Will The Indian People’s Front Help Revolution?

A new Left organisation claiming to represent the genuine revolutionaries wedded to scientific socialism has taken shape raising fresh hopes about the country’s languishing Left movement. Called the Indian People’s Front, it was launched at a well-attended convention in New Delhi on April 26, 1982. While a dozen of our dalit comrades from different parts of India attended it, we have not yet received any first-hand report from them. The “national press” however virtually ignored this important event except for a scrappy report indicating the ruling class fear over the birth of this new organisation. However, we could get a peep into the deliberations by going through its newly-started journal. National Alternative (address: WZ-48-Ramgarh. New Delhi-110015) of May. The convention. it says, was attended by 1,500 delegates and observers representing 200 mass organisations “fighting landlords. imperialists and other Indira autocrats”. The April 24-26 session was considered a big success. The immediate aim of the IPF was “to unite all struggling and democratic forces” and the ultimate aim was to “fight for a genuine, strong, independent prosperous, united people’s”, republic of India in which all political power will be vested in the people.” Very fine indeed. The noted kisan leader of the Bhojpur fame Ramakant Dwivedi (“Ramta”) was elected president & Raja- ram, leader of the Bihar Democratic and Patriotic Front, gen. secretary. The leader- ship appears mostly in the hands of pro- China Naxalites. PUDR president Gobind Mukhoti addressing the convention” ex- posed the anti-people and pro-feudal policies of the so-called national leaders like Gandhi, Nchru & also Indira Gandhi.” Rajaram said the RSS-BJP “would be an instrument in the hands of the big business and communal hands for the oppression of the masses. And the national alternative mooted by CPM as Left and Democratic front would be another effective instrument for the repression of the people”. Most of the speakers criticised the pro-Soviet CPM & CPI. So far so good. But what have the IPF to offer for the country’s poorest of the poor, the Untouchables & tribals, groaning under caste oppression ? Barring the speeches of one Dalit Panther leader and one P. Sambayya. described as leader of over 5 lakh fisher- men of Andhra, who made pointed reference to the havoc played by caste system. we are sorry to note that the speeches of other leaders, including its president and general secretary, did not make any reference to the social problems of India. Untouchables are killed and their property destroyed not because they are poor but because they are outcastes. If poverty is the reason, why the other poor among Hindus are not attacked ? Their problem is not economic but social. Muslims and Christians are facing the same fate not because they are poor but because their religion is considered hostile to Brahminism. Tribals are being annihilated not because they are poor but because they are refusing to get Hinduised. These four above-named sections constitute the poorest of India’s poor. Their poverty is the byproduct of their social exploitation. The speeches made at the IPF convention or the resolutions passed have ignored this basic fact of Indian life. We hope the IPF leadership will make quick amends lest this yet another attempt by “genuine revolutionaries” also tum out to be a storm in the tea cup. However, we are happy to note the fairly good representation given to tribals and the support given to their demand for separate Jharkhand. But the more revolutionary Mangloid tribes of the NE India, from whom the plains tribals have to learn a lot, are not adequately represented. This must be corrected. IPF has accepted the Indian dalits long-pending demand to rename Marathwada University after Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Apart from this one demand. their other equally important demand like Dalitastan did not figure. This was per- haps because adequate representation was not given to dalits. Muslims and Christians are not adequately represented. This can be made up next time. The discussions appear to have given too much importance to political issues, criticising CPM, Indira Gandhi. Soviet imperialism etc. We feel that instead of criticising others, it is better if the IPF says what it has to offer to the people. It is true that an analysis of the existing situation is necessary. Perhaps it is for this reason such a criticism became unavoidable. While the journal gave fairly good account of what different leaders spoke, we are sorry to note that it did not give the same coverage to the speeches of leaders of Untouchables like Tamil Nadu’s P. KR jan or what Vijayaraju of AP spoke. In India it is mainly the Untouchables and tribals who are born revolutionaries. Brahmins and other high caste Hindus can hardly be revolutionaries because of their caste character. If IPF does not understand this, it will turn out to be yet another younger brother of the CPM-CPI. consciously repeating the same mistake. We congratulate the IPF for rejecting the stupid parliamentary politics and for describing CPM-CP1 as election-oriented per- ties. Contesting elections without pre- paring the people is a sheer waste of energy, time and money. The Left parties have turned out to be reformist only because of this reason. The people want revolution and not reform. In fact IPF is more worried about the “Soviet imperialism” describing it as the main danger. But to say that “discriminations whether religious or castelines are due to the persistence of feudalism, which has come handy to the autocrats for fanning fissiparous trends”, is too amateurish a way of looking at too serious a problem. Dalits and other presecuted minorities will not be misled by this call. The urban-dwelling educated high caste people are more caste-religion conscious than the villagers. The Gujarat “caste war” against Untouchables was launched by high caste MBBS doctors and not by feudal lords. The followers of Satya Sai Baba. Chinmayananda. Rajanish the religious counter revolutionaries are not villagers but highly qualified Hindus. IPF must correct its stand before it is late. We are happy that Ramdas Athwale of the Dalit Panthers, Maharashtra. is made one of the vice- presidents of the IPF but its leadership once again appears to be loaded with high castes. This may not inspire the dalits. Muslims and Christians or even the OBCs. The IPF resolution has fully supported the “oppressed nationalities, particularly Muslims, in their legitimate demands.” But what about the vast OBCs (52 per cent of the Indian population)? Why no mention of the Mandal Commission report on them? Be that as it may, we wish the IPF all success and watch its progress with great interest.