Political Violence and the Left

Author(s): K. V. R and Arun

Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 24, No. 12 (Mar. 25, 1989), p. 590
Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4394535
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LETTERS TO EDITOR

Political Violence and liberties. But, as ill-luck would have it, he

Whose Security?
does not seem to realise that CPI(NI) has yet
the Left to learn its lesson, even after the brutal Whose Defence?
murder of Hashmi. Right from 1969-70
when the Srikakulam Girijan peasants' WE feel and have always felt that the so-
G . P DESHPANDE's rejoinder 'Strange armed struggle began claiming 'encounter' called 'defence' programmes of our countries
Logic' (February 18) to this correspondent's victims of the stature of Subbarao Panigrahi, are not merely a menace to people of other
'Warning Signal' (January 14) pursues a the poet-revolutionary, the CPI(M) has never countries but also a threat to people within
stranger logic,, if it is not altogether stranger
opened its mouth in condemnation of state each country. Just maintaining these defence
to logic. Deshpande does not question the violence. On the contrary, it tried to gag programmes costs countless lives: where
writers like myself who tried to pay homage
facts th4t in the case of political violence money is desperately needed for health,
referred to by me the victim was a Left to a fellow-poet like Panigrahi. The hundreds welfare, flood control and other life-saving
activist and that he had been murdered and hundreds of police murders have failed measures, all the money spent on 'defence'
"with as much brutality" as the late Safdar to evoke any response even from a civil liber- adds to the death toll. And there are plenty
Hashmi. He has also not questioned that ties organisation sponsored by that party. At of occasions when the 'security' forces of a
three CPI(M) supporters had been arrested a time when Vara Vara Rao is struggling to country are used against their own people.
in connection with the murder and two be out of prison and when Gaddar and Finally, incidents like the fire at the Ojhri
CPI(M) cadres had sought anticipatory bail Sanjeevi are forced to go underground for ammunition dump near Islamabad, which
from the court. much the same reason as had obliged Vara killed hundreds and injured thousands, are
Apart from the fact that Deshpande has Vara Rao to have his bail cancelled, the always a possibility. If nuclear weapons had
sought the privilege of double standards for CPI(M) maintains a stony silence, quite in been involved, the outcome would have been
the CPI(M), the unstated premises of his line with its support to the ruling Telugu even more ghastly.
'logic' seem to be that (i) the two cases are Desam Party. In sharp contrast, the Revolu- These lethal weapons and the armed
not comparable because the Calcutta victim tionary Writers' Association and the All- forces trained to use them are supposed to
cannot boast of any admirer of the status India League for Revolutionary Culture have protect us from internal disruption and
and standing of Deshpande that the late not only denounced Hashmi's murder but external aggression, or so we are told. But
Hashmi luckily had, and (ii) it is not the also participate4 in the campaign initiated is it really true that possession of weapons
actual commission of a wrong or unjustified by pro-CPI(M) cultural organisations in and the readiness to use them reduces the
action, but it is its public reference which Andhra Pradesh. risk of conflict? If each of us went around
is harmful to the progressive cause. K V R armed to the teeth and looking for enemies,
Deshpande may be of the opinion that Kavali would that reduce the risk of our being
public condemnation by persons of status attacked? Everything, all our experience,
like him will be sufficient to prevent repeti- points in the opposite direction. Our only
tion of crimes like Hashmi's murder. This security lies in ceasing to produce and
correspondent, however, believes, to repeat, stockpile nuclear as well as conventional
that "the roused democratic and progressive APROPOS the letter of G P Deshpande
weapons, ceasing to train people to use
emotions will be assisted to crystallise into (February 18), we wonder why Deshpande is
them, teaching the people whose business is
purposive action against a repetition of a irked by your correspondent's note on Safdat
killing some more useful profession.
similar crime' if the Left ceases to be guilty Hashmi's ghastly murder (January 14). Is it
of the saine or similar lapses. This cor- not a fact that the CPI(M), which speaks of Our real enemies are not ordinary people
respondent is not particularly worried if civil liberties, proposed that communist of other countries or communities, but the
revolutionaries should be deprived of their people who rule or want to rule us by force,
Rajiv Gandhi or anyone else in the opposite
those who constantly wage a war to destroy'
camp derives any short-term benefit from civil liberties and democratic rights? (Please
the lives which we try to nurture. Our own
publicising of the Left's lapses as he believes do not construe that we do not condemn
Hashmi's murder by Congress(I) goons. We struggle is against the ignorance, prejudice
in Lenin's advice that "We must not conceal
do condemn his murder). What is relevant and hatred which justifies wasting precious
our mistakes from the enemy. Anyone who
here is that it is time to expose the hypocrisy resources on programmes of destruction; a
is afraid of this is no revolutionary.'
of those who claim to be champions of civil struggle for peace and friendship between
Deshpande seems to be a firm believer in
liberties but do not hesitate to deprive others the peoples of our countries and all other
his thought-reading powers. But his opinions
of the same in the state where they are in countries.
about this correspondent's opinions about
the communist parties or the Left movement power. Whether such people belong to the *Meena Dhanda (India), Pritam Singh
are not particularly material. This cor- CPI(M) or the communist revolutionaries, (India), Tlni Sandhu Bhargava (India),
respondent, however, will continue to warn we must expose their double game if they Rajeev Bhargava (India), Jim White (UK),
indulge in the very activities which they con- C M Gorringe (UK), A Godfrey (UK),
against any contribution that the com-
demn in public. May we inform Deshpande M Guiry (UK), Mick Howes (UK), E Fer-
munists and the Left may be wittingly or un-
that in AP a prominent people's artist nando (Sri Lanka), Akshay Bakaya (India),
wittingly making to the pervasive culture of
Yameema Mitha (Pakistan), Radha Kumar
violence in the country and will continue to Gaddar has been forced to go underground
(India), A Chhachhi (India), N Endagama
appeal to the parties claiming to be Marxist and Vara Vara Rao had to have his bail (Sri Lanka), R E Kelly (UK), H Lacey (UK),
to view this phenomenon with. a sense of cancelled for fear of fake encounters by the
R T Horgan (UK), N Smith (UK),
utmost responsibility. NTR government's police and the CPI(M)
S Mustafa (Pakistan), Tariq Abdullah
is hand-in-glove with this great 'left
YOUR CORRESPONDENT (Pakistan), Shaku Banaji (India); Rohini
democrat', NTR, in all his atrocities against Hensman (Sri Lanka), Jani De Silva (Sri
Calcutta
people's movements and democratic Lanka), Tara Coomaraswamy (Sri Lanka),
struggles. Jagath Senaratne (Sri Lanka), Sepali Kot-
II
ARUN AND OTHERS tegoda (Sri Lanka), L J Greenaway (UK),
G P DESHPANDE's letter (February 18) Revolutionary Writers' Jill Howes (UK), Saleha Begum
provides a strong plea for concerted action Association. (Virasam) (Bangladesh), R W Greenaway (Austra
in defence of democratic rights and civil Murad Banaji (India).
Kurnool.

590 Economk a;nd Political Weekly Makwh 25, 189

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