The Hindu : National : Be ready for relentless struggle: PW

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Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004

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National

Be ready for relentless struggle: PW

By Our Special Correspondent

The People's War State Committee Secretary, Akkiraju Harigopal alias Ramakrishna (left), and the Telangana regional secretary, Ganesh, after emerging from the forest on Monday. — Photo: Ramesh Susarla

HYDERABAD, OCT.11. Top naxalite leaders, including the Andhra Pradesh secretary of the People's War, Ramakrishna, called upon people to be prepared to "wage a relentless struggle" against the state and its "exploitation."

Addressing a huge gathering that patiently waited to hear them at Guthikonda Bilam, Mr. Ramakrishna said: "Naxalbari upheaval led to the gain of the Land Ceiling Act. Armed upheavals alone lead to some benefit or the other. Otherwise, the state will not look after your needs."

Explaining the "need of the hour", the PW leader said pointing to the petitions received by them at the venue: "Why should there be these petitions about grievances? I see a sackful of them. Why did these people petition us who are living in the forest, and not the Government? Because the governments in the last 50 years have neglected them."

Assuring the gathering of passing on the petitions for redress to their dalams, Mr. Ramakrishna said that " 10 handicapped persons have come forward to speak from this dais to pour out their woes. Is it not a shame that 50 years of freedom could not address itself to the cause of the poor and the handicapped ?" He said he would raise the issues during the talks with the State Home Minister on October 15.

Naxalbari movement

Tracing different phases of the Naxalbari movement, Mr. Ramakrishna said revolutionary movements had become essential as the communists "deviated towards parliamentary democracy" without any compunction and "ditched the poor."

Charu Mazumdar gave a decisive direction to the communist movement when he lit the spark of armed revolution, which had inspired generations of youngsters.

Hailing the inauguration of a pylon 34 years after the death of the legendary leader as a failure of the state's "repressive policies," he said the fact that the movement had spread to 13 States during the period should reflect the mood of the people.

He termed the attack on the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, at Tirupati last year as a "victory" for the People's War, and said Mr. Naidu tried to cash in on the sympathy factor.

The PW call to defeat the fascist forces was honoured by the people during the last elections, but the Congress Government had not fully implemented its promises. The BJP was trying to divide people on communal lines by attacking the minorities and hence deserved to be spurned by the nation.

He rededicated the "people's army" to the exploited masses, and said that the PW cadres were prepared to lay down their lives.

Terming India's Independence as "fake", he said that real independence would dawn on the people only when the empowerment of the poor was complete.

Earlier, Venkata Subbaiah, who took part in the Srikakulam Tribal revolt in the 1960s, raised the party flag and the revolutionary writer, Varavara Rao, traced the political history of the country since Independence that had led to increasing exploitation.

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