Nepal: UCPN adopts new party formation

This article was published on eKantipur.com.

Maoist CC: Dahal’s political document passed, multi-post system adopted

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, July 30 – Following weeks of deliberations, the Unified CPN (Maoist) Central Committee (CC) Thursday endorsed the political document tabled by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal some two weeks ago.

The CC meeting held at the party headquarters in the capital endorsed the document today.

Chairman Dahal had furnished answers to the queries raised by the CC members a couple of days ago at the CC meeting.

According to Maoist CC member Devendra Poudel, the meeting also endorsed the statute amendment proposal.

With today’s endorsement, formation of national consensus government for constitution drafting and the conclusion of peace process as mentioned by Dahal in his document have been adopted by the Maoists as their immediate strategy.

Nepal: No other option than third people’s uprising

After the 2008 constituent assembly elections the United Communist Party of Nepal (formerly the Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist) became the largest elected body in Nepal’s transitional government. In May of 2009, the UCPN decided to sack the Chief of Army Staff General Katawal due to his refusal to follow orders on multiple occasions. Hours after the decision he was reinstated by the ceremonial President, causing the UCPN to withdraw completely from the government. Over the past two months the UCPN has been engaged in intense debate over what their next steps are to be, and whether to include a “people’s revolt” in those next steps. This appears to be the first time Pushpa Dahal (Prachanda), the party chairman, has stepped out publicly in favor of this option (assuming this report has fairly characterized his position).

This article was published on Telegraph Nepal. Thanks to Ka Frank for pointing it out.

Nepal Maoists determined for waging final Peoples’ Revolt

TGW

The Unified Nepal Communist Party-Maoist is preparing to lead a new peoples’ revolt.

The Maoists party has also decided to warm up the Streets and the Constituent Assembly body together in order to guarantee Peoples’ Supremacy and forcing the President to retract from his unconstitutional move that he took on May 3, 2009.

The Maoists party has also concluded that to achieve the set objectives, unity among the Nationalists, Republicans, Forward-looking and Communists was urgent and significant.

Responding to queries posed by party central committee members, Wednesday July 29, 2009, a pretty annoyed looking party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal also said that there was no option left with the Maoists than taking on to the path to what he called “Third People’s Uprising”.

Nepal: YCL strike called against killing of Nepali comrade

This article was posted on eKantipur.com.

YCL halts transportation for an hour nationwide

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, July 28 – Unified CPN (Maoist) affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) called a nationwide transport strike on Tuesday against the killing of its cadre.

They called an hour-long strike from 10 am protesting against the killing of central member Laxman Yadav.

Although traffic movement has resumed nationwide, vehicles have not plied the roads in Lalitpur due to the obstruction by the YCL at Kupondole, the traffic police said.

The YCL had also organised a torch rally in the capital yesterday to protest the murder.

Video: Nepali Dalit Music

(thanks to KJ for the suggestion)

This video was accompanied by the following explanation:

“The concept of caste has existed in South Asia for millennia. Though this socio-religious hierarchy had originated as a method of “division of labor”, it has, in the modern age, served as a means of subjugation and disempowerment — especially for the lowest strata in the caste system, the Dalit.

India: No one can save the social fascists in Junglemahal

This article was published in The Statesman.

Top Maoist warns CPM in open letter to CM

KOLKATA, 25 JULY: In a recent open letter to chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee top Maoist leader Mr Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji has threatened that none can “save” the state’s ruling party in Junglemahal ”even if the Centre sends its entire armed force to Lalgarh.’’

He said their battle against the CPI-M will continue till the state government tenders “unconditional apology” for the excesses committed by its armed force on the people of Junglemahal “on the plea of wiping out Maoists” and withdraws joint forces. Kishanji, originally a resident of Andhra Pradesh, is wanted in Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh for waging a war against the state. He is said to be the mastermind behind recent killings of CPI-M leaders in Lalgarh. His letter stated that there was no “let off” in the war against oppression. No one can save the “social fascist CPI-M” in Junglemahal even if the Centre mobilises its entire armed force in Lalgarh, Kishanji threatened. The only way to resolve the Lalgarh crisis is to withdraw force and stop torture on the tribal people, the letter, the first of its kind after the CPI (Maoist) was banned by the Centre, stated.

India: Maoists Release Cops, Gov’t Unleashes Anti-Maoist Manhunt

This article was published on The Hindu.

Maoists free policeman; security to be stepped up

Staff Reporter

Security personnel getting ready for a joint operation against Maoists in Purulia, West Bengal, on Saturday.

Kolkata: Belying fears, Maoists on Saturday released the policeman they abducted on Friday evening at Pirrakhuli, 14 km from Lalgarh in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district. .

In a press statement issued later, Maoist leader Bikash stated that “the policeman was released following discussions with local people, media and intellectuals.”

An assistant sub-inspector at the Debra police station, Dipak Pramanik was released early on Saturday inside the dense Lakshmanpur forest, from where he had to walk four kilometres before reaching the metal road. He finally took a bus home.

Published: Selected Works of Jose Maria Sison

(thanks to the Marxist Leninist)

“Prof. Sison has pride of place in the Philippine democratic and revolutionary movements, as founding chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines, as chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines on peace negotiations, and as chair of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle. He is a highly regarded commentator not only on Philippine affairs but also on international affairs, from the perspective of the oppressed people and nations of the world.”

Book review of Volume 1

Book review of Volume 2

Nepal’s Reactionary Koirala: Army and Maoist Forces Must Not Merge

Koirala of the Nepali Congress Party

This article was published on Web India.

Maoists to be rehabilitated into society not army: Koirala
Kathmandu
Sunday, Jul 19 2009 IST

Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala has said the ex-combatants of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army will not be integrated into the Nepal Army but they should all be rehabilitated into the society.

”Nowhere in the Comprehensive Peace Accord is there written that the Maoist combatants should be integrated into the Nepal Army,” nepalnews quoted Mr Koirala as saying in his home town Biratnagar before leaving for here. ”The behaviour of the Maoist combatants will be corrected and then they will be rehabilitated into the society,” he said. Maoists want to integrate about 20,000 of their former fighters who are living in various UN monitored camps, into the Nepal army.

India Election: Disgust for Politicians and So-Called Democracy

This article was published in People’s Truth bulletin #6.

‘Elections’ Show Disgust for the Bourgeoisie Politicians and the so-called Democracy

As the third phase of polling gets over the main news is the lack of interest in voting and the disgust displayed by the masses for the political system. In Mumbai as much as 59% stayed away from voting. In UP barely 45% voted. In Kashmir the voter turnout was a mere 20%. In the earlier phases the voter turnout was not much different. In the first phase which was held in most of the naxalite areas the boycott of the elections by the Maoists made major news and was even more widely covered than the elections itself. Not only the people in the Maoist area but reports came in from almost all corners of the country of people of whole areas boycotting the polls over their local demands or going to the booth and registering their non-voting. Not even all the lure of money, muscle power, caste and religious equations could get people to the ballot box. The high percentages polling shown to have taken place in some Maoist areas were due to pre-planned rigging. In Mumbai, slum-dwellers reported that the one month before the elections was a boon for them – Rs.100 to attend a political rally, Rs.100 a day to sit at a pandal, Rs.500 to oversee an election booth, etc. Never can ordinary slum-dweller earn so much, yet Dharavi (reportedly the biggest slum in Asia) recorded barely 38% voting.
What was astounding was that such a low voter turnout happened in spite of a massive propaganda blitz calling on people to vote. Such a high profile campaign was never conducted on this scale roping in NGOs, business houses, media barons, film stars and cricketers. In fact on the date of the third round of voting the Times of India and other leading daily carried a front page letter by the editor in bold to call on the people to vote. Also on voting day the parties provided free auto rides and numerous other incentives to vote for them. Even religious bodies, especially of the minorities were roped in to issue edicts to their followers to vote. The Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa directing the Muslims to vote and apex bodies of various Christian churches also called upon their followers to vote. Yet in spite of all this there was a miserable turn-out.

Parvati: On the Current Tactics of Nepal’s Revolution

This site has closely covered the different views and debates within the ranks of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

Hisila gave this interview to journalist AMRITA NANDY-JOSHI. The piece was posted on  Democracy and Class Struggle, and first appeared in India’s Tehelka Magazine.

“There are some who do not agree with our struggle within the parliamentary framework… We have given up violence for the time being…. If the peace process is long, some cadres may leave us. Some of them have joined the Terai movement. Even within our party, some want to go back to the path of revolution. A philosophical churning is on, not just within our party but within other parties as well.”

***

50-year-old Hisila Yami alias Comrade Parvati, Nepal’s most powerful woman Maoist leader, dispells the myth that Maoist guerillas are bellicose and unkempt.

She is suave, soft-spoken and smiles often. Educated in India and England, this architect taught in a college for 13 years before going underground during the Maoists’ 11-year-long armed struggle.

From guerilla camps to becoming Minister for Tourism to being elected to Nepal’s Constituent Assembly, Hisila has had a long and eventful journey.

Despite being a political heavyweight — a Member of the Politburo of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPNM), a former Minister and wife of Baburam Bhattarai, the ideological fount of the CPN-M — Hisila wears her identity lightly…

Despite years of a violent war, what brought the Maoists victory in Nepal’s Constituent Assembly elections?

Our armed struggle was a people’s war. The people of Nepal had grown intolerant of a corrupt and inefficient government. The monarch and other non-left parties have promoted and taken advantage of the dominant Hindu belief systems. With the Army supporting and protecting monarchy and imperialism, people eventually saw who stood for what. The CPN-M declared total war against these forces. We had even thought of taking over Kathmandu but we realized that this would not be appropriate. Besides, we knew how India and China would have responded.

Meanwhile, the Maoists gained popularity and our strategy gained momentum because we delivered what the government could not. For example, justice was Kathmandu-centric and archaic. So we appointed two legal officers, a man and a woman, to every district. We started a crude banking system and cottage industries as well. We almost ran a parallel government. People knew and appreciated our values of egalitarianism.

Remembering Veteran Revolutionary Niranjan Bose

This article was published in People’s Truth bulletin #6.

Respectful Homage to Veteran Maoist Comrade Niranjan Bose!

Comrade Niranjan Bose, the oldest in the Maoist ranks in West Bengal, died at the age of 92 years on 26th April ’09 in Kolkata. Till his last breath he held high the banner of revolutionary Marxism and had consistently engaged himself in a significant way to further the cause of Indian revolution.

This nonagenarian revolutionary started his political career in the early 1940s, at first as a Congress activist and then courted Marxism and became a member of the United CPI of the then undivided Bengal. Comrade Bose played a significant role in bringing out the CPI’s Bengali daily Swadhinata in the 50s. He was sent to prison on several occasions.

When the CPI split in 1963 he sided with the left leaning comrades and joined the CPI (M). In the West Bengal unit of the CPI (M) comrades Niranjan Bose, Saroj Dutta, Shusital Roychowdhry et al had a pioneering role in bringing out the Bengali weekly named Deshhitaisee. All of them, the followers of Maoist leadership against Khruscevite revisionism, revolted against the CPI (M)’s neo-revisionist leadership.

When West Bengal’s United Front government went on a massacre spree in Naxalbari, killing mostly tribal fighters, not even sparing women and children, comrade Niranjan Bose, a dedicated communist, took upon himself the important responsibilities with regard to the publication of Deshabrati (Bengali) and Liberation. After the raid on the Deshabrati office in Kolkata and arrest of important comrades of the CPI (ML) publication team by police, comrade Niranjan Bose went underground. He played a stellar role in bringing out the CPI (ML) journals from underground in the early 1970s.

Lalgarh Revolt and the Hoax of “Development and Democracy”

This article was published in People’s Truth bulletin #6.

Lalgarh Revolt and the Hoax
of Development & Democracy

by Ayesha

How the Mass Anger Exploded

Indian history is now a witness to a heroic mass upsurge that has been going on as a basically adivasi mass uprising in the Lalgarh area in West Midnapur district of West Bengal. Ever since the landmine explosion conducted on November 2 reportedly as a protest against the SEZ bid of West Bengal’s ruling party, on the entourage of Bengal’s Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and the Union Minister steel, chemical & fertilizer Mr. Ramvilas Paswan while returning from the highly state publicized inauguration ceremony of the Jindal Steel Works (A Special Economic Zone) at Salboni in West Midnapore.Police went on rampaging the tribal villages, torturing the tribals and other exploited in the dead of nights in the name of search for Maoists.

India, Don’t Supply Weapons to the Nepal’s Government Army!

This article was posted on Nepal News.

Dahal warns of new round of confrontation if India resumes weapons supply

Unified CPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reportedly warned Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal that the government’s plan to import weapons from India will derail the fragile peace process.

According to reports, the Maoist Chairman called PM Nepal Wednesday morning and expressed serious objection of his party to Defense Minister Bidhya Bhandari’s request to India to resume weapons supply to Nepal.

Dahal also said that import of any weapons while the peace process is still on is against the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and will completely jeopardize the peace process, leading to resumption of violence and more bloodshed in the country.

India stopped supplying lethal weapons to Nepal following the royal takeover in February 2005, but continued to provide non-lethal military hardware.

On Tuesday, Defense Minister Bhandari met her Indian counterpart A.K Antony and Foreign Minister S.M Krishna in New Delhi and asked for resumption of military assistance to Nepal. She later told the media that India was positive on resuming the stalled military assistance and that details of the support would be finalised by a meeting of a bi-national committee.

U.S. Involvement in Army Integration?

This article was published on eKantipur. Thanks to Ka frank for pointing it out.

US Congress gets tough on aid to Nepal Army
POST INVESTIGATION TEAM
KATHMANDU, July 21 – The US Congress has imposed conditions on the military assistance it provides to Nepal.

These conditions, made in the S.1434 bill, approved by the US Senate Committee on Appropriations on July 9, states that American military aid to Nepal will be contingent on Nepal Army’s (NA’s) cooperation with civilian judicial authorities into investigations of human rights violations, the progress made by the NA in redefining its mission, undergoing reform to strengthen civilian control and facilitation of the integration of Maoist combatants into the NA.

The S.1434 bill lists planned expenditures for the US Department of State, foreign operations and related programmes for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010. The bill says that all funding provided to Nepal under the heading “Foreign Military Financing Programme” will be provided if the US Secretary of State certifies to the Committee on Appropriations that the Nepali armed forces are cooperating fully with investigations and prosecutions by civilian judicial authorities of violations of internationally recognised human rights. The bill also requires the armed forces to be working constructively to redefine its mission, implement reforms including establishment of a civilian ministry of defence to su-pport budget transparency and accountability, and facilitate the assimilation of former rebel combatants into the forces consistent with the goals of reconciliation, peace and stability.

Maoist and PCPA activities continue in Lalgarh

This article was posted on Democracy and Class Struggle.

Lalgarh on the boil, Maoists resurfacing

MONALISA CHAUDHURI

Asian Age, London edition, 21st July 2009
Kolkata

July 20: Lalgarh and the adjoining tribal belt in West Midnapore are once again on the boil. Over a month after the drive launched by the West Bengal government to drive the Maoists out, and contrary to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s claims, the rebels have begun to “resurface”.

A landmine blast at Bakishole was followed by a fierce gunbattle between Maoists and the security forces near Ramgarh. The road between Dherua and Lalgarh was dug up. The police lathi-(a 6 to 8-foot long cane tipped with an optional metal blunt – from the British days! – Ed) charged tribals after members of the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities gathered near the police camp at Gohomi-danga High School Monday morning, demanding its “immediate removal”. Twelve people, including some women and children, had to be hospitalised. Hours later, state home secretary Ardhendu Sen apologised for the lathicharge and said all police camps would be shifted out of school buildings by the end of July.