Volume 51 No. 18 Organ of the SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA (COMMUNIST) 12 Pages

May 1, 2018 Founder Editor-in-Chief : COMRADE SHIBDAS GHOSH Price : Rs. 3.00

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LONG LIVEGREAT KARL MARX

5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883

“Both for the production on a massscale of this communistconsciousness, and for the success ofthe cause itself, the alteration of menon a mass scale is necessary, analteration which can only take place ina practical movement, a revolution; thisrevolution is necessary, therefore, notonly because the ruling class cannot beoverthrown in any other way, but alsobecause the class overthrowing it canonly in a revolution succeed in riddingitself of all the muck of ages andbecome fitted to found societyanew.”— (The German Ideology)

LONG LIVE MAY DAY

Overcoming ambience of

The whole country is passing through a darkphase. Ruling capitalism and its servitors areresorting to all kinds of vile measures to make lifeunbearable for the common people. It is a stiflingcondition in every sphere –economic-political-social-cultural. The toiling millions are reelingunder abjectly opportunistic totally unprincipledvote-politics, coupled with the BJP- RSScombine, in power at the Centre and many states,trying thousand and one means, particularly theirHindutvawadi religious fundamentalism, casteismgoing to the extent of anti-Dalit campaign to drivecleavage among people and leave thememasculated. Criminals, debauch and lumpensare wreaking havoc with atrocities on womenand children mounting high. Not only thebourgeois parties, even the pseudo-Marxistsdriven by the lure of pelf and power and havingno other objective except reaping electoralbenefits, have reduced politics to sheeropportunism and a corrupt practice of makingcareer. Oppressed people have been franticallyseeking emancipation, even bursting forth insporadic protests but are soon plunged infrustration and despair as their struggles arefizzling out in absence of proper leadership,guidance and correct ideology. Amidst this all-outgloom, it is the SUCI(C), as the revolutionary

throughout the country on this background. Partycomrades –supporters-sympathisers along withmasses of onlookers from the common peopleorganized different kinds of programmes, in mostcases ending in mass meetings addressed by theleaders deputed centrally from the Partyheadquarters, as usual. The observances weremarked by rendering of mass songs as well as thesongs on 24 April, on Comrade Shibdas Ghosh,the founder General Secretary of the Party, at thebeginning and the Communist Internationale atthe end.

In Kolkata the 70th Foundation Anniversarywas initiated at the Party Central Office on 24April morning with hoisting of the Red Flag byComrade Provash Ghosh, the Party GeneralSecretary and with paying floral tributes to theportrait of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, the founderGeneral Secretary of the Party and one of thefore-ranking Marxist thinkers of the days byComrade Provash Ghosh and veteran PolitBureau member Comrade Ranjit Dhar alongwith other leaders. Comrade Provash Ghoshmade a brief speech in Bengali to the comradesassembled there. Its English translation is givenbelow. Responsibility of translation error, if any,lies with the Editorial Board, Proletarian Era, .

Stand firmly imbued withMarxism-Leninism-

Shibdas Ghosh ThoughtComrade Provash Ghosh’s call on the

71st Party Foundation Day on 24 AprilComrades

All comrades know the importance andhistorical significance of 24 April. You are alsoaware how Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, greatteacher and Marxist thinker and worthy continuerof great Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-Mao Zedonghad founded SUCI(C) through an arduousuncompromising struggle against too many odds

Party built up by ComradeShibdas Ghosh, one of the fore-ranking Marxist thinkers of thepresent days, which is upholdingthe banner of politics basedfirmly upon Marxist-Leninistprinciples and ideology and loftyproletarian culture. Toiling peoplealready under severe capitalistexploitation are feeling the pangof this situation helplessly, yetkeenly observing and whereverpossible extending support to theParty and its activities.

The 71st Foundation Day ofthe Party has been observedComrade Provash Ghosh, hoisting the Red Flag at

the Party Central Office in Kolkata on the historic 24 April

utterly unprincipled, corruptpolitics across the country71st Party Foundation Day observed

with revolutionary conviction

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Comrade Provash Ghosh’s speech

Capitalism has nothing to offer otherthan decadence and degeneration

and obstacles. Carrying in his heartthe tears, pains and sorrows of theoppressed millions he founded ourparty SUCI (Communist) with thedream to accomplish anti-capitalistsocialist revolution in India andthereby strengthen the internationalrevolutionary movement.

Decadent moribund capitalismdevastating every walk of life

What is the situation we arefaced with today? People of theworld including our country, ratherthe whole human civilisation is facedwith a grave crisis. Great Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-Mao Zedonghad foretold about the advent ofsuch an all-round crisis in this era ofdying capitalism. Comrade ShibdasGhosh could himself witness some ofthese. A social system does passthrough the stages of adolescence,youth, maturity, old age andinfirmity. Capitalism-imperialismtoday is like a stinking corpse ondeath pyre. But a social systemdoes not die automatically in anatural course like animals. Role ofconsciousness is crucially importantin accelerating the process ofchange of human society. In a class-divided society conflicts existbetween the reactionary thoughts ofthe ruling class and the progressivethoughts of the oppressed classseeking emancipation. So long as theoppressed class yearning foremancipation does not find andaccept the revolutionary ideologyand revolutionary culture and buildup revolutionary organization, thedecrepit society does not die ipsofacto howsoever is the extent ofdegeneration and decay. This is thelaw of history. Capitalism, either inthe world or in our country, hasnothing to offer further in theeconomic-political-social-culturalspheres other than more destructionand decadence. We are faced withsuch a grim situation. On the onehand, there is extreme concentrationof wealth in the hands of a few,while on the other there is extremelyincreasing poverty, hunger, starvationand death. On the one hand, there ismaximization of profit while on theother there is maximization ofunemployment and retrenchment.This severe crisis has gripped all theimperialist-capitalist countriesstarting from USA, the chieftain, toIndia and other countries of Asia,Africa, Europe and Latin America.Ridden with severe market crisis,

the imperialist-capitalist economy issunk upto its neck. Just a few yearsback, USA, the ring-leader of theimperialist-capitalist world, was thechief proponent of the globalizationof trade with a view to grabbingworld market. Today, it finds thatbecause of the same scheme, mostof its home market has beenswallowed by the imperialists-capitalists of other countries. Thishas put the US industries in crisis.Unemployment and retrenchment issoaring. So, the US rulers are nowraising complaint againstglobalization which they themselveshad once advocated so strongly.They are now raising protectivetariff walls to prevent entry offoreign goods in order to protectown home market. As againstglobalization, they are now opting forprotectionism. In retaliation otherimperialist-capitalist countries arealso doing the same. Thus, a tradewar has ensued in the world. Whoknows in the next round there maybe armed clashes or wars also?Imperialism-capitalism does meanscrambling and conflict over loot andplunder of markets. Lenin, on theeve of the First World War, hadshown that capitalism has entered itsmoribund stage. Today, the samecapitalism is a carcass spreadingbad smell. It is destroying everythingin the economic-political-social-cultural-moral lives of the people.

The ruling bourgeoisie isdestroying human values,human essence, ethics andmorality

In the 20th century, even in thatera of decaying capitalism, thebanner of humanism was held aloftby Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw,Einstein and other luminaries. LaterRussell, Sartre and others stood up.On the other side, Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-Mao Zedong andComrade Shibdas Ghosh held aloftthe flag of communism. In ourcountry, humanist movement startedwith Rammohan, Vidyasagar, JotibaPhule and such other doyens. Thencame Rabindranath, Saratchandra,Nazrul, Premchand, SubramaniaBharati, Jyotiprosad and in thepolitical sphere the revolutionarieslike Netaji Subhas, Bhagat Singh andChandrasekhar Azad. Today, notonly in India but in the entire world,there is no semblance of humanistvalues in social life. Most of thebourgeois statesmen are found to behypocrites, cheats and liars. Even

some of them are nothing butdebauches. Everyday a new case ofsexual scandal involving the USPresident is coming to the fore. Thestatesmen in our country are alsorank liars and hypocrites. They aredeceiving and defrauding the people,indulging in palpable falsehood.Democracy is only for name’s sake.There is attack on human essence.What distinguishes a man from ananimal is his power of thinking.Civilization is endowment of thisthinking faculty of men. Thesupreme contribution of civilizationhas been evolution of human values,concept of ethics and morality andsense of responsibility. Right fromthe dawn of civilization, thesehuman values and essence havebeen most precious in every society.Today, capitalism-imperialism isdestroying all human values. In allspheres of social life and activitiesthere is dire absence of sense ofmorality and sense of values. Thepioneers of renaissance movementand the leaders of our freedommovement did not see this crisis oftotal degeneration. The rulers areannihilating love, affection, tenderfeelings, sense of duty, fraternity—everything. Every day, severalnumber of rape cases are reported.Starting from a 70-year old lady to a7 month infant, no one is spared.Daughter is complaining of beingraped by father. The greatmen ofearlier period had not witnessedsuch bestiality. Now, we are witnessto this barbarity almost daily. Theseall are the fallout of decadentmoribund capitalism. Capitalismtoday is stripping human beings ofhuman essence. It is giving birth toa new species which are humans inphysical appearance but bereft ofany human essence. Such speciescould not be found even in themedieval or barbaric age, not evenin the world of beasts. Capitalism iskilling not only rational thinking buteven the very faculty of thinking. Allsense of obligation, duty,responsibility and judgement aresimply wiped off. Stripped of humanessence, human beings are beingturned into beasts, mindless andheartless creatures. Thus, the verymind to protest against wrong andinjustice is destroyed. In order tosustain this exploitative capitalistsociety, the ruling bourgeoisie and itsservitors are leading the youth toastray in every respect; dumpingthem in the dungeon of sex-perversion and criminal activities.

This is the reality we are face toface with.

People’s movements are fizzlingout in absence of correctleadership

We all are students of ComradeShibdas Ghosh. We are all firm inour resolve to spread his thoughts.We have voluntarily joined the Party.We all are aware that ComradeShibdas Ghosh had not onlydeveloped Marxism-Leninism byway of concretely applying it in theconcrete situation of this country, hehad also provided answer to all thequestions in the realm of philosophyand science that arose in the post-Lenin period. How to develop aproletarian revolutionary party intoday’s context, what is proletariandemocracy, what is proletarianculture, what are the problemsemerging within the communistmovement, what are the reasonsbehind rise of revisionism withinsocialism and how is that helpingcapitalism to surface and stage acomeback—all these questionswere duly answered by him basedon the methodology of analysisprovided by the science of Marxism-Leninism. In that process, he hadfurther enriched the treasurehouseof Marxism-Leninism.

The oppressed people today arebursting into agitations-movementsin various countries. There arerepeated tides of surging movementsbut only to be followed by ebbs. Themass struggles are losing steam andsubsiding in no time. Because, thereis no correct leadership to guidethese struggles to logicalculmination. The aggrieved agitatingmillions are not aware of the correctcourse of conducting the struggles.Neither the world socialist camp northe world communist movement is inexistence today. There is no propercommunist leadership in differentcountries. There are only some strayattempts to develop communistmovement in certain countries. Butwe know, no genuine communistparty can be developed todaywithout being guided by ComradeShibdas Ghosh Thought which is thehigher understanding of Marxism-Leninism. So, it is incumbent on usto spread Comrade Shibdas GhoshThought in various countries as well.For that we need to increase thestrength of our Party far more. Withthe present strength, we shall not beable to perform that task. So long as

PROLETARIAN ERA MAY 1, 2018 PAGE THREE

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Creating ground for militaryintervention by making falseand fabricated charges

The ‘grave concern’ of thePentagon rulers and their associateswas short-lived as soon it was laidbare that the posts on chemicalattack victims were all fabricated.These had in reality been photosfrom Gaza and Mosul anddeliberately uploaded to slam falseaccusations against the Syriangovernment. Little wonder that theUS led imperialist powers dispensedeven with the fig leaf of an ‘enquiry’into the purported crime beforelaunching the air strikes. It is worthrecalling that way back in 1964, theUS rulers had circulated news ofphony “attack” by Vietnamese PTboats on a US warship in the Gulf ofTonkin in 1964 and then on thatpretext triggered the most heinouswar of aggression against Vietnam.Over a decade back, the USimperialists invaded Iraq on the falsepretext that Saddam Hussein, theIraqi President, possessed Weaponsof Mass Destruction (WMD) and onthat false plea killed over three lakhsof innocent citizens including womenand children and razed the countryto rubble. After military occupation,a puppet regime was installed there.A mockery of trial was held tomuder Saddam Hussain. Later, thedoor was opened to the mostfelonious terrorist organization likeISIS, backed and armed by the USand its associates, to rise from theashes and hold the entire area andits surroundings to ransom. Withinfew years, it was the turn of Libya,another oil rich Middle-East country.Muammar Gaddafi, the LibyanPresident, an ardent proponent ofpan-Arabic nationalism andproposed merger of all Arab

Direct military assault by US imperialists and their allies on Syria

Heinous imperialist machination of runningover sovereign countries unfolded once more

countries into one country—the“United States of Africa”, becamean eyesore of the US imperialists.So, the US rulers pressed notoriousCIA to lend all necessary support tovarious anti-Gaddafi disgruntledgroups and elements and thencombine them in a planted rebelorganization named ‘NationalTransitional Council’ (NTC). It wasposed as if NTC had spearheaded ademocratic struggle of the peace-loving masses “fighting tyranny” ofGaddafi regime and organizedpopular militias to “liberate thecountry” from the clutches of adespotic regime. Then, under thecover of a crescendo of humanrights violation propaganda againstGaddafi and in the name of helpingthe same very NTC in its nefariousgame to assume power by anymeans, the US imperialist rulerstogether with their British andFrench counterparts overridingworld opinion and dispensing withendorsement from a pliant UNO,launched direct military attack onLibya under the pretence of a“humanitarian” mission to protectcivilian lives. So, Gaddafi wassavagely assassinated by the USimperialists and their agents. Next tobe on the hit list of the USimperialist sharks has beenPresident Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

Syria—the latest target of afabricated charges

The pattern followed in Syria isvery similar to that adopted in Iraqor Libya. Since President Assad haslong been refusing to bend downbefore US dictates, the USimperialists and its allies created aso-called ‘rebel’ force in Syrianamed ‘Free Syrian Army’ (FSA)hinging largely on Sunni

fundamentalism, fed it with all aidsand assistance to start a movement,under the cover of a so calledmovement for democracy, with adeclared demand for ouster of thePresident, Bashar Al-Assad.Alongside, with a view todestabilizing Assad, they went onfinancing, training and armingterrorist insurgents and tens ofthousands of mercenaries like alQaeda terrorists, recruits of Jihadistfanatics etc. operative within Syria .Qatar had trained many al Qaedalike rebels who are active inSyria. And German arms hadreached ISIS via Qatar. In spite ofthat,the planted ‘rebels’ and so-called insurgents could not topplethe Assad government, nor couldthey elicit any leniency from Assad.Rather Assad continued to enjoy hispeople’s support, apparently fromtheir long-standing anti-USimperialist mind-set. Then, inkeeping with their tradition ofspreading lies, the US imperialistswith the help of their well-knitpropaganda machinery and notoriousespionage agencies, charged Assadgovernment of killing hundreds ofcivilians in Damascus using lethalsarin gas in 2013. But investigationsby noted journalists like SeymourHersh, who exposed the 1968 MyLai massacre in Vietnam,observation of Peter Ford, formerBritish ambassador to Syria,revelations by Scott Ritter, formerU.N. weapons inspector in Iraq andeven admission by Rex Tillerson, USSecretary of State till the other day,clearly proved that PresidentAssad’s government was notresponsible for the chemicalweapons deaths and the accusationwas fake and craftily manipulatedby al Qaeda -like forces to provokea direct military intervention by US.Then, after being unable to dislodgeAssad regime despite all efforts toexacerbate planted ‘rebellion’, theUS rulers once again in Decemberlast accused the Assad governmentof having launched chemical attackin Khan Sheikhoun area of Syria.And on that pretext, the USpounded the Shayrat airbase ofSyrian army from the sky. But oncemore the lie was exposed whenJames Mattis, the then US DefenceSecretary, made it clear that the UShad no evidence of any suchchemical attack. On the contrary,investigation documents released bysecret information agencies also

indicated that the use of criminalchemical weapons on Syriancivilians in Khan Sheikhoun wasplanned and operationalized by theUS intelligence to oust Assad frompower.

Still, the US imperialists did notrelent from weaving ploys toachieve their sinister mission.Douma, the city of East Ghoutaadjacent to Damascus, the Syriancapital, had long been under the holdof many armed terrorist groups likeJaysh al-Islam (Saudi-backed),Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Qaeda),Ahrar al-Sham, backed by the USand its imperialist allies from Europe.This city under siege had been usedby these terrorist-fundamentalistgroups to launch deadly missileattacks on Damascus and killcivilians including school children.After a series of such deadly missilestrikes since 21 February the SyrianArmy was left with no choice tosecure Damascus other than freeingthe East Ghouta from the terrorists.So, it began air strikes hitting thehideouts and the base of theterrorists, especially their missilestockpiles. Enraged by brutal killing,inhuman tortures and repressions bythe terrorist groups, the people ofEast Ghouta wholeheartedlysupported the Syrian forces in theirbid to liberate the city. Sensing thatEast Ghouta too would soon befreed by the Syrian governmentforces, the pro-US terrorist groupshoarded all the supplies and left thepeople there to starve. The hostagecitizens were also used by them asa shield whenever the Syriangovernment forces were trying tofree the hostages and take control ofthe city. But overcoming all these,the Syrian Army wiped offterrorists’ hold in East Ghouta andwas on a victory run over the‘rebels’. The town of Douma wasthe last to be liberated from the gripof the Jaysh al-Islam and otherterrorist groups who had no optionbut agree to an evacuation. Smellingdefeat, the US imperialists, as aninitial manoeuvre, sought to enforcea ceasefire of 30 days in EastGhouta, the aim being to ensure anescape route for the ‘rebels’ andterrorists subservient to them. Butthe Syrian government only agreedto hold back fire only for 5 hourswhen the buses carrying the hostageEast Ghouta citizens would moveout and then again go for all-out

Two months back, shocking videos of mutilated bodies of dead childrenand women alleged to be victims of deadly attack of chemical weapons inEast Ghouta of Syria went viral. And in no time, the US imperialist regimecharged the Syrian government of using poisonous chlorine gas and similartoxic chemicals against its civilian population. Citing the photos, the USgovernment officials as well as the UN, long turned into their rubber stamp,expressed ‘grave concern’ for the Syrian people and accused SyrianPresident Assad and his government of brutally killing civilians and raked upthe oft-repeated claim that the “regime of Assad” is very evil and must go.And then the US, Britain and France bypassing any consensus at UN andbrazenly trampling international laws launched a volley of air strikes againstthree Syrian targets. Germany is also reported to have already marked anddocumented possible targets, using its surveillance aircraft. Syria has thusbecome an open book to the US-led NATO constituents. Earlier, the US-backed Zionist Israeli regime had mounted air attack on Syria fromLebanese airspace in violation of international law. Clearly, there is aconcerted move to escalate another large-scale war in the Middle-East.

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Syria

US uses same ploy of spreading lies andplanting ‘rebellion’ using well-knit propaganda

and espionage agencies to dislodge AssadContd. from page 3

Contd. on page 5

assault. It is at this point that onceagain the lies about ‘chemicalattack’ by Syrian army were spreadto ‘justify’ direct militaryintervention. Preposterous indeed!Why should the Syrian governmentchoose this moment of victory tosuddenly unleash a gas attack? ThatSyria did not possess any weapon ofmass destruction was confirmed bythe Organisation for the Prohibitionof Chemical Weapons currently inSyria for inspection. It is nowrevealed that White Helmets, aBritish NGO, had staged a fakechemical weapon attack on theSyrian town of Douma on April 7last and that this was used as apretext for the coordinated US-Britain-France action. One thing isclear. Fabricated allegations werethrust upon the Assad regime by theUS and its associates every time theSyrian Army made advances againstthe rebel terrorist groups. Last year,it was Khan Sheikhoun. This year itis Douma. It also needs to bementioned that US-Britainimperialist duo has been pretendingto be so opposed to chemicalweapons and the human sufferingthey cause. Incredible indeed! Thewhole world knows that no oneother than the US imperialists havebeen recklessly using chemical aswell as nuclear weapons on civilianpopulation to score military victoryover the opponents. It happened inJapan, in the Korean War, inVietnam, in Iraq, in Libya and in somany other places. Now it ishappening in Syria. And there isrepeat of the shrewd saga of‘turning the table’.

Why is the US hell-bent todislodge Assad?

Obvious question is why the USimperialists are hell-bent to dislodgePresident Assad. For that a fewrelevant economic-political issuesneed to be taken into cognizance atthe outset. First of all, thoughSyria is not a major crudeoil producing country, both SaudiArabia and Iraq oil pipelines havegone through Syrian deserts startingdecades ago, from which it hasearned much revenues. Secondly,the world’s largest known naturalgas reservoir sits in the middle ofthe Persian Gulf straddling part inthe territorial waters of Qatar and

part in Iran. The US imperialistshave a hawk’s eye on these crucialnatural resources for long andhence they have been so keen totake control over that by resortingto all kinds of evil measuresincluding flexing of military muscle.In July 2011, the governments ofSyria, Iran and Iraq signed ahistoric gas pipeline energyagreement. The proposed pipelinewas to run from the Iranian PortAssalouyeh near the South Parsgas field in the Persian Gulf, toDamascus in Syria via Iraqterritory. The agreement waspoised to make Syria the centre ofassembly and production inconjunction with the reserves ofLebanon. This was envisioned tobe a geopolitically strategic spaceextending from Iran to Iraq, Syriaand Lebanon. Shortly after signingwith Iran and Iraq, Syria announceddiscovery of a gas well in its areaof Qarahand. Gazprom, a largeRussian company in the business ofextraction, production, transport,and sale of natural gas, was chosento be a major investor or operatorof these newly discovered gasfields in Syria. Next point is thatEuropean Union (EU) is the world’slargest market for gas. Iran, whichalso has gas fields, had planned toextend the pipeline from Damascusto Lebanon’s Mediterranean tocater to the huge EU market. Onthe other hand, Qatar, hitherto aclose ally of US-Saudi combine, isthe world’s largest exporter ofnatural gas and naturally eyes thesame EU market. For that, it alsointended to build pipelines to theMediterranean. So, it needed toedge out Syria. In fact, in 2009,Qatar approached Assad with aproposal of constructing a gaspipeline from Qatar’s north Field toTurkey via Syria to facilitate its EUsupply. Assad refused, citing Syria’slong friendly relations with Russiaand Gazprom. In fact, Assad hadbeen consistently stalling anyingress of the US imperialists intoits oil and gas reserves. Obviously,the US-Saudi bloc has takenumbrage at this. Hostility of the USimperialist bloc towards Assad wasfurther aggravated when hedropped US dollar for oil trade andopted for Euro and bannedGenetically Modified Seeds ofwhich large US MNCs are thebiggest suppliers. The US

monopolists, giant MNCs andbanks—who are the holders of USimperialist regime—fear that defeatof US economic-political strategiesin the Middle East would severelyaffect the hegemonic design theyhave been pursuing to buttress theirulterior class interest. They alsoapprehend that if US interests arejeopardized there and US military iscompelled to pull out from theregion, it would benefit Russia andChina, now turned imperialist-capitalist following counter-revolution and appeared as majorcontenders in the global capitalistmarket. Also, it might strengthenthe position of Iran, anotherformidable anti-US regime in WestAsia. So, is the ‘imperativeness’ todrag out the same pretext tooverrun Syria and plant a clientregime there.

It is worth mentioning in thisregard that Syria is also a unitarysemi-presidential republic or abourgeois dictatorship regime andobviously people there are alsosubject to bourgeois oppression andexploitation. Like all other rulingbourgeoisie in the capitalistcountries, the Syrian bourgeoisiealso, in decadent moribundcapitalism, cannot and could notfulfil the democratic aspirations oftheir people. So, there does existgrievances among the Syrianpeople. But that by no meansauthorizes any imperialist power orany reactionary pro-imperialistgovernment of the Middle East tointerfere and stimulate dissention

with a view to bringing about aregime change and install a puppetgovernment composed ofreactionaries favoured by them. Itis the inalienable right of the peopleof any country to choose their ownregime and no foreign powershould illegally and unauthorisedlyinterfere in the internal affairs ofany sovereign country, let alonebring down military assault. Syriamust be left to the Syrians to decidethe course that people of that landwould follow. They need to strugglefor emancipation by giving birth torevolutionary leadership andtreading along correct base politicalline.

Role of imperialist RussiaIn this context it may be

mentioned that capitalist-imperialistRussia in its own interest has beenlending full support to Assad’sforces in combating this threat forquite some time. It ought not to beforgotten this Russia is not thesocialist Soviet Union which oncestood out as the bulwark against allimperialist machinations includingmilitary interventions. This Russiaruled by the Russian bourgeoisiesaddled in power after counter-revolution in 1991 pursues the samehegemonic design with the intentionof extending its own sphere ofinfluence.

Russia’s involvement in the warin Syria is thus more out of concernof losing out to US and its allies like

SUCI (Communist) strongly condemnsbrazen missile attack by the USimperialists and their allies on Syria

Strongly condemning the brazen missile attack on Syria jointlyby the arch imperialist USA, UK and France, Comrade ProvashGhosh, General Secretary, SUCI(Communist), issued the followingstatement on 13 April 2018 :

We strongly condemn the combined brutal attack launched byUS-British and France imperialists today on Syria with at least 100volleys of missiles, utterly violating international laws, customs andconventions. The missile attack was unleashed raising a falsepretext of use of chemical weapons by Assad government againstthe so called ‘rebels’— a charge found to be completely unfoundedand baseless.

We call upon the anti-imperialist and peace-loving people of theworld to come forward and condemn this heinous attack demandingimmediate halt to this barbarity and develop powerful anti-imperialiststruggle throughout the world.

PROLETARIAN ERA MAY 1, 2018 PAGE FIVE

Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the‘energy war’ i.e. who would controlhow much of oil and gas reserve inthe Middle East. Moreover, 80 percent of the gas that the Russianstate-controlled company Gazpromproduces is sold to Europe partlythrough Turkey and Syria. Theproposed largest gas pipeline in theMiddle East stretching from Iran’sgas-rich South Pars field to theMediterranean coastline in Lebanonvia Iraq and Syria would not onlycater to the European market butalso the markets of China, India andPakistan and other South-eastAsian countries. Secondly, Iran, richboth in oil and natural gas, has anedge over Saudi Arabia, rich only inoil, and Qatar, rich only in naturalgas. For long, Iranian rulers havebeen friendly with Russia andopposed to US hegemonism. So,Russia does not want to lose thatadvantage. To it, Syria with strongeconomic ties with Iran andantagonistic to US-backed Saudibloc is obviously a natural ally. Tocontain Russia, the US-led Westernimperialists have been strengtheningand extending NATO bases inEastern Europe and Baltic statesand pulling strings from behind topull down the pro-Russiagovernment in Ukraine and broughton a civil war there. On the otherhand, Russia is trying to assert itsown power and thwart USmachinations in Syria and extend itsown sphere of influence. It is thusclear that this imperialist onslaughtupon the Arab world is driven bythe rapacity and cruelty so typicalof the imperialist powers who havepounced upon this region with allmight and shrewdness to establishan unchallengeable control over thisregion and its natural resources.

What makes the US brigandsso undeterred in brigandage?

Obvious question is why theimperialist vultures turned into worstwar mongers and how could the USimperialists and their allies dare tolaunch one after another armedattack on other countries, occupyingother lands flexing military muscle,engineering coups and planting pliantregimes in various countries,sustaining a war psychosisthroughout the world and Middle

East in particular, and orchestratinglocal, partial and even large-scalewars with alacrity? Answer lies inthe economic essence of imperialismand the prevailing internationalpolitical situation. Great Lenin hadsaid long back that imperialismgenerates war. Why did he say so?Because, capitalist economy isdependent on market demand.Following endemic law ofexploitative capitalism, thepurchasing power of the commonpeople falls rapidly. So, the marketshrinks. When the home marketsqueezes, the imperialists seekmarket outside. But then conflictsarise among the imperialist powerscentered on grabbing of market.Often this conflict translates intoarmed conflicts, meaning wars. Boththe first and second world wars tookplace because of that. But soon theexternal market also dries up andimperialist-capitalist crisis deepensfurther. So, in order to stave off thegrowing crisis, the imperialists-capitalists seek to reducedependence on normal consumptionmarket and instead scout formaximization of profit throughartificial stimulation of economy byway of increasing militaryconsumption. That means, that thegovernment itself turns up in themarket as the buyer of militaryhardware with the money from thegovernment budget funded by thepeople’s money. This is calledmilitarization of economy. The moreacute the crisis, the more militarizedis the economy. Next comes thequestion of releasing the stockpilesof arms so bought or produced, inorder to make fresh space formarket of arms and keepmilitarization running. So, theytrigger off war here and there,creating a market to sell arms tovarious warring countries orthemselves use those arms in courseof hostilities with other countries.That is why all imperialist powersfoment war tension and hostilitiesworldwide. So long imperialismwould stay, chances of outbreak ofwar would be there. The law ofinevitability of wars in the era ofimperialism is a law of politicaleconomy which arises from thespecial economic conditions of theera. The increased war threats andwar mongering of the USimperialists and their fellow-

travellers are to be understood in thelight of this genesis of imperialistwar.

Secondly, so long the socialistcamp, its shortcomingsnotwithstanding, was in existence, itworked as a bulwark againstimperialist war mongering. But withsad dismantling of the socialistcamp due to revisionist conspiracybacked by world imperialism, theimperialist sharks, particularly theUS imperialists, became unbridledand turned unbridled neo-colonialexploitation and attacks into outrightwars of aggression be it throughdirect occupation or proxywars.After turning one countryafter another into hotbeds ofimperialist machination, loot andplunder, the US imperialists andtheir associates turned towards theoil and gas rich Middle East whichwas set into flames of war under arange of false pretexts entailingcolossal loss of innocent lives andproperties. Over 3.5 lakh civiliansdied when the US invaded Iraq.Number of civilian deaths havebeen reported to be around 2 lakhs(Check figure please) inAfghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Sudanand Palestine. In Syria, over 2 lakhpeople have already been killed andmore than 30 lakh Syrians displacedoutside the country. AmnestyInternational has stated in nounambiguous term that the US-sponsored ‘rebels’ “have committedserious violations of internationalhumanitarian law, includingabductions, torture and summarykillings through the indiscriminateuse of weapons such as mortars,improvised explosive devices andsuicide car bombs in attacks onresidential areas under governmentcontrol.” But the US imperialistsare unfazed, and hell bent to bringthe entire Middle East under theirboot in avid pursuit of theirhegemonic design.

US imperialists, Hands offSyria

The situation indeed isexplosive. The cruelty andinhumanity of the US imperialistsfor fixing their tight grip on pelfhave been boundless. The US alongwith its fellow travelers in Europeand associates like Zionist Israel,Saudi Arabia and their cohorts haveturned the entire Middle-East into a

In absence of Socialist Bloc, bulwark of resistancemust be created by spurt of organized militant

anti-imperialist movement worldwide

Syria

killing field . Afghanistan, Palestine,Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria—whoknows who is the next to witnessimperialist fury and carnage ofunprecedented dimension; howmany innocent citizens includingwomen and children would bemercilessly killed, how many wouldbe maimed, how much of propertywould be destroyed. If allowed togo undeterred, these blood-thirstyvultures would be more unbridled infuture holding the entire worldpeople to ransom. It is the peoplewho bear the brunt of thecapitalist crisis and imperialist wars.The governments spend publicmoney from the exchequers formanufacturing lethal weaponswhich then are used against people.While the imperialist-capitalist rulersand their war-merchants multiplytheir wealth, the innocent haplesspeople pay the price by losing lifeand property. So, people must riseup. The toiling millions of differentimperialist-capitalist countries needto spearhead in right earnestrevolutionary working struggleagainst their respective bourgeoisrule by developing correctrevolutionary party and leadership.As against unholy nexus andalliance of the oppressiveimperialist-capitalist powers, thereshould be cemented unity andfraternity among the toiling peopleand rise of people’s power.Alongside, in absence of the mightySocialist Bloc that once couldrestrain the imperialist brigandsfrom doing whatever they wanted,the bulwark of resistance must becreated by exerting pressure ofworldwide organized militant anti-imperialist movement. United,sustained and well-coordinated anti-imperialist, anti-war militant peacemovements with the communists atthe core ought to be developed inevery nook and corner of the worldwith a view to creating a powerfulpressure upon the war-monger USimperialists and their associates toimmediately withdraw from Syriaand for that matter, every occupiedas well as war-torn regions. Thatstruggle will not only encourage thestruggle of Syrian people againstUS intervention, together it will alsoenhance their cause. Let the toilingpeople of the world unite andunanimously raise the slogan—USimperialists! Hands off Syria.

Contd. from page 4

PAGE SIX MAY 1, 2018 PROLETARIAN ERA

we do not achieve that, there wouldbe recurrent surge of sporadicmovements, ‘Occupy Wall Street’and ‘Arab Spring’ type ofmovements would come and go,spate of strikes would sweepEurope. But, capitalism-imperialismwould stay and crises wouldmultiply.

Abandonment of path ofstruggle by CPI (M), CPI pavedway for surge of communal BJP

In our country also, agitations,movements are surging forthsporadically giving vent to theaccumulated grievances of thesuffering people. It is true that ourParty is growing. But we still lack thestrength by which we couldtransform these sporadic movementsinto powerful organized sustainedmass struggles. It is true that thepresent BJP rule has assumed anaked fascistic form. At the sametime it is not correct that the BJP isthe first to bring fascism in ourcountry. Pioneer in this regard hasbeen the National Congress.Comrade Shibdas Ghosh said thislong back. Today, fascism has been ageneral feature of the rule in allcapitalist countries, advanced orbackward. What is fascism, whatare its economic features, politicalfeatures, socio-cultural aspects—allthese were explained by ComradeShibdas Ghosh to the toiling massesof the world. It is the Congress whichduring the freedom movementcreated the ground for this menacingrise of the RSS-BJP. In serving theclass interest of the bourgeoisie, theCongress had not only opposed therevolutionist ideology ofSubhaschandra, Bhagat Singh-Kshudiram in the political field, it alsoopposed the line of struggleagainst spiritualism-obscurantismspearheaded by Vidyasagar-Saratchandra-Bhagat Singh. Sincethe freedom movement theNational Congress hadcompromised with religion andspiritualism. We have seen thepoisonous effect of this compromisein the form of ugly outburst ofcommunal riot followed by partitionof the country. It is because of thiscompromising attitude of the NationalCongress that spiritualist thoughts,religious hatred and castediscrimination could find in this soil afertile ground to grow and thrive. Onthe other hand, the so-calledcommunist party meaning undivided

CPI which did not grow as a Marxistparty did never fight againstspiritualism, religious blindness andcommunalism. It grew and increasedits strength only by usurping the gloryof the international communistmovement and the credibility of thestruggle of Subhaschandra-BhagatSingh-Surya Sen. Neither they didcultivate Marxism nor higherproletarian culture. It has no historyor tradition of struggle againstspiritualism and communalism.Otherwise, the BJP could nevermake a dent into West Bengal, oncea citadel of leftism. How could thosewho were once the leaders andworkers of the CPI (M) now join theBJP if there was an iota of leftism inthem? In fact, to the CPI, CPI (M)leftism was only a slogan to voice butnot an ideology and culture to be

RSS-Jana Sangh (now BJP) to cometo the centre-stage of Indian politics.You ought to remember this. I wantto remind you another aspect. On theeve of the parliamentary election of1977, Jan Sangh and other rightistforces combined to form the JanataParty. The CPI (M) supported theJanata Party for reaping electoralbenefit. While Morarji Desai becamethe Prime Minister, Jyoti Basuassumed the chair of Chief ministerin West Bengal. They held eachother’s hand. Vajpayee and Advani,then the front-ranking leaders of JanSangh, were inducted in the ministryof Morarji Desai government whichthe CPI (M) called a ‘friendly’government. This is the history. Iwant to recall further that when V PSingh government was formed in1989 following a split in the then

Now, the CPI (M) is uniting with theCongress in the name of opposing theBJP. It is sheer opportunism. Is theCongress secular? Never has it beensecular. The very meaning ofsecularism is that there would be noplace for spiritualism in the realm ofphilosophy. The material world wouldbe the sole reality. Vidyasagar,Saratchandra, Bhagat Singh werethe exponents of true secularism.Secularism means that religion wouldhave no role to play in the arena ofpolitics, economy, social relations andculture. Religion would only remainas a matter of personal belief.Subhaschandra also advocated thesame thing. The Congress had neverpractised secular politics. On severaloccasions, the Congress engineeredcommunal riots. The latest was theanti-Sikh riot of Delhi in 1984. Whatis the Congress doing today forsecuring vote? It is competing withthe BJP by offering prayers in thetemples, mosques and churches. It issaid that the Congress is peddling‘soft Hindutva’. This very Congressis being branded as ‘secular’ by theCPI (M). Some of the regionalist-casteist-chauvinist parties like the SP,BSP, RJD, DMK, etc., who have noconnection with secularism but haveonly their eye on the seat of powerare being christened as ‘seculardemocratic forces’. But, there was agreat opportunity today for promotingan alternative leftist line. Now,internal antagonism and conflictswithin the monopoly houses andcorporate sector are intensified. Onegroup is backing the BJP while theother the Congress. Thecontradiction between the nationalcapital and regional capital isglaringly manifest in the sphere ofpolitics. So, when the ruling class andits servitor parties are engulfed inserious contradictions and conflictsamong them, the correct leftistline would have been to intensifyclass and mass struggles byappropriately using the internalcontradictions within the enemycamp. But the CPI (M) has given upthat path. Instead, solely guided byelectoral politics it is uniting with theCongress and all other regionalist-casteist-chauvinist parties in thename of fighting the BJP. This is noleftism but sheer pursuit ofopportunist bourgeois parliamentar-ism. In such a situation, our Party isboldly holding aloft the banner ofMarxism-Leninism-Shibdas GhoshThought and true leftism. An

Comrade Provash Ghosh’s speech

Deep boundless love for the oppressed millionsis the essence of revolutionary politics

Contd. from page 2

Contd. on page 7

cultivated or practised. Else, the BJPcould have never come to such aposition. Not only that. When did theBJP raise its strength in the country?As against the Syndicate Congressof Morarji Desai, the CPI (M)branded Indira Congress asprogressive in 1967-69. Those whoare now aged and saw that period inWest Bengal are aware of thishistory. Later, when a massivemovement at the call and initiative ofJayprakash Narayan surged forththroughout the Hindi speaking beltagainst the misrule of the Congress,then our Party under the leadershipof Comrade Shibdas Ghosh urged theleft parties to join the movement toprovide leadership. CPI was thenhaving an alliance with IndiraCongress. The CPI (M) wasmaintaining friendly relations withIndira Gandhi. So, both of themrefused to join that movement. As aresult, usurping the entire credit ofthat movement, RSS-Jan Sanghincreased their strength. But for that,it would have never been possible for

ruling Congress, it was supported byboth the BJP and the CPI (M). TheCPI (M) and the BJP held a jointmeeting at Kolkata Maidan whichwas addressed by Jyoti Basu andAtal Behari Vajpayee. So, thecontribution of the CPI (M) is no lessin enabling the BJP to gain strengthand to increase its social acceptance.The 34-yearlong rule of the CPI (M)-led front in West Bengal has causedimmense harm to the leftist traditionof West Bengal and turned the peopleagainst leftism. Comrade ShibdasGhosh had warned long back that theway the CPI (M) was causing seriousharm to leftism would pave the wayfor Jan Sangh (now BJP) to raise itshead. Exactly that has happened.The terror let loose by the rulingTMC today is also a replica of whatthe CPI (M) did while in power. So,the public has been saying that onceit was the CPI (M), now it is theTMC. Rather, a comparison is beingmade as to who would score overwhom in spreading terror andindulging in wrongdoing and injustice.

Comrade Provash Ghosh, addressing at the Party Central Office on 24 April

PROLETARIAN ERA MAY 1, 2018 PAGE SEVEN

important responsibility has beenbestowed on us in both national andinternational spheres.

Essential to fight menace ofindividualism

In this connection, I would like tosay a few more words for ourcomrades. All our comrades arehighly respectful to ComradeShibdas Ghosh. I know that ourcomrades would go on recalling histeachings till their last breadth. Theyare all pledge-bound to serve theinterest of the Party. But there arequestions which need to bepondered over. Many of our leadersand workers are yet to give up theirpersonal properties. Again, thoughquite a number of leaders andcadres have been able to give upprivate properties, they have notbeen able to free themselves fromprivate-property mental complex. Itindeed is a matter of hard struggle.Comrade Shibdas Ghosh was thefirst to point out this in the Marxistmovement that in order to acquireproletarian culture, one must befreed from individualism and private-property mental complex. Heshowed that individualism whichcame in the wake of advent ofsecular humanism in the days ofrising capitalism was progressive inthe then context. But today, in theera of extreme decadence ofcapitalism, the same veryindividualism has given birth to worstform of selfishness, self-centrednessand menacingly contributing towardsfast degeneration of ethical-moralstandard. We are all living in such apolluted environment whereindividualism works in us andpollutes us. In politics, we, in themain, understand the teachings ofComrade Shibdas Ghosh andcultivate them. But, most of ourleaders and workers are not awareand alert of the fact that bourgeoisindividualism continues to subtlyinfluence our habits and conduct, ourdaily life, our inter-personal relationsin every moment.

Grasp of Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought—Imperative to acquire highercommunist character

We all think and contemplate.Each of us think that this is right, thisis wrong; this is to be done, this isnot to be done; this is not good; thatis not to my likes; this person is likethis, that person is like that and so

forth. But is this process of thinkingin keeping with Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought? How manyof us are engaged in the struggle foracquiring the thought process ofComrade Shibdas Ghosh? Theconventional thoughts which weinherited from the society in ourchildhood were all born out ofbourgeois outlook and bourgeoisprocess of thinking. These are allingrained in our blood, are latentlyoperative in us. A ceaseless struggleis needed to free ourselves from thegrip of bourgeois thoughts, habitsand conduct. For that, we need tograsp the philosophy of Marxism-Leninism or Dialectical Materialism.This dynamic world is changing atevery moment. What are the lawsgoverning such changes? What arethe internal contradictions? Whatare the external contradictions?Which are the respective principalcontradictions in the internal andexternal domains? Which one is aquantitative change? Which one is aqualitative change? Which isundergoing negation to create a newentity? All these laws which aregoverning the nature are equallyoperative in the society, in a family,inside a person, inside one comrade,inside a leader. So, while examiningor analysing any phenomenon,evaluating or assessing any personor comrade, this Marxist approachneeds to be adopted. The analysis orappraisal should be donedispassionately, being free from anyill-feeling, personal reaction,subjective reading or pre-conceivednotions. Most of our leaders andworkers have not been able toacquire this ability till date. In orderto acquire this ability, one has tosimultaneously conduct theoreticaland practical struggle and byacquiring higher culture has todialectically integrate the lessons ofboth the struggles. Otherwise,dialectical relation would not developwithin the Party. In place ofdialectical relationship, there wouldonly be some discussions, someactivities, some exchange ofopinions and debates. But thedialectical relationship would notgrow in the Party. Dialecticalrelationship develops only throughdue dialectical process of attaininghigher ideological-cultural standardby conducting ceaseless all-embracing struggle. And if thatdialectical relationship does notgrow, democratic centralism wouldnot be operative in a proper way. In

that event, there will be either blindallegiance or blind opposition to theleadership. The leadership wouldturn bureaucratic. These tendencieswould be at work at various levels.Tendency to acquire name andfame, egoistic mentality,exhibitionism, jealousy, hatred,bitterness—all these vices would bemanifest in various forms. Thereought to be a relentless struggleagainst all these anti-revolutionarytrends and tendencies. None of uswould be able to elevate ourselvesto the standard of a good communistunless we acquire the proletarianoutlook needed to guide ourapproach towards love relationship,marital life and children. ComradeShibdas Ghosh had taught us thatonce bourgeois humanism wasprogressive. Based on that, noblecharacters emerged during theperiod of renaissance and bourgeoisdemocratic revolution. Therenaissance personalities and theleaders of freedom movement of ourcountry also reflected that highhumanist standard. But today, we,who aspire to be communists, havenot begun our journey even fromthat high humanist standard. That iswhy, Comrade Shibdas Ghosh hadrepeatedly said to us “study the lifeand struggle of the great men, learnfrom them”, “Read Saratchandra’sworks and learn from the charactershe depicted in his works.” Fromthese, first acquire the humanistcharacter and values, the essence ofwhich is to subordinate personalinterest to the interest of the Partyand revolution. The next higherstage is that the interest ofrevolution is my interest; the interestof the party is my interest. At thatlevel, there would be nothing left aspersonal interest i.e.one is identifiedwith the revolution and partyinterest. In order to attain thisstandard, we shall have to first attainthe highest standard of bourgeoishumanism. This struggle is of utmostimportance. Only emotion towardsthe Party and Comrade ShibdasGhosh would not save us. In courseof protecting our body from thevagaries of nature, we are tostruggle against environment atevery moment. Each moment, somany body cells get destroyed whilenew cells grow. Similarly, the traitsof old character are to be destroyedand elements of a new highercharacter have to grow within us.The contradiction between thebourgeoisie and the proletariat,

between a revolutionary characterand a non-revolutionary characterare continuously operating within usin every sphere. If we do notconduct the struggle for attaininghigher and higher revolutionarycharacter consciously andrelentlessly, we shall not be able toprevent our degeneration andbecome worthy student of ComradeShibdas Ghosh, no matter howso-ever high a post of responsibility wemight occupy in the Party.

Lastly, I would say that ComradeShibdas Ghosh was initiated into therevolutionary movement out ofprofound love and affection for theoppressed millions. If there is nodeep affection for the toilingmasses, the work of going to themasses becomes a mere routineone. First there ought to be love forthe oppressed people, thedowntrodden and have-nots. It willdrive me to the task of establishingmass contacts. This is the need.Every leader and cadre of the Partyirrespective of where they work andwhatever be their assignedresponsibilities must developthemselves as exemplary communistcharacters. Within the Party, everyleader should be an ideal before thecadres. Teach others by your ownconduct. The leaders should educatethe cadres with their owncharacters, by way of their lives, notmerely by delivering lectures. Inone’s locality, one should beendearing to all by dint of one’ssense of responsibility, love andaffection for others, decent conductand unassuming nature, firm standagainst injustice and ever readinessto help others in their need anddifficulties. This is how ourcomrades should develop masscontacts. In this way they shouldbecome beloved members of everyfamily of their localities. ComradeShibdas Ghosh wanted whether theleadership assigns any job or not,each Party worker should try tobuild up organization through his orher own creative initiative. Let themdevelop clubs, libraries and culturalorganizations in various localities andthrough those carry to the masseshigher thoughts, acquaint them withthe lives of great men and help themacquire higher human qualities andvalues. And if there is any injustice,any wrong committed againstanyone, our comrades mustimmediately protest. Even if one isalone, one should protest

Comrade Provash Ghosh’s speech

Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought is the highestunderstanding of Marxism-Leninism today

Contd. from page 6

Contd. on page 8

PAGE EIGHT MAY 1, 2018 PROLETARIAN ERA

courageously. This is communistcharacter. When we organize anyprotest agitation, it is not just aroutine programme. Our repugnanceof and protest against the injusticeor crime, against the culprits areexpressed in such protest agitations,at the same time is manifested ourempathy with and deep fellow-feeling for the oppressed andrepressed. Otherwise, it becomes aritualistic programme. Our Party isgrowing. It would continue to growfurther. But mere number would notserve the purpose. What is neededis quality, character. Let the leadersassign responsibility to the workers,particularly the young comrades.Help the young and new comradesto develop. The conduct of theleaders should not create anybureaucratic impediment. Theworkers must feel ease of mind inplacing their views before theleaders and even criticize the leaderswith an open mind. The leaders

Comrade Provash Ghosh’s speech on 24 Aprilshould think that if there is hesitationor inability on the part of anycomrade to open their minds tothem, it means the leaders do notcommand respect. Comrade ShibdasGhosh had embodied suchleadership in him and created such afree environment within the Party.We must also do that.

SUCI(C) would develop classand mass struggles with allmight

In the country, we shall try todevelop united movement with otherleft parties whenever, wherever andto whatever extent they comeforward for that. But we know thatthey have abandoned the path ofstruggle. If they come in movement,they would do so purely fromelectoral exigency. Apart from vote,they do not think of anything else.Just like other bourgeois parties,they also have become totallyelection-oriented. So, we need todevelop organization among all

sections of the toiling people—workers-peasants-students-youth-women. In course of developmentof the movements as well as throughvarious social and cultural activitiescoupled with conduction of intensiveideological struggle and debates-discussions, we shall have to fightreligious blindness andcommunalism. Lenin had said thatan honest priest is more dangerousthan a dishonest priest. Why did hesay so? Because, preaching ofreligion by an honest priest causesmore harm since people are misledby his honesty. But if the priest isdishonest, he would not be able tocreate that much confusion amongthe people. Today the RSS-BJPhave become dishonest, corrupt andpower-greedy. They are abetting toall sorts of injustice and impropriety.They would not be much successfulin confusing the people wearing thecloak of religious honesty. On theother hand, like the way the BJPwon elections by capitalizing anti-

Contd. from page 7 Congress feelings, the Congress inalliance with others might dislodgethe BJP from power in the nextelection. But the way the RSS-BJPare destroying thinking faculty,rationality and scientific bent ofmind and inflaming the country byspreading communal-caste hatredand religious bigotry, it would have afar-reaching pernicious effect. Onlywe as genuine proletarianrevolutionary party can thwart thisdanger if we firmly stand up on thebasis of Marxism-Leninism-ShibdasGhosh Thought, develop the classand mass struggles, build up themass fronts and thus correctlydischarge our responsibility. With thehope that our comrades would provethemselves equal to the task, I cameto say these few words on thisoccasion.

Long live Revolution!Long Live SUCI(Communist)

Red salute to Comrade ShibdasGhosh, the great leader of the

proletariat!

Observance of 71stParty Foundation Day in different states

Comrade Chhaya Mukherjee, member, Central Committee addressing in Tripura

Comrade K Radhakrishna, member, Central Committee addressing in Chennai

Audience at the meeting in New Delhi

Comrade Satyawan, member, Central Committee addressing at Haryana anda part of the gathering below

PROLETARIAN ERA MAY 1, 2018 PAGE NINE

[Following is the text of the short speech which was delivered byComrade Asit Bhattacharyya, Member, Polit Bureau, SUCI(C), on beinginvited at the inaugural session of the 22nd Congress of CPI (M) held inHyderabad on 18 April 2018.]Dear comrades,

On behalf of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) I am hereto extend to you our warm greetings on the great occasion of your 22ndParty Congress. It is being held at a time when the entire country is reelingunder severe economic crisis. Almost all industrial activity has come to agrinding halt and complete stagnation is prevailing. Toiling people whocomprise 95% of our population find it extremely difficult just to remain alive.The poor and small peasants who constitute the bulk of our population beingunable to bear the brunt of the situation are choosing deaths, committingsuicide in ever increasing number. Needless to say that this unbearablesituation is the offshoot of the rule and exploitation by the capitalist class.

Apart from groaning under the yoke of capitalist oppression, the toilingpeople find further threat posed to their life and existence after the RSS-BJP assumed governmental power at the centre and in the various states.Not only the entire atmosphere of the country is vitiated with worst from ofcommunalism, communal flare ups, killings and destruction in all parts of thecountry are being engineered by them in a very systematic manner with thebacking of the state power. What is deadlier is the worst religious fanaticismdeliberately fostered by the RSS– BJP who are also pushing the countrytowards fascism. Fascism is the worst enemy of mankind.

Under the situation when toiling people are completely helpless, it hasbecome incumbent on the leftist forces to unite to give birth to a politicalcore to spearhead and lead a historic people’s movement to forestall theonward growth of this rabid communal force by forging greater unity withother democratic and secular forces keeping in mind that all anti- BJP forcesare not at all secular.

True secularism had emerged in history through people’s movementagainst feudalism, fighting the grip of religion over the activities of the state

Resurgence of united powerful leftist movement on secular principles —urgent need of the time — Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya at the CPI (M) Party Congress

which in course resulted inpursuing state activity risingabove religion and freeingsocial relations from the gripof religion. In course of that,state activities were pursuedduring the days of advent ofcapitalism rising abovereligion. In course of timesecularism and scientificdemocratic outlook came tobe understood as one andsame. At the highest level ofdevelopment of this concept,people were enabled to befree from religious blindnessand obscurantist bigotedthoughts.

Considering the overallsituations in the countryparticularly the menacinggrowth of the RSS-BJP, we, therefore, strongly feel that urgent need isresurgence of a powerful leftist movement throughout the country—as it hadprevailed before the Emergency of 1975 — by conducting relentlesspeople’s movement centring round the burning demands of people’s life andbringing within its ambit all sections of toiling people irrespective of caste,creed, language and religion. It is true that in carrying forward the task ofmilitant and democratic movements, appropriate and conducive steps willhave to be initiated within legislatures as well but without forgetting that thestruggle outside legislature, extra parliamentary movement is prior and ofdecisive importance. Here I conclude. Once again, I convey our comradelygreetings to you all.

Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya addressing inthe CPI(M) Party Congress

Observance of Party Foundation Day in Kolkata on 24 April eveningand Patna, Bihar [below]

Observance of Party Foundation Day in Bhopal Madhya Pradesh [top] andin Cuttack, Odisha [two photos at the bottom]

PAGE TEN MAY 1, 2018 PROLETARIAN ERA

Red SaluteComrade G S Padmakumar

Comrade G.S. Padmakumar joined our party in 1978 at his age of 17.He started activity in Trivandrum District. Afterwards he was entrusted withthe responsibility of organizing party in Ernakulam District. With his

Condolence message ofComrade Provash Ghosh

ToComrade C K Lukose,Member, Central Committee and Kerala State Secretary,SUCI (Communist)

Dear Comrade,The sudden death news of Comrade Padmakumar, member Kerala

State Secretariat, SUCI(Communist) is a severe shock to me.I fail to find right words to express my deep pain and shock.Comrade Padma Kumar by dint of his firm commitment to the

revolutionary cause, deep conviction in Marxism-Leninism-ShibdasGhosh Thought, unflinching loyalty to the Party, leading organizingcapability, soothing behaviour and boundless love and affection for thecomrades acquired a unique position in the Kerala Party. He drew myattention as a very promising organizer and emerging leader of theParty. His premature and sudden death is a great loss to not onlyKerala Party but All India Party as a whole. Comrades have to strivehard to fill the vacuum created by his death.

I believe comrades, remembering the teachings of ComradeShibdas Ghosh, great Marxist thinker, will turn their grief into strengthwith firm revolutionary determination.

I, on behalf of the Central Committee of our Party, deeply condolehis demise.

With Revolutionary greetings,Comradely yours,

28 April 2018 (PROVASH GHOSH)General Secretary

SUCI(Communist)

Comrade CK Lukose offering red salute to ComradePadmakumar

Comrade Provash Ghosh inaugurating a meeting hall on the 1st floor of the Martyr Abdul Odud Memorial Bhawan, the Party office at Baruipara inNadia district in West Bengal on 17 April last. Comrade Abdul Odud was a very promising leading organizer of the Party who was brutally murdered on29 May, 1998, by criminals of the CPI (M). In the mass meeting after the inauguration, Comrade Provash Ghosh while dwelling on various exemplaryaspects of Comrade Odud, said that “Comrade Odud was the product of a specific revolutionary struggle’’.

enormous ability and higher cultural stan-dard heworked hard day and night to organize our partythere. Creating a good number of cadres, he couldsucceed in building a strong party organization in thedistrict. In 1988, he became a member of the statecommittee. Along with Ernakulam District, he wasdeputed to look after Trichur District organization,then Palakkad District and Malappuram District. Inall these Districts, he could succeed in building ofparty organization. He was Quilon District Secretaryand state secretariat member at the time of his departure.

Through an unrelenting struggle, he acquired a commendableunderstanding in Marx-ism - Leninism and Comrade Shibdas GhoshThoughts. Actually, he was one of the very few comrades from TrivandrumDistrict who could imbue the concept of professional revolutionary asenunciated in India by Comrade Shibdas Ghosh the great leader of theproletariat and he gave up an ordinary way of life and began a life of acommunist revolutionary trying to submit everything personal to the interestof working class and its party the SUCI(C). Thus, his life itself becameexemplary becoming inspiring for a lot of other comrades to take up thesame way of life. He tuned his personal life and all the questions which heconfronted there in a struggling spirit placing the interest of the party to thefore. Once he had decided to submit himself to the revolutionary cause henever turned back; thus he was successful in leading a contentedrevolutionary life till his last breath. His submission to party wasun-questionable. He was very loyal to party in every aspects. He followedcommunist code of conduct strictly and he made others to do the same inearnest manner.

He conducted many talks, classes and study circles for hundreds ofcomrades of Kerala. In many state level study camps of party, he was oneof the main speakers. His reading habit can be taken as good example forall comrades. His wide reading starting from Literature, History, Philosophyto Science made him an extraordinary scholar in these fields. Luminaries ofKerala in these fields, those who happened to hear his talks, recognized andrespected him as a good teacher. Party state committee entrusted him towrite and translate many books for the party. He wrote and helped othersto write many books on Science, Scientists, and History.

He was the president of Kerala chapter of Breakthrough ScienceSociety. Under his direct leadership Cultural front BANNER workedeffectively. He was the editor of BANNER, a quarterly published culturalmagazine in Malayalam. With the guidance from party State Committee, ateam of comrades under the leadership of Comrade GS Padmakumarprepared a specific study of Kerala's History . The study had created avery good response from the intellectuals as well as from the commonpeople.

In the demise of Comrade Padmakumar Kerala party has lost awholesome organizer and leader very untimely and we will have to workhard to overcome this irreparable loss.

PROLETARIAN ERA MAY 1, 2018 PAGE ELEVEN

SUCI(C) expresses profound grief at thepassing away of Justice Rajinder Sachar

Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI (C), issued thefollowing statement on 21 April, 2018, on the sad demise of JusticeRajinder Sachar :

With the demise of Justice Rajinder Sachar, the country has lost acrusader for protection of democratic rights and secular values. He isknown for his eye-opening report (Justice Sachar Committee Report)on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in Indiaaccording to which the Indian Muslims are far more backward thaneven the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes which, as per thereport, needs to be addressed urgently. He fought boldly against thedark rule of emergency and opposed suppression of democratic rightsand movements. Justice Sachar was a strong critic of the process ofprivatization and commercialization of education, water and electricityand was in the forefront in helping the movement against the crimesagainst women and children.

The absence of Justice Sachar will be felt more in the presentscenario when the fascist forces in our country are destroyingdemocratic, secular, scientific outlook, values and dividing the people onthe basis of religion, caste, creed, colour and ethnicity.

Comrade Satyawan at the PartyCongress of the CPI (ML) Liberation

Invited to the 10th Party Congress of the CPI (ML) Liberation held atMansa in Punjab, Comrade Satyawan, Member Central Committee of SUCI(Communist) and the Haryana State Secretary, delivered a brief address on24 March 2018, is given below.Comrades,

On behalf of the Central Committee of the SUCI(C), I conveyrevolutionary greetings to you all on the occasion of this open session of the10th party congress of the CPI (ML) Liberation,. Comrades, your PartyCongress has been organized at a time when both our country as well asthe whole world is in the grip of severe crisis. The doctrine of capitalistglobalization which all the imperialist powers including India onceimplemented claiming that it would resolve all crises has now been found tobe a total flop. You also know that India in order to contain the newlyemerged imperialist powers like Russia and China is forming increasinglycloser alliances with the imperialist US, Japan and Australia. Inside thecountry also, the ruling Indian capitalism, with a view to consolidating theoppressive capitalist system, is ruthlessly exploiting the workers, peasantsand the toiling millions. Not just subjecting them to the worst form ofoppression-repression, even there is concerted attempt to disrupt the unityand solidarity among different communities of working people, by pitting onesection of the working people against the other, precipitating disaffection andhatred among them. These all smack of fascism.

The world situation is such that wherever there is capitalism in power, itis taking to fascism often maintaining the facade of parliamentarydemocracy. In India, you can see how the economy has gone into the tightgrip of a few monopolist houses. Administration is in the hands of a highlypowerful bureaucracy. Even attempts are being made to bring judiciaryunder control. And the gravest of all these attacks is coming in the field ofculture. Science and history are being totally shattered and distorted. Thisonslaught of fascism is being apparent in every capitalist country. Lenin andStalin, the great leaders of the proletariat had warned us of this long back.We need to realize their teachings. Today, the bourgeoisie, the capitalistclass has no faith in people’s rule, secularism too has become irrelevant tothem. More and more they are relying upon fascism. Congress initiated thisprocess in India. And the same thing is being done today by the BJP in amore naked way. Comrades we must thwart this advent of fascism. But thattask cannot be accomplished through any electoral alliance or electoralbattle. From history, you must have known that fascism is a counter-revolutionary upsurge. It can be thwarted only with the help of arevolutionary upheaval of people, through a powerful revolutionarymovement. Movements are going on in the country here and there. But thoseneed to be guided in a proper direction in an organized way. None other thanthe united left parties and forces can carry out this task. So, it is imperativethat a powerful wave of leftist movements be generated across the country.Such a wave of leftism will ensure and protect people’s unity, will protectand preserve the rights of workers, peasants and all other sections ofexploited oppressed people on which incessant attacks are coming down.Comrades, we are carrying the Red Flag. We dream of emancipation, adream to give shape to which Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and so manyrevolutionaries of the freedom struggle laid down their lives, a dream to bringwhich to reality scores of our comrades, too, laid down their lives indemocratic struggles after independence. Comrades to give shape to thisdream of the martyrs of the yesteryears, there is no other way than the pathof united struggle. So, we should move ahead for left unity. I have firm beliefthat this 10th Party Congress of the CPI (ML) Liberation would move inthat direction to join hands. My wishes for all success of this Congress. RedSalute to you all! Long Live Revolution!

Comrade Sankar Saha at theCPI Party Congress

Invited to the inaugural session of the 23rd Party Congress of CPI heldat Kollam in Kerala on 26 April 2018, Comrade Sankar Saha, Member,Central Committee, SUCI (C), delivered the following address:

On behalf of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Centre ofIndia (Communist), I convey my warm fraternal greetings to you all on theoccasion of the 23rd Party Congress of your party.

This Congress of your party is being held at a time when working peopleacross the capitalist-imperialist world are confronted with unprecedented,all-pervading and acute crises not merely in economic and political spheres

but also in the realm of culture, ethics and morality. Crimes against womenand children have not only acquired ghastly character but are now beingused as a political tool by those in power. Life of the working people hasbecome utterly miserable and extremely suffocating. The exploited massesare bursting forth in spontaneous protest movements across the globeincluding USA, the headquarter of world imperialism-capitalism. Thebelligerent imperialist powers particularly US imperialists are engineeringone war after another in various countries to expand their domination overthe global market, the latest being the attack on Syria.

In a changed world situation consequent upon sad dismantling of thesocialist camp, the ruling Indian bourgeoisie which has consolidated itsposition with accelerated pace is now aspiring to have a bigger share of theglobal market and the erstwhile Congress government paved the way byincluding the country in the WTO.

As a result of ruthless capitalist oppression, unbridled hike in prices ofall essential commodities including petro-products, increasing destitution andstarvation deaths, distress sale of agricultural products by poor peasants,growing incidents of suicides by farmers and alarming growth inunemployment and job-insecurity have left people in complete disarray. It isvividly clear that in the economic sphere there is no difference whatsoeverbetween the present BJP-led government and the previous Congress-ledgovernment. Both serve the interest of the Indian monopolists to help themmaximize their profits by fleecing millions of working people with impunity.

The attack on education, health services and the onslaughts on thescientific thinking and belief of the people are matters of grave concern. TheBJP, the political outfit of arch Hindu communal RSS, is encouraging andinciting revival of obscurantist spiritual thoughts and fomentingcommunalism—casteism, to break the unity of the toiling masses. While theCongress in the past had committed the same crime under the garb ofsecularism to enhance its vote bank, the BJP with its fascistic ideology of‘Hindutva’ is doing the same thing and pursuing heinous anti-people line moreaggressively, nakedly, rabidly and fanatically in the interest of the Indianmonopolists and corporate houses.

The need of the hour is to develop countrywide united, democratic,secular mass and class struggles to resist the increasing onslaughts of theruling class and their subservient governments. And for this, it is historicallyincumbent upon the Left parties to take initiative to form such a platform ofstruggle based on the principle of ‘Unity-Struggle-Unity’.

The lessons of Marxism- Leninism and the experiences of last 70 yearsof our independence have amply shown that while the governments change,there is no change in the policies designed by the ruling class from behindthe screen and the character of the exploitative bourgeois state. It is,therefore, the bounden duty of the united Left movement to give priority toextra-parliamentary movements and, in the process, free the people from theillusion of bourgeois parliamentarism. The ultimate mission of the Leftmovement should be to establish an exploitation free society as envisaged inthe noble ideology of Marxism-Leninism.

I wish your Congress a grand success and conclude.

Long Live Left Unity! Long Live Marxism- Leninism! Long LiveProletarian Internationalism!

RNI No. 13932/67P. R. No. KOL / RMS / /145 / 2016-2018PAGE TWELVE MAY 1, 2018

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : PROVASH GHOSHEdited & Published by Asit Bhattacharyya from 48 Lenin Sarani, Kolkata 700 013 and printed by him at Ganadabi Printers and Publishers Private Limited,

52B, Indian Mirror Street, Kolkata 700013. Phone : 2249-1828, 2265-3234 E-mail : cc.sucicommunist@gmail.com, proletarianera@gmail.com, Website : www.sucicommunist.org

BJP government’s disastrous plan ineducation must be foiled — SUCI(C)

Protesting central government’s disastrous plan in education,Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI (Communist), hassaid in a press statement on 30 April 2018 :

We strongly condemn the statement of Shri Prakash Javadekar, theUnion Minister of Human Resource Development that his governmentaims at the revival of the current education system on the basis of thenew education policy, which is likely to incorporate the suggestions fromthe RSS chief Sri Mohan Bhagwat. He also hints at inclusion of Vediceducation in the policy and introduction of ‘Bharat Bodh’ in class 11 and12 that will contain lessons on ancient India. The Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has immediately lent his support to thestatement. It is known to all that the BJP, the Sangh Pariwar and theircohorts have been trying for long to introduce unscientific, unhistoricalcourses and syllabi in all stages of education in the name of Bharatiatva,Hindutva, etc., which are against the spirit of secular and scientificeducation that the stalwarts of our immediate past that is of theRenaissance era like Rammohan, Vidyasagar, Phule, Rabindranath andothers fought for. If the design of Sri Javadekar becomes successful, ourcountry would slide down to the medieval age and culture. We protestagainst this heinous fascistic design and call upon educationists, teachers,students and all education-loving people to build up strong movement tofoil the conspiracy of the BJP- RSS combine.

SUCI(C) protests record rise in petrol-diesel prices and demands immediatewithdrawal of all taxes and cess on fuel

Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary of SUCI (Communist),issued the following statement on 21 April 2018 on the record rise of fuelprices :

The petrol-diesel prices in India have been raised to record high. Tocite the rise in international crude prices as the cause is nothing but aplea because here in India huge doses of taxes and cess by both thecentral and state governments are imposed on petrol-diesel to fill up thegovt. exchequer. It is well known that this rise in fuel prices will naturallyin a cascading effect push up the prices of the daily necessities whichwould put the common people to more hardships.

We, therefore, demand that the government immediately withdrawthe taxes and cess from petrol-diesel and reduce the prices in themarket.

OBSERVE

KARL MARXBICENTENARY

ON 5 MAYIN A

BEFITTING MANNER

Kanpur District Unit of Anganwadi Karyakatri And Sahayika WelfareAssociation (AKSWA) affiliated with AIUTUC held its Conference at Premlan

(Kalyanpur), UP, on 22 April 2018 to chalk out programme of movement againstboth the BJP led state and central governments for not fulfilling the demand to

increase of their minimum wage and other demands. Comrade Lata Sharma,State President, AKSWA, presided over. Others who addressed were Comrades

Rajbali, President, AIUTUC, Uttar Pradesh, Dharmdev and Lajras of stateAIUTUC. A powerful District Committee with Comrade Hiravati as President and

Manju Sharma as Secretary was elected unanimously.

Due to shortage of space, news of observance of 70th PartyFoundation Anniversary could not be covered in this issue.

The coverage will be in the next issue.

Part of Protest against Kathua and Unnao rape-murder incidents[from top] Bhiwani (Haryana), Chennai and Anantapur(AP)