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In What Ways Can You Help The Nandigram Struggle?
The fighting worker-peasant people of West Bengal heartily applaud and salute the people of Nandigram. And why only of West Bengal ? Against the gradually increasing exploitation, oppression and the disastrous Development programme of the native and foreign capitalist classes and their servile governments of different hue the worker-peasants are fighting in different corners of India , in thousands and millions. They too salute the valiant people of Nandigram. Why? In January last, the Adivasi peasants of Kalinganagar went into bloody struggle. Thereafter with the struggle of Orissa, U.P., Maharashtra and various other places was added the struggle of Singur. This January, the struggle of Nandigram has added a different dimension to it. It dealt a blow and put to hold the plan of rich classes and the design of their servile governments. The Economic Times, mouthpiece of the propertied classes, writes in its Mumbai edition – ‘…. the government of Maharashtra is unnerved after Nandigram. Vacillation starts regarding disposal of one hundred thousand bigha of land to Ambanies by evicting the farmers…..'. The design the Vajpayee Govt. initiated on Special Economic Zone in the year 2000 and the SEZ Act which was framed by the central government of Congress – C.P.M. in 2005 — its implementation is temporarily put to hold. Looking from this angle, Nandigram, in its first blow has achieved a temporary success. A primary result is accrued to the shedding of blood by the people of Kalinganagar – Ghaziabad - Raigarh – Singur – Nandigram.
However, the enemy is not sitting idle. Proclaiming a temporary halt they are trying to precipitate the preparations and awakening of the masses at various places so that attack can be unleashed at the opportune moment. In Nandigram continues the uninterrupted terror drive – with the help of hired armed goons of party and its machinery aided by the administration. De facto Nandigram is besieged for days together and faces armed attack at nights after night. Encircling Nandigram, isolating it from the rest, they are trying to crush the movement. Congratulation to the fighting people of Nandigram. You are waging a difficult and tiring continuous struggle. We very much understand the severe pangs of waging this struggle as we too are waging the same struggle in factories and villages against the united clique of the proprietor class – government – all established parties and unions. We salute the continuous resistance struggle of Nandigram.
However, is Nandigram an isolated event – as the CPI(M) wants us to understand? No, Kalinganagar has shown that struggle can be continued without depending on big parties – leaders – patrons. The forces of Tata and government could not advance a step forward there, could not grab the land there. Who fought there? The Adivasi peasants, whom the society of Babus calls the “lower stratum” of society. Then, take the case of the struggle of hundreds of thousand of jute mill workers. In 2002 the Trade Unions of all big Parties jointly, aided by the government, made a most vile black agreement with the mill owners. The workers of 20-25 jute mills, without having any union of their own, retorted by organising continuous strike for 1-2 weeks. Thereafter started a peculiar phenomenon. Whenever any owner of the jute mills tried to implement that black agreement, all the revolting workers, coming out of all the unions, jointly fought to stop it. Till now the owners could not implement that agreement. Whose achievement is this? Of those who are said to be the lower stratum of society, those “labourers”. In the year of 1992, the workers of Garden Reach Ship Builders, dissociating themselves from all the old treacherous Unions, formed a fighting union of their own. Subsequently many factories followed that legacy. In 2006, the majority of the contract labourers of the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation, leaving all old party-unions, formed a union organisation of their own. From different corners – Honda factory of Haryana, Toyota factory of Karnataka, Reliance Electric factory of Mumbai – come the news of newer revolts, newer awakening, formation of new organisations. Nandigram too runs on the same road. In Nandigram too the people who were till the other day followers of CPI(M), CPI, now cast aside their old party identity and revolts against the treachery of old parties. What else could they do? All the established parties are busy in designing the methods to form governments through elections – they are all grabbed by the rich classes. The so called left parties have become rotten. No one has any regards for Ideology. In addition, there is no real revolutionary communist party worthy to be called the own party of poor toiling classes. Are the people sitting idle being frustrated of that? Can they afford to? The propertied class attacks more and more ruthlessly. That is why the revolt. That is why the awakening of their own. That is why the lower stratum unites and takes the initiative. Else, there is no other way. From the very beginning the struggle of Nandigram is based on the unity and initiative of the lower stratum. It is not a fight carried out by the people gathered under the united banner created by few leaders of upper echelon. If it were so, it is doubtful that it could present this picture of struggle in Nandigram.
Like the struggling people of Kalinganagar-Gaziabad and other various places, the fighting people of Nandigram kicked out and refuted the dangerous development programme of the propertied classes. They vehemently slapped at the face of the development-industrialisation gossip. They didn't have to read heavyweight books on economics, politics for this. They realised from the experiences of their life and made others understand that – the tricks and plans taken up by the propertied class and its touts to build up the pleasures-luxuries-properties for the upper echelons of society by evicting the peasants, forcing the workers to a life inferior than beasts and throwing few scum to them – will not be tolerated quietly by the worker-peasants. Those treacherous, tout leaders indeed realise that the people can't be taught to accept the false story of development-industrialisation. That's why, in Singur, they had to assemble thousands of police forces and promulgate section 144 for long period to erect the fencing. That's why in Nandigram they had to unleash the goons. Their method of teaching is using weapons and terrorisation-tactic to educate the toiling labour-peasants and luring the non-peasant land owner with hefty sum of money.
Nandigram has raised many questions too. Two of which are very important and relevant now. First question : Nandigram has seen participated and shaded blood in the struggle of Independence . Under the leadership of left parties they have seen the turbulent struggles of peasant-labours, have fought them to the last. The people, people of toiling poor classes fought shading sweat and blood and admitting many hardships. Based on these struggles the governments have changed. After British came the Congress, after Congress came the Left Front with CPI(M). What changes have these brought to people? The struggles of people have been used to grab the governmental power. And for the people are allotted a wretched life of inequality-exploitation-oppression and full of illiteracy-underdevelopment-darkness. Title of untouchables, ‘mlechchha' for some and ‘lower-caste', backward caste for some others. Miniscule sops in the name of Indira Abas, I.R.D.P or self help group. Will these new fights, that just started blossoming at different corners of the country, be once again used as the fuel for changing merely the government within this reign of rich people? Will the fighting people of West Bengal not think of the treachery committed by the old parties – how this could have been done? Did the people of poor classes have any control over those parties recognised as the parties of poor? If the worker-peasants have no rein over the struggles, organisations, party, then finally whom does these struggles will serve? Those who are fighting or are getting down fighting, must ponder over these questions.
Second question : In the interest of the ongoing struggle what are the important steps? The struggle of Nandigram, as it stands, on one side the toiling people desperate with an urge to live and on the other side the alliance of the proprietor class-government-administration-party with its riot forces in the forefront. The united struggle of the toiling people is the thorn on the side of CPI(M) s. CPI(M) wants this fight to become one between them on one hand and another party conglomerate on the other. So that it becomes a fight for capture of territory between two parties. This is to the benefit of CPI(M). It's because CPI(M) is expert and experienced in doing Keshpur-Garbeta. It's because in that case the people, caught in between the fight of two parties, gradually becomes inactive. Now, the question is, how long the people of Nandigram can maintain the fight as one united struggle of the people against the terror perpetrated by the party-administration. There is no doubt that the people of Nandigram are waging a heroic battle. Nevertheless, is it not becoming very tough to carry on this fight with the might of Nandigram alone? Will they not be compelled to depend on external forces of any sort, big parties, leaders, if their fight is not supported by the active help from the people around. Moreover, you, the fighting workers, fighting peasants- land labourers — will you allow this to happen? The future of Nandigram depends not only on the unity and initiative of the people of Nandigram but also depend on the active help and initiative from those living outside in other regions.
The people of the adjoining region must stand by the side of the fighting people of Nandigram. Initiative must be taken in this direction. Those who are living away – they can also effectively support – can keep the enemies of the people under pressure using different means. Example — in quite a few villages some land labours-poor peasant are voicing questions amongst the poor lower section of the party, agitating them; questioning and even expressing anguish before party. In Hooghly , some twenty workers from four jute mills, none of whom belong to any established party, rather are part of the revolting general worker – they themselves have published a handbill in support of Singur and distributed them amongst thousands of workers; they themselves lectured using public address system. Such initiatives are also seen in one or two more industrial region, though, to certain extent, in different measure. In quite a few villages, the land labours and poor peasant are jointly sending their message to poor quarters in support of this type of struggle and are getting responses too. Think out how you can stand by the side of Nandigram. How you can send this message to Nandigram that you too are actively standing in their support. Besides, each of your fight, every agitation, revolt, building up of struggle and organisation being dissociated from the influence of the established parties – all these will help the struggle of the people of Nandigram. Fighting worker peasant brothers and sisters come forward; stand by the side of the struggle of the people of Nandigram!
With fighting greetings