Sliding through my pocket
As I find a coin of Medieval India
Nothing is needed from the present
Decades of tradition built in one circle
If you, wonder whether the time was perfect!
I would say, no! Not because of its age
But for the ‘too aged’ seeds not germinating
Times after it treated it, with some messiahs
And then time got ill, after humans killed them!
So, barren is time today, it fears to solve itself
And we fight after the killers unite for our end.
~ Kabir Deb
From the past few days, accusations have become the trend for creating division among the opponents. After a huge loss, the opposition has become so weak, that even its own ideology is feeling sick of them, no matter whether it is the ideology of Communism or Secularism of Congress. Backstab by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) of Bengal for many has become the reason for creating a new ‘Great Depression’. For them, it is to be said that, this isn’t the first time. They have betrayed earlier too, and so those who follow Communism from its root and understands its leaders aren’t sad about the second backstab. But how wise it is to accuse the cadres who have got nothing to do with this backstab? How suitable it is to divide ourselves while the imperialists unite to oppress more?
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) of present Bengal and other parts, except Kerala, never had the guts to stand against the government. To understand this, I just have to remember and share one story which may ignite many. Last year, I along with my friends organised a campaign against the rape culture of India and since, Asifa was raped at that very period, raising it was necessary. Many other parties joined our initiative, and for a strong support from our own ideology, we thought of inviting members of CPI (M). Unsurprisingly, the members didn’t arrive and when asked they said that their party workers (the aged ones who prefer to talk in an uncommunicative language of fascism etc.) didn’t give the permission since the campaign was an anti government campaign. For me, that was enough to understand the brilliant hypocrisy of the ‘so – called Communists’.
On the contrary, I would like to say that this party alone doesn’t describe communism neither it is the face of the only true ideology of the great Karl Marx. For the citizens of India, CPI (M) alone mean the whole Left revolution. Fortunately, this isn’t the truth. When Communism started spreading its wing from France to Russia, the ideology was enough to bring out a revolution among the oppressed. It was only under the era of Lenin, both Lenin and his Comrades, felt the need of creating parties. Yet his process of creating parties never condemned a single teaching of Marx. When Lenin said, “Without a revolutionary theory there cannot be a revolutionary movement”, the struggle fired up to what we today know as the biggest revolution of the world and that too by the workers.
Here, it is to be said that many other leaders rose from this ideology, and that too radical ones, like Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Stalin and many others who saw their own way of revolting against the imperialists. They made their own parties and accordingly their parties stepped into our nation. So, treating only one party as the face of Communism reveals just the less knowledge one has over its vast history. During the 70s, when the Naxalbari movement started with peasants taking guns to fight against the barbaric rulers of this nation, it followed Mao. Few recognise the movement as one of most important examples of how the oppressed can be a reason of fear for the oppressors. Before this revolution, no peasant ever thought of fighting for their hungry stomach, land being taken by the ruler, family being raped by the army sent by the authority. During Emergency, Bengal showed the power of college students who today aren’t given proper recognition but fought for the farmers in mass suicide and the forest covered land being taken for construction of industries.
There were many reasons for the fall of Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Bengal, out of which one stands tall: its barbaric way of governance and hypocrisy. They, along with many other famous authors, didn’t give Taslima Nasreen shelter in Bengal (except Jyoti Basu) instead they claimed her as prostitute in multiple articles just like the fundamentalists did and still do to her. She too faced the animalistic torture of the fundamentalist Muslims and wrote her own story. She was defamed there in Bangladesh for being ‘too revealing and bold’. She was sent death threats and the government too boycotted her. The nation of Gandhi, denied to provide her shelter just because the CPI (M) saw her as a bold artist and against the Muslims.
But let’s not stick to the hypocrisy of Communist leaders of Bengal and let’s go back to history when the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) went against them for their sick governance, and then worked for the good of Bengal. The latter one too made the state go back to the bottom with the rise of Trinamool Congress, and its history is full of history. Between all of these, CPI (ML) kept working on its way of politics to help the tribals fight against the imperialists. Today if we see zero industry in Bastar, remember that it is because of this Marxist – Leninist Party. When Kanhaiya Kumar stood to fight and work for the people of Begusarai, he was backstabbed by his own people. When asked, many said that what can a student do to our place? He hasn’t been a leader in the past rather he just got popular for his slogans. In a democracy, choosing good leaders lies in the hands of the people but when its own people fail to spot a leader with his/her vision, democracy becomes vulnerable. Choosing Obama was the biggest boon for America, and all they saw was a vision of the first African – American President of USA.
So, Communism is an ideology and no party carries its copyright. Communism didn’t fall, the party fell. Left originated as a wing for those who go against the stringent leaders and culture of a nation. If we go through the history of this nation then, whoever abolished any kind of stringent culture running in the name of religion ideologically belongs to the Left wing. Take for example, Vidyasagar, when he went against the Brahmins to start widow remarriage, he was a Leftist. Similarly, Raja Rammohan Roy, Guru Nanak, Buddha, etc., all of them belonged to the left wing. The difference was they followed the ideology, and not any party. Communism today has become a tool of the party and no one bothers about the ideology in its pure sense. No matter, how strong a party becomes, if it starts to forget its ideology it falls.
It is to be remembered that Communism is the most logical ideology of this planet and its fight against capitalism and capitalists is as much practical as it was in the past. One nation falls when there is a flood of capitalism, for it may ruin equality. To me, democracy can only live if we apply every ideology in its most pure form. Democracy does not permit eradication of one ideology, so believing communism as the only cure is also a myth. Believing in both Nehru and Bhagat is essential to keep the essence of this nation alive.
Bio: Kabir Deb is a published writer and poet. Born in Haflong and completed his Masters on Life Sciences from Assam University. His work has been published from different national and international magazine like Different Truths, Counter Currents, Reviews, Cafe Dissensus, Spillwords magazine and his works rely on political activism.