Lalgarh is Naxalbari-II: Maoist leader Kishanji

K. Srinivas Reddy

“It will now inspire revolutionary forces all over the country”Blockades took place like an “upsurge”, Maoists sceptical of Trinamool’s continued support to Singur movement

HYDERABAD: Security forces might have gained an upper hand in containing the uprising in West Bengal’s Lalgarh, but the ultra-Left Communist Party of India (Maoist) believes that Lalgarh would now inspire revolutionary forces all over the country as did the Naxalbari movement four decades ago.

Enthused by what it claims as an “unprecedented mass base” formed during the resistance, the Maoist think tank now looks at Lalgarh as the “second Naxalbari.” In fact, even the Naxalbari did not have such a big mass base, feel the Maoists.

Explaining the rationale behind this, Kishanji, a member of the Maoist Polit Bureau, says West Bengal was a real testing ground for the revolutionary forces, as the State has been under Marxist rule for the past three decades. “Lalgarh struck at that [Marxist] politics.”

This development comes in the backdrop of the revolutionary movement advancing rapidly in Dandakaranya (which includes parts of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh), Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

These observations of Kishanji, who led the Lalgarh resistance, were made available to The Hindu in the form of questions and answers prepared by the Maoist party itself.

Kishanji, whose real name is Mallojula Koteshwara Rao, maintains that the Lalgarh blockades took place like an “upsurge” and that Lalgarh has proved “how to boycott the administration using both military and mass movement lines.”

He, however, disagrees that resistance there moved to a mobile warfare stage, and points out that it was only in a preparatory phase.

On the Singur movement and the Trinamool Congress’ role in it, Kishanji points out that the movement, which centred on the issue of land, sharpened political consciousness in the entire West Bengal. He was, however, sceptical of the Trinamool’s continued support to the issue as it entered into an alliance with the Congress.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has also softened her party’s stance. She initially raised the slogan Tata Hatao, Singur Bachao (Remove Tata, save Singur), but now proclaims Tatas could set up factories on land given by willing peasants, Kishanji said.

In Nandigram also, people who had been with the CPI(M) for decades saw for themselves how their interests were sought to be sacrificed for setting up a chemical hub. When they militantly confronted the government, it had to cancel its decision. But now, a similar chemical hub is sought to be established in Nayachar and the Trinamool registered only sporadic protests. While the Nandigram struggle emerged as a successful model of the anti-Special Economic Zone movement in the country, the people should prepare themselves to oppose the plans to build an SEZ in Nayachar, the Maoist leader said.

He anticipates that the crackdown on Maoists would further intensify in West Bengal, but the people would prepare for resistance under the leadership of the CPI(Maoist). The Hindu