Against Khammam Firing and Nandigram

Nandigram, Khammam and CPI(M)'s Double Standards

Khammam – 8 peasants struggling for land killed in police firing

Response of Congress Government of AP:

• Firing ‘unfortunate’;
• Judicial enquiry underway;
• Blames ‘naxalite’ participation in rally and ‘provocation by the protestors’
• Chief Minister need not resign

Nandigram: 14 peasants struggling for land killed in firing by police and CPI(M) cadres

Response of CPI(M) Government of W Bengal:

• Firing ‘unfortunate’;
• Judicial enquiry underway;
• Blames ‘naxalite’ participation in protest and ‘provocation by the protestors’
• Chief Minister need not resign

The massacre of peasants at Nandigram on March 14 had evoked an explosion of outrage among the Left intelligentsia. Many intellectuals broke ranks with the CPI(M) after Nandigram, choosing to side with the valiant struggle of the Nandirgam peasantry. Intellectuals close to the CPI(M), however, had issued a statement that had expressed pain and anguish at the incident while continuing to assert faith in the progressive intentions and democratic credentials of the CPI(M)-led LF Government in West Bengal. Many of these intellectuals , supporters of CPI(M), are teachers at JNU - like Prof. Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, Jayati Ghosh and others.

Of course, this statement, while expressing pain at the loss of life and injuries of the Nandigram victims, had stopped short of expressing solidarity with the Nandigram peasants’ struggle to defend their land. One can’t but help contrasting this with the excellent statement signed by many of the selfsame intellectuals in the wake of the Khammam firing. That statement unstintedly expresses “our total solidarity with the mass upsurge of the poor for land”. Is a mass upsurge of peasantry for land to be recognised as such only when led by one's own party?

But what is to be appreciated is that these intellectuals loyal to the CPI(M), in their statement on Nandigram, had been confident that the CPI(M)-led Government of West Bengal genuinely regretted the firing and was committed to ensuring justice for the victims.

Their statement declared that “nobody belonging to the Left would ever justify repressive action against peasants and workers who are the basic classes of the Left”, had termed the “tragedy at Nandigram” to be “an entirely unanticipated, unjustified and unfortunate turn of events”, and had confidently claimed that “the state government has committed itself to recompensing the families of the victims”. In view of the state government’s efforts, these supporters of CPI(M) had then appealed for some closure so as “not to let the wounds of Nandigram become festering sores.”

Has the CPI(M) lived up to this confidence reposed in it by its own loyalists?

Consider the following statements made by senior CPI(M) leaders following the Khammam firing:

“At Khamman, the situation had not warranted police firing…Only some brickbats had been thrown. But, at Nandigram, the police were forced to open fire” – CPI(M) PB Member and former WB Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, Hindu, July 31

“The CPI-M is not at all ashamed of the Nandigram incident and the question of giving compensation to families of those killed in police firing on 14 March or taking action against police officials doesn’t arise… At the best we can offer some pity.” - CPI-M Central Committee member Benoy Konar (Statesman July 31) (emphasis ours)

“(At Nandigram) it was a revolt against the state and an elected government’s authority. In Andhra, we did not wage any armed struggle against the government, but launched a people’s movement asking it to fulfil its electoral promise of land reforms.” – Konar, Telegraph, July 31

Is the Nandigram firing really “unjustified” according to the CPI(M)? Clearly not. The CPI(M), in fact, is belying the confidence of its supporters that “nobody on the Left would ever justify” police firing of workers and peasants. In exactly the same manner as AP Chief Minister YSR and the Congress are justifying the Khammam firing by claiming ‘provocation’ and ‘violence’ by ‘Naxalites’, CPI(M)’s topmost leaders (including the veteran Jyoti Basu) continue to claim that the police firing at Nandigram was required, necessary.

Is the CPI(M)-led Government accepting the responsibility for compensation to those who lost loved ones, livelihoods (being unable to work due to severe and debilitating injuries including widespread loss of eyesight), and homes as a result of the repression? Far from it, CPI(M) leaders are saying that the question of paying compensation or punishing even police officials does not arise. To add insult to injury, they have the temerity to “at best” offer a grudging “pity”.

Comrade Basu and Konar, weren’t the martyrs of Nandigram also CPI(M) cadres, comrades of the Khammam martyrs, until the threat of land grab by the CPI(M) Government? Weren’t the peasants of Nandigram inspired by the legacy of the Left-led Tebhaga movement just as those at Khammam were inspired by the legacy of the Left-led Telengana movement? At Khammam peasants were asking the Government to implement land reforms; at Nandigram, they were demanding that the Government keep its promise of ‘land to the tiller’, and stop handing over poor peasants’ lands to corporate houses.

Isn’t CPI(M)’s crude and callous justification of the Nandigram firing an insult –not just to the martyrs of Nandigram – but also to the martyrs of Khammam, and to the expectations of its own most loyal supporters among the intellectuals?

For a discussion of the deep discomfort of CPI(M) intellectuals over Nandigram, and CPI(M)’s own total refusal to address their concerns, see http://sanhati.com/front-page/304/

30 July Leaflet

[kEee gks ;k uanhxzke! ugha #dsxk tu laxzke!!

lkfFk;ks] vkU/kz izns'k dh ,d NksVh lh txg [kEee vkt vpkud ls jk"Vªh; ppkZ dk fo"k; cu xbZ gSA [kEee fdlkuksa ds [kwu ls lq[kZ: gksdj vkt mlh rjg gekjs lkeus lokfy;k fu'kku dh rjg [kM+k gS tSls dqN fnu igys if'pe caxky dk uanhxzke vkSj mlls Hkh dqN fnu igys mM+hlk dk dfyaxuxj gekjs lkeus vk;k FkkA vkf[kj D;k Fkk bu fdlkuksa ds gksus esa fd ljdkj }kjk mUgsa ekj fn;k tkuk t:jh le>k x;k\ njvly ;s fdlku ckxh gks x, Fks] dkuwu&O;oLFkk ds fy, [krjk Fks] blfy, budk ekjk tkuk t:jh Fkk] ,slk ljdkjksa dk er gSA ysfdu blds f[kykQ ,d nwljk er Hkh gS ftlds fglkc ls bu lkjh NksVh&NksVh txgksa ds fdlkuksa us 'kgknr nsdj viuh uhykeh ds f[kykQ cxkor dk >aMk cqyan fd;k gSA

[kEee esa 8 fdlkuksa dh iqfyl Qk;fjax esa gR;k gqbZA vka/kz dh dkaxzsl ds usr`Ro okyh jsM~Mh ljdkj tc Hkwfelq/kkj ds vius pqukoh okns ls eqdj xbZ rc reke okeiaFkh ikfVZ;ksa us Hkwfelq/kkj dh ekax ds lkFk vkanksyu dh 'kq#vkr dhA eghuksa yacs vkanksyu ds ckn ftl rjg ls iqfyl us can ds nkSjku fdlkuksa ij Qk;fjax dh og vktdy ,d QS'ku cu x;k gSA

[kEee % okeiaFkh ,drk dh felky cuke voljokn

[kEee us okeiaFk dh ,drk dh ,dne Bksl vkSj lVhd felky dk;e dh gSA reke okeiaFkh drkjsa vius jktuhfrd erHksnksa ds ckotwn ,dtqV gksdj lM+dksa ij la?k"kZ dj jgh gSaA ;g ,drk la?k"kksZa ds nkSjku fufeZr gqbZ gS u fd pqukoksa ds nkSjku lhVksa ds xBtksM+ vkSj ljdkjsa cukus ds tksM+rksM+ ds xf.kr ds fy,A ;g [kEee ds 'kghnksa ds lEeku esa csgn t:jh Fkk fd bl tulagkj ds f[kykQ iwjs ns'k esa py jgs izfrokn vkanksyu esa la?k"kksZa dh ,drk dks dk;e j[kk tkrk ysfdu ljdkjh okeiaFk] tks vius flj ij uanhxzke ds fdlkuksa dh gR;k dk ftEek fy, ?kwe jgk gS mls Mj Fkk fd og dSls vius gh yksxksa dks bl ckr dks le>k,xk fd uanhxzke dk tulagkj tk;t Fkk vkSj [kEee dk tulagkj xyr gSA blh Hk; ls lhihvkbZ ¼,e½ [kEee tulagkj ds fo#) la;qDr vkanksyu ls Hkkx [kM+k gqvkA vkt buds ikl jkt'ks[kj jsM~Mh dh bl ckr dk dksbZ tokc ugha gS fd geus ogh fd;k tks okeiaFkh ljdkj if'pe caxky esa dj jgh gSA

[kEee esa 'kghn gq, fdlkuksa esa ls dbZ lhihvkbZ¼,e½ ls tqM+s gq, FksA uanhxzke esa ekjs x, fdlku lkyksa lky ls lhihvkbZ¼,e½ ds dk;ZdrkZ FksA ,dtxg dkaxzsl ljdkj us mudh gR;k dh rks nwljh txg lhihvkbZ¼,e½ ljdkj usA ,l-,Q-vkbZ- us Nk=ksa dks xqejkg djus ds fy, iksLVj fudkyk fd gfYn;k E;qfufliy dkjiksjs'ku esa lhihvkbZ¼,e½ thr xbZ ysfdu mUgksaus ;g ugha crkuk t:jh le>k fd iwjs xzkeh.k fgLls esa gkjdj lhihvkbZ¼,e½ igys dh viuh 26 lhVksa esa ls egt+ 16 lhVsa cpk ikbZA os ckj&ckj pkgsaxs fd ge Hkwy tk,a rkilh efyd ds cykRdkfj;ksa vkSj gR;kjksa dks] ge Hkwy tk,a uanhxzke vkSj [kEee esa fdlkuksa dh gR;k djus okyksa dks ysfdu gesa [kEee vkSj uanhxzke dh yM+kbZ dks gkjus ugha nsuk gS D;ksafd & ^lM+dksa dh tqcka fpYykrh gS] lkxj ds fdukjs iwNrs gSa! ;s fdldk ygw gS dkSu ejk\*

uDlyokn dk Hkwr vkSj fdlku vkanksyu

dfyaxuxj esa 14 vkfnokfl;ksa dh gR;k ds ckn eq[;ea=h uohu iVukd us dgk & ^^uDlyh-----------**

uanhxzke esa tulagkj ds ckn eq[;ea=h cq)nso HkV~Vkpk;Z us dgk ^^uDlfy;ksa us iqfyl ij geyk fd;k blfy, ------------

jktLFkku dh eq[;ea=h olqa/kjk jkts us fctyh ikuh ds fy, vkanksyu dj jgs fdlkuksa ij Qk;fjax ds ckn dgk & ^^uDlyh-----------------**

[kEee esa fdlkuksa dh gR;k ds ckn eq[;ea=h jkt'ks[kj jsM~Mh us dgk & ^^uDlyh-------------**

xkSjryc ;g gS fd ;s pkjksa eq[;ea=h vyx&vyx vkSj yxHkx fojks/kh ikfVZ;ksa ds gSa ysfdu lcds gkFk fdlkuksa ds [kwu esa Mwcs gq, gSa vkSj lcdh Hkk"kk ,d gh gSA vkf[kj uDlyokn dk Hkwr lcdks bl rjg Mjs gq, D;ksa gS\ ,d ckj vMok.kh us dgk Fkk fd ^^uDlyokn Hkkjrh; jk"Vªokn dk nq%LoIu gS** vkt ;g ns[kk tkuk pkfg, fd vMok.kh ds jk"Vªokn dk nq'eu uDlyokn dSls lcds jk"Vªokn dk nq'eu cu x;k gSA lpckr rks ;g gS fd vMok.kh ls ysdj cq)nso vkSj jsM~Mh rd lcdk ,d gh jk"Vªokn gS og gS VkVk] vackuh] ftany] feŸky] lyse vkSj ikLdks dk jk"Vª