The 13 demands placed by the adivasis
on the government.
This article, written by a revolutionary professor in Kolkata, describes the development of the adivasi struggle in Lalgarh, West Bengal, from its inception in late 2008 until the present.
It has detailed analysis of the role of women in the struggle, the spread of the movement in adivasi areas beyond Lalgarh, the development of support in Kolkata and the role of the Maoists in the armed and unarmed people’s resistance.
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“The Maoists are quite likely to be in the thick of things now like in Nandigram, if not at the initial stage; but that should not make one forget that it was a sense of neglect, humiliation and loss of dignity in the minds of the tribal people that started the prairie fire in the face of police brutality. The word ‘Maoist’ has already become the symbol of defiance and resistance against this oppressive system and is looming large on the horizon as a living spectre, haunting the powers-that-be.
“The Lalgarh struggle has begun. It has already entered the second phase. The way people are being mobilised and prepared for the bloody struggle ahead, the setting up of check-posts, formation of village defence units, developmental work initiated by the committee shows that the movement in this phase has definitely assumed an organised character. There is ground to believe that Maoist radical politics has been playing a major, if not the decisive role, in the movement. Needless to say, the Lalgarh movement has added another glorious chapter to the struggle of the long-suffering Indian people. It has immense possibilities. “
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Singur to Lalgarh via Nandigram
Rising Flames of People’s Anger against Displacement, Destitution & State Terror
by Amit Bhattacharyya
After the historic Nandigram struggle, it is now the turn of Lalgarh. If Singur faced the initial experience of defeat, Nandigram could legitimately take pride in her experience of victory in course of her long and bloody struggle against the oppressive anti-people West Bengal government, the ruling CPI (M)-sponsored hermads (goons) and police brutality. From the historical point of view, Nandigram elevated the struggle against displacement and the State-sponsored land-grab designs to a qualitatively higher level. It showed a path that, although rooted in the anti-colonial struggle of the 1940s, was new and had elements from which the struggling people of other regions could learn. And Nandigram had already found a rightful leading place in the history of just struggles in our country.
Revolution in South Asia 