(“What can be the repercussion of the violent repression by the police-military of the reactionary ruling classes on the revolutionary peasant movements throughout India, particularly at Srikakulam?”–This question was posed to Comrade Charu Mazumder on behalf of Deshabrati and the reply he made is reproduced here–Publisher)
A small piece of news has been published in Anandabazar in such a way that it does not attract anybody’s notice. The peasant guerillas of Srikakulam have annihilated one class enemy and have hanged the severed head on a bamboo tree. The bourgeois print media understands the significance of this incident, so they have published this news despite in an insignificant manner. If we want to understand the significance of this incident, we have to take a glance at what has happened at Srikakulam during the last two months.
During the last two months 13 heroic leaders have laid down their lives while fighting with the armed police. Leading comrades have been arrested. The bourgeois media breathed a sigh of relief feeling that the struggle of Srikakulam had been finished. Taking that Srikaulam was finished, the revisionist organs expressed veiled delight. The revisionist devils shed crocodile tears stating that police repression had been let loose on the poor peasant masses of Srikakulam. From Nagi Reddy to groups of all shapes and sizes, who are opposing the Chairaman’s thought in the name of Chairman himself, all of them were trying to sell the idea like wise men that Srikakulam was finished because of the ‘anarchist’ ‘anti-Mao’ policies of the CPI (M-L). This incident happened just amidst such circumstances.
Chairman Mao has taught us, “Where there is repression, there is resistance.” Srikakulam is a burning example of this. The sacrifice of life by each hero has intensified the class hatred among the peasant masses, the struggling peasants aroused with new pledges are coming forward in hundreds in place of one to fill up the void created by the death of the leaders, they have made rearrangement of their forces in a new way and have been able to quickly launch counter attack. Getting reorganized so quickly in the face of such a big assault and making rearrangement of forces have been possible only due to the blooming of creativity among the poor and landless peasants.
Guerilla warfare develops the creative abilities among the poor and landless peasants, can coordinate the organization and work in newer sectors. This correct decision is getting reflected in practice at Srikakulam. New man has been created there by getting steeled in the fire of guerilla warfare, the man who is not afraid of death, the man who does not hesitate to sacrifice his life, the man who is eager to take up any hard task out of his love for the people. This man, who has conquered death, can not be suppressed. All the forces of reaction prove to be empty before such a man. That man has been born at Srikakulam, man of a new era, man of future free India, man holding the dignity of a free world and since such a man has been born, it can doubtlessly be announced that Srikakulam is not dead, Srikakulam will not die, it has struck deep roots in the Indian soil. Neither Indira government nor any reactionary imperialist force has the capacity to put out the fire of armed revolutionary struggle of the peasantry. This small event has strengthened this belief among us that, days of reaction are coming to an end, power of a new people has been established, this fortress of the people is impregnable and this solitary small incident indicates that the entire reactionary forces would be burnt and destroyed by the fire which has been lighted by this people.
Chairman Mao’s thought is the guiding ideology of not only a few revolutionaries, this ideal has been embraced by thousands of poor-landless peasants, who are spread over Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and each and every state of India. Chairman Mao’s thought today is the property of India’s poor-landless peasants of their own, its roots are deeply entrenched in Indian soil, the hated reactionary creatures do not have the capacity to uproot this huge edifice.
Let us tell:
Heroic peasants of Srikakulam–Long live.
Armed struggle of the peasantry–Long live.
The great Indian revolution–Long live.
CPI (M-L)–Long live.
Chairman Mao–Long live.
Long live Chairman Mao–Long live.
(Deshabrati, 29 January, 1970)
