Amit Bhattacharyya on the Historic Importance of the Lalgarh Movement

PCPA meeting near Lalgarh

In this article, Amit Bhattacharyya, a professor of history at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, takes up two important subjects. First, he describes the people’s development projects that the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities and the Maoists have undertaken in the region around Lalgarh in the areas of land distribution, irrigation, road building, health, education and the preservation of adivasi culture. Secondly, he responds to some urban intellectuals criticisms of the role of the Maoists in the Lalgarh movement, and their objections to the movement’s use of arms to resist the much larger and more heavily armed central and state military forces.

Posted by Democratic Students Union, December 31, 2009

War Against the People and the Historic Lalgarh Movement

-Amit Bhattacharyya

The Indian ruling classes and the central government they have set up to serve them have very recently declared one of the most unjust and brutal wars against the people which is quite unprecedented in the history of our country. Such a massive mobilization of armed forces, paramilitary forces, police forces and air forces totalling around 1 lakh personnel, along with US-Israel military assistance of various types only highlights the magnitude of the war.

They have identified the Maoists as the ‘greatest threat to the internal security of the country since independence’ i.e, the security of the Indian ruling classes. The entire forested region in central and eastern India have been divided into seven Operating Areas, which they want to ‘clear’ within the next five years of all resistance, including that by the Maoists and other Naxalite organizations. A massive amount of money to the tune of Rs.7300 crore has already been earmarked for meeting the cost of this war.

Sri Lanka: Common Left Manifesto for 2010 Presidential Election

President Rajapakse and his generals

This article was posted on the website of the Gandhi Unity-Progress Party on December 26, 2009.

Common Left Manifesto for Freedom, Democracy and Self-Rule.  We All Support Dr. Bahu [Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne], NSSP!! Presented for the 2010 Presidential Election

Beloved People of Lanka,

Let us not be pawns in the deadly game of chess played by the two equally blood-drenched, chauvinist representative of Global Capitalism: So, once again, at the cost of some Rs 12 billion of public funds, we have to face a Presidential election. Two equally bloody, corrupt and parasitic Capitalist Alliances have come forward for the contest, represented by Mahinda Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka.

This Presidential campaign is going to be a bitter and deadly fight between two equally reactionary camps of the ruling class as to who is going to feast on the blood of the Tamil nation, and that of the proletariat and all exploited and all oppressed classes and nationalities and communities, and exercise chauvinist oppressive dictatorship over the people. Let us not become mere pawns in a deadly game of chess played by two rival camps of the very same Capitalist ruling class.

Let us hold this State and this ruling class accountable for the crimes willfully committed against the people and against humanity. Let us do so as a basis to mobilize mass protest and agitation against the prevailing Capitalist political order which represents the interests of global Capitalism, by building resistance and revolutionary struggle to defeat the militarist-chauvinist agenda represented by both ruling class candidates.

Indian Air Force Commits Helicopters to Operation Green Hunt

This article was published in The Telegraph on December 28, 2009.

10 IAF choppers for rebel combat

New Delhi: The Centre will deploy a fleet of 10 Indian Air Force helicopters in its impending anti-Maoist offensive. The helicopters, which will be armed, will reinforce the offensive by 80,000 central paramilitary troops to be entrusted with the task of clearing out Naxalite strongholds across five states — Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The choppers will be stationed at different locations like Ranchi in Jharkhand and Raipur in Chhattisgarh.

“The helicopters will be used for dropping commandos and casualty evacuation purposes. They will be at the disposal of the commander of the operations at Raipur (Chhattisgarh),” said Central Reserve Police Force director-general A.S. Gill.

The move to deploy IAF helicopters comes after the defence ministry gave the go-ahead to the IAF to open fire in self-defence if its aircraft were targeted by Maoist rebels. On October 1, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik had said the IAF had sought permission from the defence ministry to open fire if its aircraft were fired at by the Maoists. The defence ministry’s clarification on the subject had given the IAF the authority to arm Mi-17 helicopters that are being used in counter-Maoist operations.

The IAF had sought the permission after two incidents where suspected Maoists had fired at IAF helicopters in Chhattisgarh and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.