Nepal: Final Preparations for People’s Revolt?

This news comes from MSN India, and comes after other reports of revolutionary preparations in Nepal. If the development of the new constitution is stalled or blocked by reactionary forces, it may lead to confrontation with the Maoist revolutionaries. The Revolution in South Asia team will monitor events and will post news as it arrives.

“He said all factories, industries and hotels across the country will be turned into barracks to ensure the success of the people”s revolt the party is planning to launch. Those who believe that the Maoists will not wage any people”s revolt and think that it is just a bluff will soon get a rude shock, he warned.”

Prachanda calls for ”final preparations” for people’s revolt

Shirish B. Pradhan

Kathmandu, Feb 27 (PTI) Maoists supremo Prachanda today called on his cadres to make “final preparations” for a people”s revolt, amid a power struggle to take control of key ministry of Nepal”s new communist government.

Prachanda, the chairman of Unified CPN (Maoist), called upon all factory workers affiliated to the Maoist party to make “final preparations” for launching the people”s revolt.

He said all factories, industries and hotels across the country will be turned into barracks to ensure the success of the people”s revolt the party is planning to launch.

Those who believe that the Maoists will not wage any people”s revolt and think that it is just a bluff will soon get a rude shock, he warned.

Hearts on Fire: Arundhati Roy on the Women Rebels of India

A comrade

The support of women has been essential to the continued strength of India’s CPI(Maoist). The following excerpts from Arundhati Roy’s groundbreaking piece of literary journalism, Walking with the Comrades, describe the role of women in the formation of the party and also provide a  glimpse into the lives of female party members and some of the state-sponsored repression they face.
Excerpts from Arundhati Roy

Jungle post arrives. There’s a biscuit for me! It’s from Comrade Venu. On a tiny piece of paper, folded and refolded, he has written down the lyrics of a song he promised he would send me. Comrade Narmada smiles when she reads them. She knows this story. It goes back to the ’80s, around the time when people first began to trust the party and come to it with their problems—their ‘inner contradictions’, as Comrade Venu put it. Women were among the first to come. One evening an old lady sitting by the fire got up and sang a song for the dada log. She was a Maadiya, among whom it was customary for women to remove their blouses and remain bare-breasted after they were married.

Jumper polo intor Dada, Dakoniley
Taane tasom intor Dada, Dakoniley
Bata papam kittom Dada, Dakoniley
Duniya kadile maata Dada, Dakoniley

(They say we cannot keep our
blouses, Dada, Dakoniley
They make us take them off, Dada,
In what way have we sinned, Dada,
The world’s changed, has it not Dada)