Nepal Maoists: Showing the way to Indian Maoists
Recent steps of Maoists in Nepal have definitely rebelled against their existing dogmas. Going against doctrine, they have proved that they want to go by order of the day and reach the goal finally. The Indian Maoists should take lessons from them.
THE WINING of elections by the Maoists in Nepal is not simply an electoral win. It has set certain examples, which may work as eye-openers to the Maoists, particularly of India.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPNM) led by Pushpa Kumar Dahal allias Prachanda, which had waged war against the Nepal king and set goal to establish people’s republic in the Himalayan state, has proved that politics does not mean only rebellion. Politics also does not mean a shift from ideology and become a ‘yes man’ of the capitalism and corruption.
Politics means something more positive than that. It means using the situations and sequences not merely in tune with the ideal and target of the group or party but honouring the people’s ascent. They perhaps still believe Mao’s historical statement – “Progress is born in chaos. And originality comes from destruction.” The Maoist leaders know that murder, arson, looting and terrorising has its impact but they also know where and when to stop and to decide – what next. Internationally the Maoist organisations are today grouped in Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM) with greater influence in South Asia, notably in Bangladesh, until recently in Nepal and minor existence in Afganistan, Peru and Turkey. The Communist Party of the Philippines, not grouped in RIM, leads an armed struggle inside the Philipines through its military wing, the New People’s Army.
In Peru, several columns of the Communist Party of Peru are fighting a sporadic war. Since the capture of their leadership, Gonzalo, the chairman the PCP no longer has any initiative in the fight. Several different political positions are supported by the leadership of the PCP.
In Germany, the ICMLPO-affiliated Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands (MLPD) is the largest Marxist group in the country, though unambiguous in nature. After the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and the resulting power-struggles in China, the mother land of Maoist ideology and movement, the international Maoist movement got divided into three camps. One group composed of varied ideologically non-aligned organisations, supported the new Chinese leadership under Deng Xiaoping. Another camp denounced the new leadership as traitors to the cause of Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought. The third camp sided with the Albanians in denouncing the Three Worlds Theory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The new Chinese leadership hardly showed any interest in the foreign groups extending support to Mao’s China. The foreign fraternal parties, aligned with the Chinese government before 1975 either disbanded and abandoned the new Chinese government or even renounced Marxism-Leninism to shift to non-communist, social democratic parties. The ’international Maoist movement’ today is evolved out of the second camp which is comprised of the parties that opposed Deng and claimed to uphold the legacy of Mao.
Part II In this context, in India, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has been fighting a protracted war. The Maoists group in India popularly known as Naxals originated from peasant uprising in 1967 and later broken into 18 groups. Two years back two fractions of Maoists group, the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Center (MCC), notorious for its macabre killings, merged together and came to be kbown as Communist Party of India (Maoist).
According to the official documents, “The immediate aim and programme of the Maoist party is to carry on and complete the already ongoing and advancing New Democratic Revolution in India as a part of the world proletarian revolution by overthrowing the semi-colonial, semi-feudal system under the neo-colonial form of indirect rule, exploitation and control. This revolution will be carried out and completed through armed agrarian revolutionary war, ie protracted people’s war with the armed seizure of power remaining as its central and principal task, encircling the cities from the countryside and thereby finally capturing them. Hence the countryside as well as the protracted people’s war will remain as the ’center of gravity’ of the party’s work, while urban work will be complimentary to it.”
After the merger, the outfit has expanded its range of operations to a vast area of India and have been listed by the Prime Minister as the ’greatest internal security threat’ to the Indian republic. The outfit, according to current estimates, is active in 156 districts of 13 states that include Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. It is making attempts to expand its presence in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The MCC’s current areas of influence extend over Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal with some sway in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh. The PWG’s areas of dominance include Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
CPI-Maoist is now can termed as a pan-Indian revolutionary group, and brings the Maoists closer to their objective of ’liberating’ their proposed Compact Revolutionary Zone (CRZ), extending from Nepal through Bihar in the North to Dandakaranya region and Andhra Pradesh in the south. The intention is to have a continuous stretch of territory under their influence and control, with the ultimate goal of eventually liberating the entire zone. Once achieved, the CRZ will virtually drive a wedge through the vital areas of the country, and would help crystallize linkages with other Maoist groups operating in South Asia, including the Communist Party of Bhutan-Maoist (CPB-M).
The question is whether the goal for a New Democratic Revolution set by Indian Maoists is at all possible in the context of the phase the Maoist movement internationally is passing through?
Part III The developments in Nepal is a breakthrough. The Maoists in Nepal had stepped ahead to root out the feudal rule by waging war and killing 13000 persons on different operations. But ultimate goal was reached by democratic process – by accepting people’s mandate by ballot which they discarded for years.
The Nepal Maoists have also accepted that for development and progress, they have no option but to invite the capitalists because power of investment lies with them. Even if they intend to develop labour-intensive industry where people will have extensive participation, they need capital.
The Maoists in Nepal have understood the truth that despite being China’s protagonists, they are to maintain good relations with India because India has been Nepal’s protector and still is. So they need to adhere by a foreign policy where keeping up the old image of a terror and maintaining relations with the Indian Maoists will be impossible.
The revelation did not come overnight. It is the outcome of long drawn process of movement – a movement that spreads along more within the people’s heart than along the landscape. Half of the elections were won by them when they could convince other political parties to nominate candidates at a fixed percentage from each caste and tribe and the women. They could reach the people closely whom they have been able to convince why the feudalism should be outrooted and why people’s republic is a need. They captured almost all the areas in Nepal either by terror or by strategy and maintained human relations with the locals.
Indian Maoists are handicapped here. They have spread over the map and landscape in India but failed to gain deep routed influence among the major percentage of people in the states they are operating. They do not know that political tactics that can help win a difficult terrain. They are very powerful to kill panchayat leaders at night and creating terror in the localities. They have inroads along the jungle stream and not with the mainstream of life. Their goal is fixed but their path is coagulated.
Mao Zedong had said, “Marxism consists of thousands of truths, but they all boil down to one: It’s right to rebel against reactionaries.” To Indian Maoists, reactioneries are the lowermost leaders of CPI(M) at the extreme rural localities, police and not the black marketeers. They think police and panchayat leaders are the class enemies and kill them brutally. They have contacts in towns – a section of intellectuals and educated community. But they are not as committed as they are emotionally involved temporarily.
Nepal Maoists will have to cross a long route to reach their final target and there are many ifs and buts. But one must admit that they have taught the world Maoists to dream and row the seed of dream among the people to establish a republic by uprooting a feudal system.
The Indian Maoists have at least to learn from them how to dream and how to make the people dream of a new society.
In Peru, several columns of the Communist Party of Peru are fighting a sporadic war. Since the capture of their leadership, Gonzalo, the chairman the PCP no longer has any initiative in the fight. Several different political positions are supported by the leadership of the PCP.
In Germany, the ICMLPO-affiliated Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands (MLPD) is the largest Marxist group in the country, though unambiguous in nature. After the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and the resulting power-struggles in China, the mother land of Maoist ideology and movement, the international Maoist movement got divided into three camps. One group composed of varied ideologically non-aligned organisations, supported the new Chinese leadership under Deng Xiaoping. Another camp denounced the new leadership as traitors to the cause of Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought. The third camp sided with the Albanians in denouncing the Three Worlds Theory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The new Chinese leadership hardly showed any interest in the foreign groups extending support to Mao’s China. The foreign fraternal parties, aligned with the Chinese government before 1975 either disbanded and abandoned the new Chinese government or even renounced Marxism-Leninism to shift to non-communist, social democratic parties. The ’international Maoist movement’ today is evolved out of the second camp which is comprised of the parties that opposed Deng and claimed to uphold the legacy of Mao.
Part II In this context, in India, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has been fighting a protracted war. The Maoists group in India popularly known as Naxals originated from peasant uprising in 1967 and later broken into 18 groups. Two years back two fractions of Maoists group, the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Center (MCC), notorious for its macabre killings, merged together and came to be kbown as Communist Party of India (Maoist).
According to the official documents, “The immediate aim and programme of the Maoist party is to carry on and complete the already ongoing and advancing New Democratic Revolution in India as a part of the world proletarian revolution by overthrowing the semi-colonial, semi-feudal system under the neo-colonial form of indirect rule, exploitation and control. This revolution will be carried out and completed through armed agrarian revolutionary war, ie protracted people’s war with the armed seizure of power remaining as its central and principal task, encircling the cities from the countryside and thereby finally capturing them. Hence the countryside as well as the protracted people’s war will remain as the ’center of gravity’ of the party’s work, while urban work will be complimentary to it.”
After the merger, the outfit has expanded its range of operations to a vast area of India and have been listed by the Prime Minister as the ’greatest internal security threat’ to the Indian republic. The outfit, according to current estimates, is active in 156 districts of 13 states that include Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. It is making attempts to expand its presence in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The MCC’s current areas of influence extend over Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal with some sway in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh. The PWG’s areas of dominance include Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
CPI-Maoist is now can termed as a pan-Indian revolutionary group, and brings the Maoists closer to their objective of ’liberating’ their proposed Compact Revolutionary Zone (CRZ), extending from Nepal through Bihar in the North to Dandakaranya region and Andhra Pradesh in the south. The intention is to have a continuous stretch of territory under their influence and control, with the ultimate goal of eventually liberating the entire zone. Once achieved, the CRZ will virtually drive a wedge through the vital areas of the country, and would help crystallize linkages with other Maoist groups operating in South Asia, including the Communist Party of Bhutan-Maoist (CPB-M).
The question is whether the goal for a New Democratic Revolution set by Indian Maoists is at all possible in the context of the phase the Maoist movement internationally is passing through?
Part III The developments in Nepal is a breakthrough. The Maoists in Nepal had stepped ahead to root out the feudal rule by waging war and killing 13000 persons on different operations. But ultimate goal was reached by democratic process – by accepting people’s mandate by ballot which they discarded for years.
The Nepal Maoists have also accepted that for development and progress, they have no option but to invite the capitalists because power of investment lies with them. Even if they intend to develop labour-intensive industry where people will have extensive participation, they need capital.
The Maoists in Nepal have understood the truth that despite being China’s protagonists, they are to maintain good relations with India because India has been Nepal’s protector and still is. So they need to adhere by a foreign policy where keeping up the old image of a terror and maintaining relations with the Indian Maoists will be impossible.
The revelation did not come overnight. It is the outcome of long drawn process of movement – a movement that spreads along more within the people’s heart than along the landscape. Half of the elections were won by them when they could convince other political parties to nominate candidates at a fixed percentage from each caste and tribe and the women. They could reach the people closely whom they have been able to convince why the feudalism should be outrooted and why people’s republic is a need. They captured almost all the areas in Nepal either by terror or by strategy and maintained human relations with the locals.
Indian Maoists are handicapped here. They have spread over the map and landscape in India but failed to gain deep routed influence among the major percentage of people in the states they are operating. They do not know that political tactics that can help win a difficult terrain. They are very powerful to kill panchayat leaders at night and creating terror in the localities. They have inroads along the jungle stream and not with the mainstream of life. Their goal is fixed but their path is coagulated.
Mao Zedong had said, “Marxism consists of thousands of truths, but they all boil down to one: It’s right to rebel against reactionaries.” To Indian Maoists, reactioneries are the lowermost leaders of CPI(M) at the extreme rural localities, police and not the black marketeers. They think police and panchayat leaders are the class enemies and kill them brutally. They have contacts in towns – a section of intellectuals and educated community. But they are not as committed as they are emotionally involved temporarily.
Nepal Maoists will have to cross a long route to reach their final target and there are many ifs and buts. But one must admit that they have taught the world Maoists to dream and row the seed of dream among the people to establish a republic by uprooting a feudal system.
The Indian Maoists have at least to learn from them how to dream and how to make the people dream of a new society.
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