Naxalites take Lalgarh
Reposted from Planes For Baskets
by Harjit | June 21st, 2009

For those who are unfamiliar, the political situation of India is an interesting one. Socialism was (and in some ways still is) in the constitution of post-independance India.

Eastern India, leading to Nepal is considered the ‘red corridor’, as the map below shows. I’ll briefly outline the history of the eastern Indian region as it relates to the greater discussion around the current crisis.

Brief History

The most interesting part of this dynamic is that West Bengal, a state in Eastern India, borders Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan. East Bengal was a province of Pakistan until 1955 and was divided during the partition in 1947 after Independence from Britain after a long anti-colonial struggle in which the anarchists and marxists combined to fight as the Ghadar Party along with other anti-imperialist forces (including Gandhiji) towards a self-determined future.

Thus, West Bengal stayed within India (and West Punjab joined Pakistan, considering Punjab to be on the newly formed western half of modern India). Dividing my familial homeland of the Punjab into two nation-states. West Bengal borders East Bengal in the country of Bangladesh.

History of the Left within West Bengal

West Bengal has been run by the official Communist Party CPI(M) or CPM for decades, however the CPM has taken steps that are not in line with left values. They’ve negotiated under neo-liberal terms, a common critique of the CPM leadership in this current period, and are accused of bowing far too much to corporate interests. In their defense, the region suffered major financial problems including a crippling recession-esque situation for a long period and it has in fact experienced an upswing in general terms.

However, within West Bengal, the Naxalites were founded in the village of Naxalbari in 1967 to fight for change within the CPM, eventually breaking with it to form an independent organization. At the moment, a number of groups are active under the banner of Naxalism, each having specific differences but overall agreeing on Maoism as a guiding philosophy for their revolutionary direction, and working under the underground Communist Part of India (Maoist).

A lot can be written on the history of Naxalism, and has been. My point is to bring up the current situation.

The current situation in West Bengal

As India considers the Naxalites their number one domestic terrorist threat, I recieved word from a comrade on Friday that the Naxalites had in fact taken 30 villages in West Bengal and declared them liberated zones.
To quote Reuters: “In the past week, hundreds of Maoists, who are expanding their influence across the country, had chased away police and killed government supporters from around Lalgarh, which they declared a “liberated zone“.

India’s JSW Steel Ltd the country’s third largest steel producer, is setting up a $7 billion, 10-million tonne steel plant near Lalgarh, and the growing presence of Maoists across swathes of rural India has worried many investors. “It is a bad sign for industry … the government must find a long-term solution,” said Harsh Neotia, chairman of Kolkata-based Ambuja Realty. ”

As we write this, the Naxalites are placing a brave offensive against the government while at the same time defending their villages and gains.

The Naxalites are thus, about to come under heavy fire as troops are marching towards Lalgarh. Below is a propaganda piece by the traditional (right) media. Don’t believe the hype. The lines of defense being put up are not coerced, but are peasants who support the Naxalites who stand up for them in the face of oppression and are risking their own lives in solidarity with the struggle.

Let’s keep our eyes on the situation and support the real left as it goes to fight for the masses of people and against neo-liberalism.

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