Defeat Reactionary Politics – UCCRI-ML

Gujarat ELECTION

In the current elections to the Lok Sabha and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly

Defeat the ruling coalition at the Centre, the BJP-led NDA, that is pro-American super power, and pro-landlord classes!

Defeat the Telugu Desam Party, an ally of reactionary BJP until recently, that carried on anti-people rule in Andhra Pradesh!

Support the candidates of communist revolutionaries who are fighting for land, democracy and independence!

(The UCCRI-ML is contesting elections to the Loksabha, with the above call, by fielding candidates in Telangana (8 constituencies out of 17) and Andhra Pradesh (two constituencies out of 25). It is also contesting in 8 Assembly constituencies in AP.  The UCCRI is an organization, founded by veteran communist revolutionaries DV Rao (1917-1984) and Tarimela Nagi Reddi (1917-1976), which believes that the present system can not be changed by parliamentary path. Thus it is basically different from the parliamentary Left. However, it regards participation in elections as a question of necessary tactics, to be decided chiefly on the basis of the level of consciousness and preparedness of people, among other things. While basically organizing a revolutionary mass movement in various sectors and classes of people, it regards participation of elections as a secondary form of struggle.Therefore, unlike some groups which give a call for boycot of elections, which is heeded by few voters and that too in very very limited pockets, UCCRI particpates with a view to educate voters, to expose ruling class parties,  to remove illusions among people, to spread its program and politics,and to retain and expand its areas of work. Election time is utilized to educate people in revolutionary politics: Hundreds of its cadres go into people and distribute lakhs of pamphlets as part of its very frugal campaign, which also includes playing recorded messages and revolutionary songs besides holding street-corner meetings wherever possible. It is not a part of any alliance, direct or indirect. 10 parliamentary constituencies in the two Telugu states equals 70 Assembly segments. In addition, there are candidates in 8 Assembly seats in AP. Earlier in December 2018, it had contested in 24 Assembly seats in Telangana. It had contested, it may be recalled, in about 12 Assembly segments in 1983, the first time it implented this tactical policy.)

Following is the English version of a pamphlet in Telugu issued by UCCRI-ML in Andhra Pradeshwhich explains thier policy and tactics.

Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections for Andhra Pradesh are scheduled to be held on April 11, 2019. The ruling parties at the Centre and in the State, as also the opposition parties, are carrying on a shrill campaign with their deceptive policies and promises. The Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India- Marxist-Leninist (UCCRI-ML)is participating in these elections with a view to protect and advance its revolutionary movement. It is contesting with its own candidates in three parliament (Araku, Anantapur and Tirupati) and ten Assembly constituencies.

The BJP-led NDA government had an unhindered stint at the Centre for the last five years. During this period, problems such as poverty, unemployment, price-rise faced by the people were not resolved even to a little extent; not to speak of the basic problems of land, democratic rights and independent foreign policies which are far from any resolution. The discontent that has resulted from such a situation is sought to be diverted by the BJP by raking up issues like terrorism and national security, and by inciting, on a massive scale, national chauvinism-jingoism. In fact, this government during its five-year rule has been serving American imperialism, together with some other imperialists, with its subservient policies, while indulging in hegemonism in relation to the neighbouring countries. While adopting policies of communal frenzy in a brazen manner, it has been serving the interests of landlord classes and the big business. Not only it has ditched the people by throwing their interests to the winds, but it has adopted repressive policies towards them. Even while mouthing cooperative federalism, it has curbed the role of the State governments, and curtailed their powers subordinating them to the all-powerful and autocratic Central government. These policies and practices have little to do with what they had promised before the last (2014) Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, irrespective of their deceptive promises now, the reactionary BJP and its NDA allies need to be defeated.

As to the elections in Andhra Pradesh, Chandra Babu Naidu, the leader of the ruling TDP is carrying on his campaign claiming that he set the State which lost its direction and pace back on the path of progress, and that it is a historic necessity to give a mandate to TDP so that it would carry forward the development and welfare measures. However, his claims about development are nowhere to be seen in the actual lives of the people. Education and healthcare have been totally commercialized and are beyond the reach of the people. Workers and other toiling classes are eking out their lives with inadequate wages and insecure jobs. All classes of people are neck-deep in problems. As to the welfare measures he claimed, most of them have been commenced just a few months before the polls. These measures themselves are irrefutable evidence of the fact that the ‘development’ he claimed has not improved the living conditions of the people even marginally. Obviously, these welfare schemes are meant to douse the mass discontent and restiveness, to create illusions in their minds, and thus to somehow win in the elections.

The TDP tells the people that the Union government led by Narendra Modi has failed to implement the assurances made at the time of bifurcation of the State, that it is fighting such a dispensation, and hence needs to be elected again. The fact of the matter is the TDP was an alliance partner of the Union Government led by BJP for more than four years out of the five-year tenure. And it had supported the Centre’s policies towards the State on all occasions and all issues. It came out of the Union Cabinet only after the elections were nearing and started making claims of fighting for the rights of the State. A notable point in this context is the conspicuous silence of the TDP towards the autocratic and unitary character of the Indian state where all powers are concentrated in the hands of the Union, thus nullifying even minimal rights to the States. The reason for its silence is that it has been a partner in the present NDA government, as also in various coalition governments at the Centre earlier, claiming that it is in control of the ‘steering wheel’, and has been sharing in the spoils of power at the Centre. Further, even in the present election, it has entered into an alliance at the Central level with the Congress party that ruled the  country for a prolonged period with its own autocratic Union policies whereby all the powers of the States were nullified. Thus it is seeking to replace the present BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre with another autocratic regime of similar nature, and to become a partner in it again. All this is evidence of the fact that the TDP is bent on its own narrow electoral interests, and is not sincere about rights of the States,  nor it has any principled stand on the question.

Chandra Babu Nayudu is making claims that he would not tolerate if the interests of the people of Andhra are undermined. But his own rule in the integrated State for a prolonged period of 17 years was totally against the interests of the Telugu people, and of the people of Andhra region as part of that. Their narrow and reactionary policies were responsible for the bitter disunity and animosity among the Telugu people of different regions. The TDP has gone ahead supporting the reactionary measure of bifurcating the State. In a bid to cover up all this, he is once again seeking to rake up regional chauvinism in the people, and fomenting animosity among people of different regions, all in the name of interests of Andhra people.

The TDP government during its rule has mortgaged the interests of the Telugu people to favour those of landlord classes, big business and imperialists. While the wealth of these exploiting classes has been on the rise to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees during their rule,  the people are sought to be reduced into beggars without any self-respect, living on the doles given in the name of welfare measures. Therefore, the TDP needs to be defeated for having carried on an anti-people regime in the elections to the Lok Sabha as well as Assembly.

The Congress party that had ruled the country for decades and turned it into a happy hunting ground for the loot by imperialists, landlord classes and big business houses,  is making a bid to come back to power at the Centre. The TDP in AP is supporting such a dispensation at the Centre. Therefore, this coalition should not be allowed to come to power at the Centre.

As to the policies of the main opposition party in AP, the YSR Congress party, it is another name for Congress rule. It is ready to compromise with any power at the Centre – be it the reactionary BJP, or any other similar dispensation – ostensibly in the interests of the State of Andhra Pradesh. It should be noted that this party is silent about the hegemonic and jingoistic policies adopted by the BJP-led government towards the neighbouring countries and about the subservient policies towards the American super power, and imperialism in general. In view of these policies, this party does not deserve to be supported in its bid to come to power in AP.

The Jana Sena Party that is a new entrant in this election has been an ally of the reactionary BJP government at the Centre and the ruling TDP in the State. Despite a little bit of verbal criticism, it has been supporting their anti-people rule. They have no alternative set of policies, different from those of the above reactionary parties, as part of their programme to tackle the problems people are facing. It is silent towards the pro-landlord and pro-imperialist policies pursued by governments that have been in power at the Centre and in the State. What can people expect from such a party?

The CPI and CPM, with their class collaborationist policies, have reduced themselves into tails of one or the other of the ruling class parties, and have no alternative path for themselves. In the present elections, they entered into an alliance with the Jana Sena party. In the event, they have little that they can do for the people.

India claims to be the ‘biggest democracy’ but is also home to the biggest farce of the electoral democracy. Candidates spend crores of rupees to buy votes. There is a flood of money and liquor during election time. Those parties that are in power indulge in a massive and costly propaganda about their promises and in schemes which are blatant means of buying votes at public expense, this being an additional facility for the ruling parties.

Various parties are giving and promising petty concessions to the people so as to encash them into votes. That being so, it is futile for people to nurse any illusions about them. The ruling class parties are using elections to deceive and lure the people so that they come to power, only to ditch the people’s interests after the polls, and to sub-serve the interests of the landlords, the big business and imperialists which is their real objective. People’s interests cannot be served with such forces at the helm.

If the problems of the people are really to be solved, it is imperative that the landlord system must be abolished with a programme of land to the tiller; and all the people on the path of struggle must have democratic rights for the same. American super power hegemony and imperialist exploitation must be put to end, and foreign and defence policies free from their control are necessary.

 

The communist revolutionaries are leading a revolutionary mass movement with the following slogans:

  1. Abolish the pro-imperialist foreign policies, particularly the pro-US super power foreign policy. Scrap all   agreements  which subordinate India’s defence and foreign policies to serve US hegemony. Follow independent defence and foreign policies.
  2. Stop the inflow of foreign imperialist capital and cancel foreign debts owed to imperialist institutions.
  3. Self-reliance and protection to national industries, in particular protection to Telugu national industry in our State.
  4. Stop all anti-worker steps and effect improvement in working conditions of workers and middle classes and necessary wage increase.
  5. Abolish landlordism and distribute land to the tiller.
  6. An end to swamping of the country and State by pro-imperialist, pro-feudal culture,   and development of anti-feudal, anti-imperialist education and culture; in particular achieving national unification of Telugu people and the all-round development of Telugu culture and language.
  7. Dismantle the machinery of repression in the country. Guarantee complete democracy for all national, democratic and revolutionary forces so that the present semi-feudal and semi-colonial political and economic system may be changed.

The above policies are essential to the country. Only when they are fought for, people’s basic problems would be resolved. Only through such a struggle, people can liberate themselves from dire poverty, unemployment, price-rise, intense exploitation and oppression. We appeal to the people to extend their support to the candidates of UCCRI(ML) that is leading such a revolutionary mass movement, and thus support the revolutionary movement.

Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India- Marxist-Leninist

UCCRI (ML)

 

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