Comrade Kanu Sanyal’s SELF CRITICISM.

Before dealing with the issue of self criticism of mine i.e. Kanu snayal it is very important to touch upon some crucial developments of the period between 1962 to 1967. The political, organizational and related agrarian struggles of the period were so complex that it becomes very difficult to have a comprehensive view of it by the outsiders. The CPI party was split and virtually was working separately. Com. Charu Majumdar, Souren Bose and Kanu Sanyal with many other comrades were under detention in 1962. Com.CM was released from the jail in 1963 for contesting election and afterwards com. SB and KS were released last in 1964. Com.Khokon Mazumder was not arrested in 1962 perhaps due to his connection with the rightist elements of CPI. In the last part of 1964 KS was again arrested and released in 1966 June. Com.Khokon was arrested in 1965 September and released in 1966 June. But KS and Jangal santal were again arrested in the last part of 1966 and Jangal was released just before the Assembly election. KS was released only a few days before the election. The agrarian struggle was continuing and under the situation the comrades went underground. Comrades may remember that a shadow committee was formed within the CPI (M) but the committee did not function properly and as the struggle got momentum the role of the shadow committee withered away. Only the path of individual consultations was going on as and when necessary.

As com.CM was ill, he remained open throughout the period of 1967-68 excepting a week of detention in 1968. In this complex situation Com. CM became the only spokesman on behalf of the comrades who were spearheading the movement and were in U.G. I am not using the word usurping but due to the extraordinary situation Com.CM got the opportunity to have a free play and started sending directions to UG comrades whom on many occasions created several problems and sometimes his instruction went against the concrete situation. This is the time when com.cm took advantage of his position which elevated him to the position of “knows everything” and others were slighted. The police onslaught was day by day becoming bad to worse. We had guns but no ammunitions. KS time and again pressurized for arrangements of ammunition to encounter the police but ammunitions were never procured. Com.CM was telling to kill the landlords who had already vacated the villages. The entire Siliguri Taluk was divided into four police regions and police were carrying on their policy of encircling us. With the guns becoming totally unworkable due to dearth of ammunition the military situation went against the UG comrades and politically a vacuum was created due to absence of centralized political leadership in the struggle area. The situation was totally unfavorable for the comrades and even maintaining hideouts became impossible and out of question. The entire organization was paralyzed and even reading, writing or documentation was out of question. And this caused absence of documentation. Whether this reality should be taken seriously into their estimation or not that is for comrades to decide. But the fact remains that the reality could not be denied or over-ruled.

The article “More on Naxalbari” was written in Vishakhapatnam jail in 1972 before the demise of Com.cm and he was under arrest and naturally CM did not know it. Obviously, many questions would arise in the minds of comrades. In spite of knowing many issues why KS did not oppose com.cm from the beginning that is from the period of formation of CPI (ML) in 1969 and rather remained mute. This is wholly legitimate doubt for the comrades. Marxism-Leninism is a science, and it must be followed honestly from the beginning to the end while analyzing political developments of a period of time.

To put the history in a straight and honest way, we must have a Marxist understanding of the whole episode of Naxalbari struggle. AICCCR and formation of CPI (ML) visa vise the role of com.cm. Every comrade knows about the LIN PIAO affair in CPC and when it happened. To understand the situation it will not be unfair and out of context if there is mentioning of Com.Chou En LAI’s explanation regarding Lin Pio’s affair in the history of CPC during its 10th congress.

Com.Chou En Lai explained that Lin Piao had a process of development and unfolding himself and the CPC had also a process of development of understanding and know him. This is purely dialectical process of dealing with the matter. Likewise com.cm had a process of development and unfolding himself in the history of CPI (ML) and KS had also process of development in knowing com.cm.

Mao Tse Tung thought teach us that in human society activity in production develops step by step from a lower level to a higher level and consequently Man’s knowledge, whether of nature or of society, also develop step by step from a lower to a higher level, that is from the shallow one to the deeper one from one sided to many sided.” This phenomenon in regard to com.cm can be understood if we try to grasp it. In spite of knowing tit-bits regarding cm, why KS kept mum and went on supporting by keeping silent can be construed us absolutely personality issue. Com.CM was a class mate of KS’s elder brother. More over Com.CM joined communist movement long before KS and also one of the leaders of the Glorious Tebhaga movement in 1946. Many a story regarding Tebhaga movement, his role in the movement was wide spread. This led to create some sort of legend and unconditional acceptance of com.cm which created a sort of personality cult. KS personally know that cm gave up his land title as a land lord in favor of peasants during the movement against Benami Land in 1959. More over CM had great quality to pose the problems of class struggle in a concrete way. So, KS confidence on CM was not unfounded. At the same breath having the landlord class origin CM had some sort of impatience and impulsiveness in dealing with political matters. KS was working with him under his guidance since 1952 and there developed a feeling of leader and led. This created hindrance on many occasion. In spite of this KS opposed CM on many occasions during CPI days. He also criticized him on many occasions.Com.cm during that period had another quality to accept his guilt and make self criticism. Com.cm raised the issue of agrarian revolution and armed struggle in Darjeeling district. But during the later part of 1967 he developed some sort of haughtiness and slowly developed commanding attitude in political and organizational matters. The presence of some younger comrades around him helped develop this situation. They began to praise him like anything. KS opposed com.cm vehemently against his line of annihilation till 1967, but these younger comrades who had less education of Marxism and mass struggle supported him very strongly. And for this, com.cm developed in him, a sense of infallibility. And once he was out of Siliguri this sense of infallibility increased further because of the presence of a new type of political coterie in AICCCR and later on in CPI (ML). Com.cm raised the slogan of annihilation line and posed the matter in his own way. Here we should remember that laws of motion in human activity especially in the matter of class struggle cannot be halted at will if not struggled vehemently. The ground around com.cm was fertile with the help of new comrades, the coterie and party bourgeoisies class. Although KS tried to oppose cm during Naxalbari struggle, he, however could not maintain his position afterwards.

The line of annihilation of class enemies secretly and conspiratorially was enunciated by com.cm and so he is mainly and wholely responsible and for this he cannot be absolved. His line was defeated during Naxalbari struggle but KS also failed to carry on the struggle against this line in a sustained way. KS suffered from anti Marxist ideas of leader and led. KS opposed com.cm on many political junctures but in the wider panorama KS took a most non Marxist and anti Marxist stand during the formation of CPI (ML) visa-vise the role of com.cm. Although CM’s line failed and was defeated in Naxalbari struggle in 1967; but when KS found most of the comrades of other states were supporting com.cm and the line of annihilation was already in application in wider panorama KS took the position of “let me wait and see” at this stage. This showed that KS actually shunned Marxism and yielded to empiricism and practiced worst form of liberalism. KS silence in 1969 during the formation of the party as well as his silence during the party congress in 1970 was taken as mute support for cm’s line. So KS is equally responsible for the anti Marxist line practiced by the CPI (ML). So, KS cannot absolve himself from the wrong line. KS comes of a petty bourgeois class under the influence of feudal practice and his introvert nature of being no -assertive in political matters in that period helped com.cm in propagating his anarchist and terrorist line. Why these things happened? KS think that his non Marxist approach was due to various factors – frequent going to jail and coming out from 1959 to 1969, long UG life, 100 days hunger strike in jail and above all confusion about long standing comrades and frequent changes and separation in comradely camps. All these things together led to the development of some sort of proneness to liberalist approach. Another problem was that KS as District cadre has less confidence on himself and felt that he would not be able to gather much support behind him and for his introvert nature (psychic) he allowed himself to think ‘let it go’. This is pure and simple bourgeois approach relying on empiricism. KS owns up his responsibility but it must not forget that Com.CM WAS THE PROPOUNDER OF THIS LINE SINCE 1965 AND HE COULD NOT AVOID PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANARCHIST AND TERRORIST LINE. It should be remembered that terrorism is also armed struggle basing on Bourgeois Philosophy that heroes are the makers of history. Marxist philosophy teach us - People and People alone are the makers of history. After the vast and painful experience KS stands by Marxism.

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