the shadows
Posted by ajadhind on March 27, 2009
The giant statues loom large over the lush green paddy fields. An epitaph is engraved on a pillar adorned with the hammer and sickle of communism along with four stars. Nearby stands a giant hoarding with images of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao.This is Nayakankottai in Dharmapuri district, the only village in the whole of Tamil Nadu to have statues of its Naxalite leaders, L Appu and Balan. The epitaph marks their contribution to the movement.It was in their time the late 1970s that the movement reached its peak. Says Siddhanandam, one of the pioneers of the movement: “We were successful in doing away with the double tumbler system (one for Dalits and one for other castes), which was discriminatory. “The 54-year-old, who has eluded police for the last 24 years, has been witness to the transition of communist China and the fall of the Soviet Union. Today, the recession has brought a smile to his face. “American capitalism has lost. Everybody believed in it. Now look what it has brought. It is the victory of socialism.”The Maoist movement in Dharmapuri was disbanded in 2003 after many of their leaders were either killed or arrested. These days,however, the party is positive about regaining its base in the state. Its leaders believe current neo-liberal policies that have led to an “increased socio-political polarisation” favour it. “More and more people are joining the movement,” says a Maoist source. “The party may have gone underground, but there has been a shift in strategy.”These days the Maoists focus on urban areas instead of the traditional rural pockets. The reason, again, is the same. They believe the new economic policies have created a divide within the urban population. The special economic zones have displaced millions of people in the urban (and rural) areas, spawning slums and deepening poverty. A late surge in the number of unorganised labour due to growing infrastructure activity gives the Maoists an ideological tool to win over people deprived of any guarantee of a dignified life.Says a Naxal source: “Tamil Nadu has more than 40 cities with large numbers of migrants. A majority of them are poor. Besides the financially backward in the urban areas, we are targeting the middle class. They are fed up with corruption and failure of the state machinery in resolving their woes.”And then he adds. “Do you know Tamil Nadu is a state that has attracted huge investment, most of it in the rural areas? Multinational companies and Indian conglomerates have invested nearly Rs 3 lakh crore in the state, buying rural land for export-based trade. This has affected small-scale farmers and industries.”But why the sudden shift now? Has the movement failed to penetrate the rural areas? Some naxals agree. The say it could not penetrate the hinterland partly because of the Dalit movement and parties. “Recruiting cadres is tough due to the presence of Dalit parties who consider them their vote-bank. There have been many instances where they have turned police informants,” says a party cadre.The other reason is the failure to attract youth they constituted the mainstay of rebel activity in the early 1980s. “For every movement to succeed,” says the cadre, “you require the support of youth. However, the rise in rural unemployment and lack of pro-farmer schemes has led many to migrate to the cities. This has affected our movement.”Some Naxalites believe the lack of proper planning crippled the movement in the last few years. “Even before it strengthened down south, the high command moved the whole cadre to Dharmapuri. Initially, the plan was to form a triangle linking the rebels in Tamil Nadu with Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka,” says a Maoist-turned- sympathiser of the movement.“But a lack of proper training and foresight saw the movement crumble as the police crushed it decisively,” he says. “Even Maoists in Karnataka were forced to move their base to Shimoga from where they operate successfully. “The Maoists admit to links with other separatist movements in South Asia, though they say the LTTE doesn’t figure. All these movements come under one umbrella — the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and the Organisation of South Asia. They include parties from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Balochistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Kashmir. In fact, the Maoists have developed a variety of fraternal and non-fraternal ties with militant groups, including United Liberation Front of Asom, within India, the South Asian region and beyond.A senior Naxalite says ULFA does provide arms to the Maoists, but not the LTTE. “Their arms are too sophisticated. They aren’t suitable for our kind of operations.” Another ultra says most of the weapons are of indigenous make. And sometimes they steal arms from the police. The seizure of parts of rockets and launchers from Ambattur near Chennai a few years ago provides some evidence that the manufacturing units are located in the state. But with police hot on their heels, the Maoists refuse to provide any information on training camps.Crucially, a few years back, police successfully busted an arms training camp near Periakulam in the southern Theni district. “The party allocates nearly Rs 15 lakh for operations in Tamil Nadu. Most of it is through nidhi (fund-raising) and through funds allocated by the central committee,” he says.“Most of it is spent on party literature and payment of wages for full-timers, who number around 60,” he adds.What is the reason for the movement, which was completely crushed in the 1980s and 1990s, regaining its vitality? “It is mostly due to economic policies, failure to stem corruption and also failure to implement land reforms,” says a Naxalite in a cocksure tone.Even the report of an expert group to Planning Commission highlights similar reasons for the spread of the Maoist movement in India. “Naxalites typically operate in a vacuum created by inadequacy of administrative and political institutions, espouse local demands and take advantage of the prevalent disaffection and perceived injustice among the underprivileged and remote segments of the population.’ ‘ The paper goes on to add that Naxalism “is not merely a law and order problem; it has deep socio-economic dimensions.”So far, the Central government has released Rs 3,677.67 crore to the Naxal-affected states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jhar­khand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. In 2006-07, nearly Rs 434.61 crore was allocated.According to an Empowered Group of Ministers, the police alone cannot resolve the problem. States should address socio-economic issues such as land reforms, employment generation, healthcare, economic development and poverty alleviation.As Siddhanandam points out, “For every action, there is a equal and opposite reaction.” And it may be true. As Mao Zedong stated, “Fish were the militants, and the disgruntled peasantry constituted the water. So long as there was dissatisfaction among the peasantry, militants could operate freely.”Focus now on the massesThe Maoists are increasingly deploying their female cadre to expand their base in semi-urban and industrialised areas. The non-implementation of labour laws and the plight of unorganised sector workers and farmers in various parts of the country have helped the Maoists. “The female cadres are not involved in violent activities. They take jobs as labourers and through their interaction with the people, try to bring them into the Maoist fold,” says a senior Naxal leader.In the southern districts, the Maoists are making their presence increasingly felt. This area includes Theni, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore and Ramanatha-puram. They are also trying to use the Sri Lankan Tamil issue to broaden their appeal. They feel nobody can do politics in the state without the issue. “If you can back Palestine, Kosovo and other separatist movements, then why don’t you back the Tamils in Sri Lanka for a separate Eelam?” one of their leaders asks. Their pro-Tamil stance has enabled the Maoists to recruit more people.But do the Maoists have LTTE connections? “The Tigers don’t back any movement waging an armed struggle against the Indian state,” says a senior Naxalite. But he adds that some ex-LTTE cadre did give them arms training. “These people came to India after leaving the organisation, and formed communist groups,” he says.

Indian historian intends well but slips in historiography[TamilNet, Monday, 16 February 2009, 23:21 GMT]Indian historian Ramachandra Guha intended well in saying if the defeat of the LTTE at the hands of the Sri Lanka army leads to a consolidation of Sinhala chauvinism it will be impossible to defend that. But the categorical statements he makes such as ‘ the Sinhala almost certainly migrated there (to the island of Sri Lanka) from eastern India, Tamil and other cultures influenced the island in later centuries, the LTTE is a terrorist organization, the civil war in Sri Lanka nears its end’ etc are not in accord with historiographical etiquette, says a Tamil academic based in Colombo. The academic didn’t want to be named, saying that anonymity has unfortunately become the etiquette of academics and journalists dissenting from the views of the Establishment in the island, since the problem is not merely ethnic chauvinism but totalitarianism of the worst type.He emailed the following comments on Ramachandra Guha’s article, ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right’ appeared in Hindustan Times, Sunday.In representing the ancient history of the island Ramachandra Guha still dwells in the Mahavamsa myth and interpretations of Sinhala historiography based on it, when he says the Sinhalese almost certainly migrated from eastern India, i.e., Bengal and Orissa, and the Tamils have come in the later centuries.He is invited in this respect to re-examine the pre and protohistoric material in Sri Lanka and scholarly works of Sinhala and Tamil historians like Sudharshan Seneviratne and K. Indrapala on the origins of Sinhala and Tamil ethnic identities in the island.Both Tamils and Sinhalese share a common ethnic substratum is the archaeological understanding. Governments and politicians may label the LTTE as a terrorist organization, but not a historian. A historian shouldn’t be carried away by the parameters of Bush syndrome. Will he dare to ascribe the Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose or the innumerable subaltern movements of pre-independent India with similar terms just because the British called them so?How sure Guha is that the civil war is near its end. Has he sighted any political solution or end of military oppression in the island? The civil war has to continue until there is political solution and until there is military oppression. Does he want to imply that it is the LTTE and not the deep-rooted Tamil grievances that caused a civil war, and if the LTTE is weakened the war will be over? Politicians can afford to jump at such quick conclusions but it is not reasonable historical understanding of contemporary realities.His analysis of the Sri Lankan situation suffers from his own obsessions with phenomena such as Hindu, Muslim, Hindutva, RSS, India, Pakistan, etc. The issues in the island may have parallels but they are also uniquely different.

Condemning the genocide of Eelam Tamils

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Porali

                                  CPI (Maoist)

Tamil Nadu State committee

Press Release:Subject:condemning  the genocide of Eelam Tamils by Sinhala facist army and  the help given by the expansionist Indian ruling classes for this genocide.

 

Sir,

The sinhala chavnist army is carrying out a genocidal war on Eelam Tamils.In the war that is continuing for the last 2 years, sinhala army has killed hundreds of people by ruthless bombings. It has not even spared children’s homes, churches, hospitals, residential areas. It has shown scant regard for international war norms. Now evidences are coming out that the sinhala army has  used banned chemical bombs. Today in Kilinochi area more than 2 lakh people have been driven out of their homes. They have become refugees in their own land. They are living in open fields, forest braving rain. Lot of people are dying out of snake bites, diseases and hunger. They are facing a slow death. The facist Raja Bakse government has even driven out the U.N.O. aid workers, who were working for the internally displaced people. It is also not allowing regular flow of food and medicines for these diplaced people. This is nothing but killing them indirectly. The Raja bakse govt has killed 27 UNO workers, many Tamil MPs, Tamil journalists and also has raped and maimed hundreds of Tamil women. In short what is going on in Eelam is nothing but an open genocide by the Sinhala chavnist Raja Bakse govt.

 

The Indian govt is directly assisting this genocidal war of the Sri Lankan army. It is supplying arms and ammunitions to Sri Lankan army. It has given radars. It is also giving crores of rupees as aid to the Sri Lankan govt. Apart from all these it is now directly taking part in the war by secretly sending technical men of Indian army to assist Sri Lankan army in the genocide of Tamils. But, this got exposed when some of the Indian army technicians were injured  during the latest  air raid of LTTE. The govt of Karunanidhi (who calls him self as the leader of world Tamils) has been just a  passive observer of  all these for past 2 years. Now all of a sudden Karunanidhi announced that all the MPs of Tamil Nadu will resign, if the war is not stopped by the Indian govt. For that he had given a two weeks dead line. When the parliament itself is only having a few more months of buisiness. Is  not a farce and forgery drama? And now on 27^th October the ettappan (betrayer) Karunanidhi has shown his real color by taking back his threat against central govt  with out any change in the war situation. The Sri Lankan envoy Basil Raja Bakse, has not even accepted for a ceasefire. The power seeking Karunanidhi is not ready to be out of power even for a few months at centre. Actually his party which is a part of the UPA govt at centre all along, had been a partner in  helping  the genocide of Eelam Tamils. This is the truth. This heartless comprador agent is trying to utilize the misery of Eelam Tamils and the groundswell support of the Tamil Nadu people for his political gains. The Human chain and other activities of DMK  in support of Eelam Tamils is nothing but a shameless drama to cheat the people of Tamil Nadu. He has also started a repression campaign aginst those people who support the cause of Tamil Eelam,(Vai ko and cinema directors Seemaan and Ameer) by using the bogey of Rajiv murder and support to banned LTTE.

 

On the other hand facist- brahmnic Jayalalitha first gave a statement in support of Eelam Tamils.(But she immediately made a smersault by demanding the arrest of  all who spoke in support of LTTE.)These two big parties (DMK & ADMK) of Tamil Nadu ruling classes had been betraying the Eelam Tamils all these years(also the Tamil Nadu fishermen).They are now trying to cash on the just sentiments of Tamil Nadu people. Their so called sympathy for Eelam Tamils is just a cheap drama to reap the votes of people of Tamil Nadu.

 

The expansionist Indian govt for its part is enacting a drama by condemning the killing of Eelam Tamils ,summoning Sri Lankan high commissioner, now holding talks with Basil Raj Bakse .But, these expansionists have not called back Indian army men helping Sri Lankan army in genocide of Tamils. They have not stopped their financial aid to the  murderous Raja Bakse regime.

 

While the above mentioned people are shedding crocodile tears for Eelam Tamils, another gang of  Indian expansionist agents (Brahmnic Cho, Subramania Swamy, ‘Hindu’ Ram, Dinamalar Group, A sectiopn of congress leaders and ofcourse the hindu facist BJP are raisig the bogey of Rajiv murder and terrorist LTTE to suppress the voice of Tamil Nadu people in support of independent EElam. For the past 15 years in Tamil Nadu, the activities in support of Tamil Eelam had been suppressed, citing the murder of Rajiv. These Indian expansionist agents have totally suppressed the just reasons for the demand of separate Eelam (The seperate Tamil Eelam demand itself was a reaction to the in human, undemocratic suppression of Eelam Tamils by the Sinhala facist regimes.).

 

Let us briefly go in to the history to see the justness of the demand and armed struggle for Tamil Eelam. After the bogus independence of Sri Lanka in 1948, the sinhala comprodar ruling classes who captured power in Sri Lanka,had systematically made Eelam Tamils in to second class citizens. In 1949 the Passage of the Citizenship Act that made more than a million Tamil plantation workers of Indian origin disenfranchised and stateless. In 1956 Sinhala was made sole official language. In 1972 the new constitution of Sri Lanka said that Buddism is the official religion. State discrimination against Tamil students’ admission to universities reaches a peak with the introduction of "standardisation."( higher education to only those  who studied Sinhala).Series of genocides(1956, 1958, 1961,1974& july genocide of 1983). The genocide of 1983 was such a inhuman one that, thousands of Tamils were killed, thousands of Tamil women were gang raped, even small children were not spared. In Velikadai prison hundreds of Tamil prisoners including Tamil freedom fighters like Thanga Thurai,  Kuttimani and Jegan were  brutally murdered by plucking their eyes and smashing their genitals. Sinhala goons and criminals were forcibly settled in the Tamil homeland. After all these Sinhala chavnist schemes to make Tamils second class citizens, and their  genocides, the demand for separate Tamil Eelam came to the front. The Tamils peacefull struggles for Tamil Eelam were brutally suppressed. Then only the armed struggle for a separate Tamil Eelam started. It is important to keep in mind these historical facts. The demand for a separate Tamil Eelam put forward by the Eelam nation, (which was devoided of  all its national rights) was not only correct, but also a just one. It is a pre condition for the liberation of sinhala people. As per Marxist understanding, the demand for a separate Eelam is based on the right of self determination Tamil Eelam Nation. And it is a correct and democratic demand. So, it is the duty of the real communists And the proletariate to support the the armed struggle for Tamil eelam.

 

Indian rulig classes have always tried to use the struggle of Eelam people to serve their expansionist interests. They first supported the armed militant groups (including LTTE) to pressurize the Sri Lankan govt. But, latter they tried to force the Rajiv-Jayawardane pact on Eelam people and armed Groups for their hegemonical interests in Sri Lanka. This pact did not give equality to Tamil Nation. It did not recognize the Eelam Tamils right to self determination. It was trying to force Tamils to accept subjugation and slavery. But the people of Eelam and LTTE did not accept this pact. LTTE was not ready to be a stooge of Indian RAW like many other groups. So, the so called Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) pounced on Eelam Tamils and LTTE. Braving the worlds 4^th biggest army, the people of Eelam defeated IPKF. It was a shamefull defeat for the  Indian expansionists in their own backyard (south Asia).The IPKF heaped inhuman atrocities ( much more than sinhala chavnist army) on the Eelam people. It was exposed as a murderous, rapist army (killing thousands and raping hundreds).Latter, Rajiv who unleashed this barbaric army on Eelam Tamils was killed as a reaction. CPI (Maoist) holds that  the oppressed people have the right to punish those who have committed inhuman crimes against them any where. If we say the killing of general Dyre (Jalian wala bagh murderer) by udham singh in England  is right, then the killing of Rajiv (the IPKF murderer) by Siva Rajan and Dhanu in Tamil Nadu is also correct. The Indian expansionist ruling classes are hiding the countless cold blooded atrocities of IPKF against Eelam Tamils and they are one-sidedly focus the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. They portray the LTTE (which is a national liberation organization) as a terrorist organization by citing the Rajiv killing. The people of Tamil Nadu  should understand this forgery. The Indian ruling classes who have carved out a separate Bangladesh out of Pakistan using their military have no moral right to brand LTTE as a separatist organisation. And using this forgery they have deprived the right of Tamil Nadu people to support the struggle of Eelam. In this the comprador parties of Tamil Nadu  the DMK,ADMK had only acted as the stooges of All India comprodar  bourgeiouse. They are out right  betrayers of Tamil Nadu people.

 

 

Today the Eelam liberation struggle is encircled by the enemies from all the sides.The American Imperialism with its war agaist terror(which is nothing but a war against Maoist revolutionary struggles, National liberation struggles and the struggles aginst its hegemony and Imperialist globalization) has banned LTTE and it is supplying modern weapons to Sri Lankan army, Other imperialists like European union also have banned LTTE and choking their international fund mobilization, Indian comprador Buerocratic ruling classes suppressing Eelam struggle for their expansionist interests, Chinese social imperialists are arming the SriLankan army to teeth in order to advance their hegemony in South Asia. The sinhala chavnist ruling classes of Sri Lanka are utilizing this situation to unleash a genocidal war on Eelam Tamils to enslave them. At such a juncture it  is the duty of People of Tamil Nadu to support the Eelam struggle unwaveringly. We should understand the Tamil Nasdu ruling classes can not help the Eelam struggle due to their  comprador nature. These imperialist boot lickers and agents of delhi will only betray the Eelam struggle. History has proved this fact countless times in the last 30 years. So,people of Tamil Nadu should rally behind the revolutionary and democratic forces who un hesitatingly support Eelam struggle. We should defeat drive away those betrayers who want to suppress right of Tamil Nadu people to support Eelam struggle. We should fight to support the demand for a seperate Tamil Eelam.We should fight to lift the ban on LTTE. We should fight to end the in human attacks on Eelam Tamils  and for supply of food,medicine and other essential items to the Tamils. We should make Tamil Nadu as a rear Base for the Eelam struggle. We should fight against the expansionist designs of Indian ruling classes in South Asia. We should also understand that the struggles of people of Kashmir and North Eastern states are against the national suppression by Indian ruling classes and genocide by the Indian army. And we should  support their struggle for independense from the Indian prison of nationalities. We should be ready to face the suppressions of betrayer Karunanidhi’s state govt and the expansionist central govt. We should fight to save, the lives of Tamil  Nadu fisher men, which is sacrificed for the expansionist interests of Indian ruling classes.

 

Dear People of Tamil Nadu,

We have the glorious history of struggle of early 80’s in support of Tamil Eelam. At that time Tamil Nadu stood as a single man in their solidarity for Eelam Tamils. Again when  IPKF butchered Eelam Tamils, We rose like a hurricane against the IPKF atrocities. Now When Eelam struggle is facing serious difficulties, we should rise like tidal wave.

- Let us support the struggle for Eelam!

-        Let us up hold our democratic right  of supporting Eelam liberation war!

-        Let us  fight to lift ban on LTTE!

-        Let us  fight against the expansionist designs of Indian ruling classes in South Asia!

-        Let us support the national liberation struggles of Kashmir, north eastern people!  

-        Let us expose the betrayal of DMK &ADMK (Tamil Nadu comprador ruling classes)!

-        Let us defeat and drive away the anti Eelam-Indian expansionist agents!

 

With revolutionary greetings,                                    28-10-2008.

Appu,

Spokes person,

Tamil Nadu state  committee,

CPI (Maoist)

Porali (Tamil)

Porali June 2008 (Tamil) is Published.click here to download....

http://www.savefile.com/files/1700326

Regards,

Porali