People’s Democracy vs. Parliamentary Democracy in India

Comrade Sonam speaking to meeting of 5000 adivasis in Dandakaranya

This article appeared  in People’s March, September 2007

A Look into the Work of the People’s Governments in Dandakaranya Special Zone

Raago

Parliamentary democracy in India is much hailed. India is said to be the biggest democracy in the world. This democracy is known to be ‘ for the people, by the people and of the people’. The past more than half a century proved this democracy to be sham.  People of India and all over the world are vexed with the ineffectiveness and misappropriation of the ‘democratic institutions’ like the court, police, jail and the administrative machinery. Essential services like water and electricity are a point of agitation in many parts of the country almost every day.

And it is inaccessible to the adivasi population who constitute one important section of the population of the country. The presence of the parliamentary democratic institutions and minimum medical services are not seen in most of the adivasi areas of the country. It is true that the people in these areas were at a loss, away from the ‘modern’ world.

But for the past few years, things took a different turn in some parts of the adivasi areas. While the North Eastern states and some other areas are fighting for the liberation of their nationalities from the domination of the Indian state, the adivasis of the central part of the country and a few other eastern states sought a different alternative. They started forming a people’s government of their own.

Jharkhand: Maoists Set Terms for Peace Talks

PM Singh and CM Shibu Soren, planners of OGH in Jharkhand

This article appeared in the Times of  India on January 30, 2010.

Naxals accept Soren’s talks offer

SHERGHATI: In a turnaround after the installation of coalition government headed by JMM leader Shibu Soren in Jharkhand, banned CPI (Maoists) on Friday accepted the state government’s offer to come to the negotiating table.

Holding a rare press conference at Sherghati, 160 km from Patna, Bihar-Jharkhand North Chhattisgarh Special Area Committee CPI (Maoists) spokesperson Gopal while welcoming the Jharkhand government’s offer, expressed doubt over its sincerity. “Whether he (Soren) will be able to resist the pressure of the Central government and his coalition partner BJP to continue war on his own people (read Maoists) is doubtful,” he said.  “If Soren’s proposal is sincere, the government must make the atmosphere conducive for talks. If government wants to hold us on gun point and then negotiate, there is no possibility of negotiations,” he said.

Putting forth an eight-point ‘wish list’, the CPI (Maoist) spokesman said the list included immediate end to proposed war on its own people and “de-paramilitarisation” of Jharkhand’s rural parts. Gopal said all political prisoners including Central committee leaders — Sushil Roy, Amitabh Bagchi, Mohit and women leader Shila — must be released unconditionally.  He also demanded lifting the ban on the outfit and punishment for the police and intelligence officers responsible for “fake encounters”.

Chhattisgarh: 19 Mining Trucks Set Ablaze

Government coal mine, Jharkhand

This article was published in the Daily Mail on January 27, 2010

Maoist separatists set ablaze 19 trucks of Indian Govt

NEW DELHI—Over 100 Maoist guerrillas stormed into a mining complex of the state-run NMDC Ltd in Chhattisgarh’s restive Dantewada district and set 19 trucks on fire in the early hours of Wednesday. The armed Maoist separatists raided the mining complex of India’s largest iron ore miner at Kirandul, about 400 km south of here, at around 2 am.

“The rebels sneaked into Kirandul’s 11-B deposit of the NMDC and burnt 19 trucks hired by NMDC for iron ore transportation. This resulted in panic amongst the hundreds of NMDC staff engaged in mining in the hilly area,” Lakhan Thakur, in charge of the Kirandul police station, told media.

Earlier a large number of ultras separately attacked two security forces’ camps at Chandapathar and Satnala under Barikul police station in the district, 165 km from the capital, at around 11 pm leading to a heavy exchange of fire between the policemen and the Maoists for over one and a half hours, police sources said. The five injured personnel belonged to the Indian Reserve Battalion of the West Bengal police.

Mainstream Press on Nepal: Claims About Political Differences at Maoist Meeting

This article appeared in My Republica on January 29, 2010.

We urge our readers to remember that it is hard to confirm whether an article like this, from the bourgeois press, is accurate. It involves anonymous “leaks” allegedly from party leaders — which is also impossible to confirm. And it is important to note that in times of great conflict, especially revolutionary situations, there is a great deal of organized disinformation — especially aimed at the perceptions of the revolution’s leadership, and the unity of leading groups.

Hardliners push for revolt, delay in integration

KATHMANDU:  Sharp differences have surfaced in the UCPN (Maoist) over the party´s next strategic move and direction. The party´s hardliners led by Senior Vice-Chairman Mohan Baidya have pitched for declaring India the main enemy and going for an immediate revolt. Baidya has also called for delay in the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants to help start preparations for a revolt. Another vice-chairman, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, backed by some of the party´s influential leaders, has, however, staunchly pushed for writing the constitution and completion of the peace process.

The shimmering intra-party differences have come to the fore at the ongoing Standing Committee meeting that began on Tuesday.

Responding to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dhala´s analysis of the current political situation and the party´s future strategy, Mohan Baidya argued that the party should identify foreign forces, particularly India, as its main enemy and launch an immediate revolt to achieve the party´s ultimate goal — dictatorship of the proletariat.

“Our main contradiction is with India, and it should be termed the party´s chief enemy…. We should also immediately go for a revolt to achieve the party´s goals,” a party leader quoted Baidya as saying at the Standing Committee meeting Tuesday. He argued for delay in the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants since the party would need them for the revolt.

Haiti and Bastar: Two Disappeared Peoples

This article appeared in Sanhati on January 23, 2010

Haiti and Bastar: Comparative notes on disappeared peoples

Siddhartha Mitra

200,000 or more dead in Haiti. Many more wounded and left homeless.

200,000 or more missing in Bastar. Nobody knows where they are. And many more living in Salwa Judum camps under atrocious conditions.

Wait, you might ask. Missing is better than dead, is it not so? After all, they must be somewhere, and there must be hope that they will be able to live?

Actually, not very likely. At least not for long. The jungles in Chhattisgarh are inhospitable, without easy access to food or drinking water. And there is always disease like malaria and bloody dysentery, which will get you if you if the forest does not. Even the hardiest tribals know that they will not last long hiding in those inhospitable jungles. It will not be death in a flash, but it will come very soon.

The world knows about Haiti. And no one knows about Bastar.