Translation of a SSC Handbill published on 12th May 2008
Stand out against Terror in Nandigram!
Build up your Independent Unity!!
A wanted criminal is commanding a big gang of armed cadres – A disputed police officer waves at him while passing by him from his car… this is the picture of today's ‘peaceful' Nandigram. Just the day before the Panchayat Election some prominent personalities were compelled to return back to Calcutta by govt order from a place on the highways miles away of Nandigram. If persons of upper strata meet such an experience then the terror in which the poor toiling people of Nandigram are spending their days can easily be guessed. Either you fall in line with CPIM, walk with them in their march — or you sit captive in your home with fractured legs and hands… If you dare to oppose your house will be burnt down, people may simply ‘vanish'. There is no possibility of redress, police and government administration are silent. The womenfolk are crying clutching the feet of Central Reserve Police begging to protect them. Which Nandigram is this??? This is the reality of today's Nandigram under terror perpetrated by CPIM and backed by police-administration. The terror that is continuing since last November showed its naked ugly face just before and on the day of the Panchayat Election. Even CRP officers were not spared from being intimidated by CPIM leaders. Continuous reports are pouring in of CPIM-perpetrated terror, torture, rape… only moans, groans of pains and sufferings… Does Nandigram mean only these?
No, Nandigram doesn't mean only these — Nandigram means protest, Nandigram means spontaneous resistance of peasants. Nandigram means an icon of resistance struggle against assaults of ruling class. Keep in mind — Nandigram doesn't only mean 14th March [of 2007, the day Police and CPIM attacked Nandigram, killed and maimed many, there were gang-rapes… etc – translator], the real Nandigram showed itself on 16th March, the day when 40-45 thousand villagers going after the dead bodies of the Martyrs marched to Sonachura-Gokulnangar and retook possession of Nandigram. CPIM hooligans, who are terrorising Nanigram today, fled away in panic; police took shelter in their barrack in the schoolcompound. A unity of thousands of labourers and peasants was formed facing which government had to retrace steps. Where has that Nandigram gone? Was that wrecked by CPIMterror? No. Nandigram means a resistance struggle; that cannot end. That is still living within the people, within the workers-peasants-toiling people. However, the question rises — how it all happened?
We are to realize that the fighting people of Nandigram could not conserve their unified power within themselves. They ceded this power of them in the hand of parties voluntarily. Perhaps they thought that they could establish their power through Panchayat Election by putting other parties in power. This was Nndigram's weak point, a point of sliding back, which was not manifest that time, and today it became cruelly discernible today, through much blood bath. But it is not the end of the story. Peope of Nandigram will rekindle their unified strength today or tomorrow taking lessons from history.
Comrades, CPIM is pushing us to a condition that — stand either in favour of them or against them. Either you are CPIM or you are TMC. Are we just pawns of chess that we are to follow their chess-moves! Not at all! West Bengal is not a West Bengal of CPIM or TMC or Congress. Within this West Bengal there is another new separate West Bengal of workers and peasants which is slowly awakening. That West Bengal of workers and peasants are awakening getting separated from all old established parties and building up independent and separate struggles and organizations. CPIM and the ruling class are apprehensive of this spontaneous awakening of workers, peasants and are trying to crush this resistance. Hence is their terror on Nandigram.
Oppose strongly the police-administration backed CPIM terror in Nandigram. But your work cannot finish by opposing assaults, arsons, maiming and molestations, rapes… in Nandigram. You are to stand in support of the rising new social-political trend, ie, the new fights and organisations of workers and peasants. You are to build up your own independent organisation in factories and villages. You are to stand against all assaults of the ruling class and amass strength for struggle. by this way you can effectively answer the terror unleashed in Nandigram.
May 12, 2008 Sramik Sangram Committee