I QUIT NAXALISM
SARASIJ MAJUMDER
At its peak, NAXALBARI MOVEMENT spread in the whole of West Bengal, Eastern & Southern East of Bihar (Jharkhand was part of Bihar), and North of Orissa, including hilly areas. It was spreading to South-Eastern M.P. (Undivided).
Mr. S.S.Roy became C.M. of West Bengal on March 20, 1972, and got active to eliminate Naxalism from West Bengal, and had full support from the then P.M. Runu Guha Niyogi, in-charge of Anti-Naxalite Cell, was known as the “tormentor of Naxals,” spearheaded aggressive counter-insurgency operations. He was accused of orchestrating numerous fake encounters, extrajudicial killings, and routine custodial torture.
CRPF, BSF, and Calcutta Police were at the throat of NAXALITES in West Bengal. Some Lumpens, appointed as police informers got inside the party, and sharing whereabouts of COMRADES to Police.
I was working as a Structural Engineer in Architects Collaborated. I faced TRIAL at a ‘GANA ADALAT’ in the mid of night at a desolate jungle in Rajarhat, where I was charged of ‘REVISIONISM’ by my school mate, and Comrade Manik Islam. My local Mentor Ajayda (from Jessop-then under Lock-Up) and Comrade Dilip Biswas defended me very strongly, and I was acquitted, but was advised to nurse DOMJUR unit, as and when I get time, and support a family of a deceased local Comrade. I posted in detail on this before—and mentioned here only because from this night, my mental dissociations started with the Party, albeit unconsciously.
In the international stage, United States, the eternal enemy of Soviet and Chinese socialism, accepted hand of ‘Friendship’ extended by CHINA.
On 21 February 1972, when US President Richard Nixon visited Beijing, he held hands of Chairman Mao-Tse- Tung. In a way, China tacitly surrendered to Capitalism. USSR did it before during Khrushchev era. Not a chapter, altogether a new book was being written by two COMMUNIST BEHEMOTHS.
To the Naxalites in India, Chairman Mao was a “Living Deity”. Suddenly they saw his ‘Feet of Clay’!! That was the beginning of changing the history of Naxal Movement in India.
On that day, sitting in a secret den, listening to the Peking News (broadcasted in English) on the radio, Comrade Charu Majumdar, the PRIME LEADER of the Naxal movement, suffered great mental trauma, agony and despair. He was already under criticism from other Senior Party Leaders for obstinate tactical mistakes which caused loss of lives of many Comrades.
“CHAIRMAN OF CHINA REMAINED NO MORE HIS CHAIRMAN”!!! However—I never accepted that slogan.
* Ideological Emptiness* – After this incident, Charu Majumdar was so broken that he started thinking – all these days of political struggles, faith and teachings given to the followers seem to have become meaningless.
He was arrested in 16th July 1972 in Calcutta, while sleeping in the night at a supposedly safe Residential Flat at Entally, and died on July 28, 1972 (at around 4:00 AM) in the lock-up. He had several co-morbidities, but still the death was suspected unnatural by ‘Conspiracy Theorists’!
It was a big shock to the comrades of the party.
I started thinking—if USSR and CHINA have to accept ‘CAPITALIST’ USA as friend, and Uncle HO already propagated the theory of ‘GOOD KING, & BAD KING’ in Vietnam, then ‘CLASS STRUGGLE’ is an empty word! Class Collaboration, Class Co-Operation & Co-Existence Only Matters!
I was already against the politics of breaking the idols of Ram Mohan, Vidyasagar, Tagore etc; as well as slaughtering Police, and Traders like a ‘DECCOIT’-and these were known to my leaders, and comrades. I had open debates with them. This resulted my ‘Trial in Gana-Adalat’!
I understood that how lucky I am to survive that fateful night and writing this BLOG!
In 1973, 23rd April I joined Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP ) as an Engineer, and inducted to COKE OVEN REFRACTORY MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT of Iron, and Steel Zone. Here I came in close contact with Industrial workers, & Trade Unions. Saw the conflict between Trade Unions, and Management which was hurting production, and future of this Plant. DSP then had employed 35,000 workers and 3,000 officers most of which were Engineers. Steel Plant was losing money, because of incessant strikes, continued sometimes even for 72 hours! We had to live in Plant, work in alternate shifts along with limited workers who didn’t join the STRIKE.
Here also was very bitter ‘Rivalry’—if ‘CITU’ called strike, ‘INTUC’ will strictly advice its obedient work force to work, and vice-versa. I saw— ‘PROLETARIETS’ are also divided according to Political Party line they belong to, fought bitterly amongst themselves, and killed each other!
As a Shift-in-Charge—I had, many times, issued ‘Charge Sheets leading to Suspension’ of many workers, mostly belonging to ‘CITU’ but in spite of this, I had very cordial relationship with all Trade Union Leaders of the Plant including CITU. Only once one Mr. Sanjay Dasgupta threatened to kill me. He was a leader of CPI(ML)! And his elder brother Mrityunjoy Dasgupta—also a rogue—worked under me, but I tamed him.
Slowly, but surely—I replaced Marxist Doctrine from my mind as my political Philosophy and replaced it by ‘Nationalism- with free Capitalism’.
Soon Mrs. Gandhi lifted ‘EMERGENCY’ and India went to election. I cast my vote accordingly in a sealed envelope, as I had to function as a Presiding Officer at a Polling Booth, Gopal Moth village, Durgapur.
I am grateful to Mr. Amit Shah for eliminating the menace of MAO-BAD from India. CPI(M) eventually got eliminated from Bengal, but TMC became a bigger problem, but BJP ultimately took care of it.
Jai Hind! Jay Sri Ram!
OTHER PARTS:
- I started my Political Journey—1965
- I embraced NAXALISM— 1968
