MR
I'm not quite sure about the context of this letter, I read an article on Counterpunch, but was still not clear... Is there a concise article available that could explain to outsiders what the issues are?
Altaf,
The ZNet article "After the Nandigram Carnage" by Radha Surya (March 25, 2007) is pretty good, although a little old by now.
It's at:
http://www.zmag.org/content/show...fm?
ItemID=12420
This is, many people believe, a coup carried out by Vijay Prashad. Chomsky and others are obviously misled in this subject.
CPIM , the party behind this whole nandigram tragedy, is not what it's supporters claim in US. It is not a leftist party.Atleast not in the sense, Chomsky and others who signed it are leftists.
CPIM is basically an authoritarian organization with no internal democracy. As to be expected, When there is no internal democracy things will begin to rot. Naturally plenty of goons, time servers, opportunists have made their way to that party. Now plenty of them are in leadership positions
in that party.
Some facts would help American Leftists to understand the situations.
(1) The CPIM Government is taking land from poor people and giving it to Salem Group of Indonesia, Among other corporate beneficiaries. Salem group is linked to Suharto. The Irony is hard to miss. A so called Communist Movement cozily doing business with a company linked to one of the greatest mass murderers of 20th century.
I hope, I don't need to tell what sort of record Suharto has accumulated.
(2) CPIM and all it's intellectual defenders are great fans of Chinese Regime. They still refer to it as Communist , Socialist etc.
(3) CPIM has never repudiated it's enthusiasm for Stalin and soviet style regimes.
(4) CPIM has carried out some land reform in that State, But nothing more. If it was really socialist it would have given plenty of opportunities for workers to experiment with various sorts of Socialist projects.
Irony is, CPIM is now rolling back those very few Land reforms in the name of Industrialization.
(5) Many leftists who can't be accused of being mouthpieces for corporate media, are saying CPIM thugs have raped plenty of muslim women in this latest attack on Nandigram.
The note by Ajit is filled with errors. It is utterly sensational to talk of rape in this way. There have been charges of rape and massacre (1000 dead), but none of the main human rights groups have been able to substantiate anything.
The CPM is a democratic centralist party that has won elections in Bengal since 1977.
It is patronizing to suggest that Chomsky, et. al., have been misled by one person.
Waris.
for more on this issue, see
http://www.sanhati.com/
Who ever disagreed with the fact that CPIM has won elections since 1977. I am not denying that. Anymore than I am denying this is the month of November.
There are credible charges of rape from independent leftist intellectuals themselves who are not allied with CPIM. Those who are interested in this matter,can wait for some time and read the reports of human rights organizations. You don't need to rush to judgements,Alright.
It is not patronizing to suggest Chomsky et al were misled. Everyone of us are human.We all make errors of judgements.
Vijay Prashad has long been a contributor to ZNET and other similarly oriented leftist media in US. He has been part of many social justice struggles here in US. It is natural American Leftists trust him in matters concerning India,His Home country.
How do you explain the fact that those who are holding CPIM guilty in this case includes Arundhati Roy, Medha Patkar (she was beaten by CPIM Thugs), Praful Bidwai, Ashok Mitra (a former Finance Minister in CPIM Government itself) and every other notable independent leftist intellectuals.
If MR Readers are so curious, they can rely on what their Indian Publishers, Cornerstone Publications, say about CPIM And Nandigram. I haven't read anything by them on Nandigram. But they are not part of CPIM, I remember reading some time ago, Analytical Monthly Review criticizing CPIM.
Ajitbhai:
This is not about this authority or that authority, but the issues. There is a lot of misinformation on this issue flying around -- massacres, state terror, rape. Most of this is giving those who have no political base a lot of ammunition. But what is it based on? Medha Patkar, Arundhati Roy, Praful Bidwai have all been lifelong opponents of the CPM. Patkar came from anti-communist socialist movement. Her movement is hardly democratic. She is the celebrity. Mitra's note is not the same as their pieces.
Criticism of CPM is one thing, but this non-stop obsession with knocking down the CPM will lead to disaster for progressive fighting forces. See Pakistan for result of secterianism among left forces in 1950s.
So Patkar,Roy and Bidwai are all anticommunists not worth listening?
I don't agree with that.You should actually be honest enough to face their arguments on its merit and argue your case instead of insinuating about their ideology.
Patkar's movement is indeed quite democratic. She doesn't run it like her fiefdom. If nothing else, You should atleast desist from making such baseless allegations.
Bidwai is not anticommunist.I remember reading him praising Communist Movement in India in Frontline Magazine sometime ago.
Criticizing CPIM won't lead to disaster. Infact, not criticizing it when it goes off rails will definitely lead to disaster.You are not saying anything about the Undemocratic internal structure of the party,the absurdity and irony of a so called communist movement making deals with a Suharto linked firm and many such things I pointed out.
They are no longer a party of leftwing. They have become just another mainstream party serving business class. They may try to cover it with plenty of anti imperialist breast beating talk and quoting marx and lenin. But it shouldn't fool anyone.
See this Interview with Medha Patkar in Tehelka Magazine,
http://www.tehelka.com/
story_mai...011207Medha.asp
You can continue to believe whatever you want. This is my last comment in this matter. People can make their own judgement in this matter. I believe we have to be honest enough to face the facts. There is no point in telling lies to ourselves.
Open Letter to Tariq Ali:
http://kunal-radicalblogger.blog...-tariq-
ali.html
Very irresponsible statement by Chomsky and others, to say the least.
Is it irresponsible because you don't agree with it?
What we have here is a situation where people are attacking a party from all kinds of positions, but they are not willing to reveal their own programs? If you oppose industrial development, what will you do instead? Socialism of the poor was tried in Cambodia......
Susan George Withdraws her name from the Statement:
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To my friends in India:
Without wishing to place responsibility on anyone but
myself, I want to apologise for having signed the common letter concerning Nandigram and hereby withdraw my signature. I signed because the statement seemed reasonable, recognised that the signatories “could not say anything definitive”, seemed compatible with principles like left unity and non-violence which I try to uphold and, above all, had been previously signed by people I greatly admire and respect. Due to a certain urgency, I gave my name without consulting friends in India, particularly the two Indian Fellows of the Transnational Institute, Praful Bidwai and Achin Vanaik, as I ought normally to have done. Now I have received further information from Indians who have regretted my signature and, while exercising great comradely restraint towards me personally, have pointed to the recent tragic events in Nandigram as unequivocally the responsibility of the CPI[M]. All the communications sent to me blame the government, but having consulted other signatories, I learn that some of them have received thanks and letters of support, also from India. While my instinct is quite naturally to side with those who have written
to me personally, particularly my TNI comrades, I regret above all that I was presumptuous enough to comment, however mildly, on a situation I was not, and am not, in any position to judge. I hope my Indian friends will forgive this presumption and accept my regrets for having
signed a letter which has been used politically in India in ways I cannot condone and do not approve.
In solidarity,
Susan George
Response to Chomsky et al. from Arundhati Roy, Sumit Sarkar, Saroj Giri and others:
http://www.kafila.org/2007/11/24...l-on-nandigram/
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