, torture
and indiscriminate firing. Many workers were martyred. The indefinite
strike by Postal and Telegraph workers in July 1946 is very significant
one. In 1947, Congress Party split the trade union and formed its own
union.
The principle shortcomings in Proletarian Struggles:
In spite of
having considerable influence and leadership in AITUC movement,
Communist Party succumbed to the influence of Congress Party leadership
while making policy decisions. The political line adopted by Communist
Party at that time was an important obstacle in providing correct
leadership to the working class.
In spite of
militantly participating in many struggles, as the working class was not
trained in the politics of armed struggles of seizing the political
power working class was subjected to economism.
As AITUC was a
joint forum for both Congress and Communist party until 1947, there were
considerable limitations in practicing working class politics in it.
Even after
transfer of leadership into Communist Party in 1947, because of its
practicing of rightist politics in place of revolutionary politics,
class compromising politics in place of class struggle politics, the
working class struggles were confined to the politics of lobbying and
legalist methods.
Working class
had lost the consciousness to provide leadership not only for themselves
but for the emancipation of oppressed people of all sections and for
the change in the social system.
It had forgot
the task of leading the farmers in agrarian revolution. They didn’t
consider the lesson from the experiences of proletariat revolutionary
struggles that there can be nothing to the masses without people’s army.
Role of Nationalist Revolutionaries:
There was
considerable dissent was brewing in the students and youth because of
the comprador politics of Congress Party in protecting the imperialist
interests in the name of nonviolence at the time when British
imperialists were applying brutal violence on freedom movement.
These students
and youth had hoped to end the British rule through force. They decided
to create conducive atmosphere for armed struggle by eliminating
notorious British officials, by neutralizing the administration and by
inspiring the masses through their daring acts. Important among in
shaking the British imperialists were Gadar party heroes, Bhagat Singh,
Raj Guru, Sukhdev.
Bengal,
Maharashtra, Punjab became centers for their revolutionary activities.
They studied and propagated modern warfare and guerilla tactics. They
were attracted to socialist ideas after the 1917 October revolution.
They inspired the masses with their slogan of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’. They
tried to organize revolt of soldiers. To contain this revolutionary
upsurge British imperialists resorted to cruel repression, built many
conspiracy cases and mercilessly hanged many of them.
They lacked the
scientific understanding of the laws of social development and couldn’t
appreciate the fact that “masses are the real history makers”. As they
believed that daring acts of heroes will create the history, they
couldn’t create base among the masses and depended on American and
Germany imperialists.
Peasant Revolts and other mass struggles:
Anti
imperialist struggles were not confined cities and towns but extended to
remote rural areas. Farmers, students, youth, employees and a section
of Indian infantry, navy and police had also took part in the
anti-imperialist revolts and carried out armed revolts.
Chittagong
rebellion had special importance. Chittagong rebellion was planned to
create model for the people by liberating a particular region from the
British imperialism. Revolutionary group under the leadership of Surya
Sen had conducted this rebellion. At 10 O’ clock in the night of April
18, 1930, they had simultaneously attacked and occupied police armory
and associated military armory. They completely destroyed the
information network. British officials sped away and a revolutionary
provincial government was established under the leadership of Surya Sen.
Immediately after this in another incident sepoys belonging to Garwal
regiment refused to open fire on the agitating masses in Peshawar.
Similarly another important incident was the revolt of workers in
Sholapur of Maharashtra. British government was taken a back temporarily
by this strike and re-occupied the town after 49 days only by declaring
Marshal law.
In Punapra-
Vayalar of Kerala farmers, fishermen and workers revolted against feudal
lords. This struggle was led by Communist party activists. Military and
police goons attacked the people in October 1946 killing six workers.
Army surrounded the Vayalar and killed many Communist party activists.
The farmers of Kayyuru revolted under the leadership of Communist party
against the increased land rent. Because of suppression campaign carried
out by the state villages were deserted and people had to take shelters
in the forest. Four Communist party activists were hanged. Thousands of
workers in Bombay went on political strike against the second World War
and repression by imperialists.
Quit India
movement in the larger extent was primarily a farmers, revolt. The
peasantry had fought against the British imperialism using guerilla
tactics and establishing parallel government in many places. In this
struggle about 1600 farmers were killed in the police firing.
The
revolutionary upsurge followed after the defeat of fascism in second
World War through out the world also had shaken India. Unity was visible
among all sections against imperialism. Naval uprising took place in
1946. Bombay as center and with the support of town population, this
revolt was extended to Madras Karachi and many other places. This
uprising using slogans like ‘Jai Hind’, ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, ‘Long live
Hindu Muslim Unity’, ‘Down with the British Imperialism’, ‘Azad Hind
Fauz Zindabad’, ‘Release all Political prisoners’, ‘Recall the Indian
Army Immediately from Indonesia’ had shaken the British imperialism.
Government had brutally suppressed this revolt killing 250 and putting
thousands of people in jail.
Worli Adivasi
struggle in Maharashtra was organized in 1945 by Communist Party against
outside landlords, forest contractors and moneylenders. Tebagha
movement in North Bengal was also led by Communist party. The communist
youth activists from Calcutta went on to organize the land tenants
demanding the reduction of land rent from 60% to one third. During this
struggles farmers seized the crops. About 20 Santhal Adivasis were
killed in the police firing at Baluru Ghat during this movement.
There was a
significant change in the struggles of 1946-47. The farmers revolt in
the rural areas of Bengal, Kerala and Telagana were led by the farmers
organizations affiliated to Communist Party. Poor and middle class
farmers, land tenants, landless farm laborers and Adivasis had
participated in these movements.
Reasons for the Defeat of these Revolts:
There was no
revolutionary political party with correct political and military line.
Because of this there was no proper objective and independent strategy
and tactics were developed to train the people in class struggle. They
didn’t form a secret party to face the strong enemy. As a result they
couldn’t coordinate the militant struggles in a planned manner.
As all the
sections of masses who took part militantly in these struggles
particularly, workers, peasantry, Adivasi masses, soldiers from Indian
army and navy who were willing to rebel, students, youth and
intellectuals were not armed to build a strong people’s army, these
struggles became victims of brutal suppression. Mao’s teaching the
people can’t have any thing without the people’s army was once again
proved in these revolts.
There was no
proper anti-imperialist united front action program to protect the
people’s unity and isolate the enemy and a joint leadership to lead such
front. People wanted unity in the anti-imperialist struggle but there
was no unity among leadership of Congress, Muslim league and Communist
Party. The disunity, lack of preparedness and the weakness in leading a
national struggle was proved.
In all these revolts Congress and Muslim League parties stood by the British imperialism and extended all the possible help.
Role of Communist Party of India:
Communist Party
of India didn’t take up the responsibility of advanced and independent
and leadership of the Indian national democratic revolution. It didn’t
take up correct political and military line to succeed revolution in
India. It wrongly analysed the different classes in India. It assessed
enemies as allies and trapped into rightism. It recognized the comprador
bourgeoisie as national bourgeoisie and wrongly analysed the class
character of Indian bourgeoisie and adopted class collaboration in place
of class struggle. It couldn’t defeat Gandhism and nonviolence theory
through Marxist class outlook. It couldn’t formulate correct strategy
and tactics for succeeding Indian democratic revolution and couldn’t
select correct revolutionary line which means protracted people’s war.
It couldn’t form a secret revolutionary party, strong revolutionary
people’s army (Red Army) and United Front of all the forces willing to
come forward to fight against a common enemy by creatively applying the
proletariat revolutionary experiences of Russia and China. With this it
worshipped spontaneity, confined to legalist methods and trapped into
economism with a reformist outlook. It under estimated the British
imperialism and left out the independent tasks of a Communist Party. As a
result it couldn’t developed into a strong secret party invincible to
enemy and lead the war. It couldn’t organize farmers, workers, rebel
soldiers and oppressed masses to form a new people’s army (Red Army) to
defeat the modern army of the enemy. Though every revolt was taken into
armed struggle adopting guerrilla tactics they were not intensified and
advanced into mobile and stationary wars. As a result it couldn’t plan
for countering the treacherous attacks of enemy and failed in converting
the potentialities and human resources emerged from the revolts into a
disciplined people’s army.
Because of the
failure in establishing a new united people’s government in places where
the government of the enemy was destroyed through farmers and Adivasi
revolts and failure in completing the task of seizing the political
power area wise, these revolts had faced the enemy’s fascist repression
and the leadership was eliminated. Unable to take up the task of
agrarian revolution of distributing land to poor and landless farmers on
the basis of ‘land to the tiller’ in a planned manner, Communist party
couldn’t coordinate all the revolts with agrarian revolution. As a
result all these revolts were isolated and couldn’t attract the support
of large masses.
For a PDF of Comrade Ganapathy Book visit here :
