Date: January 1971.
First Publication: January 1971.
This Edition: Marxists.org, March 2013.
Source: Blog of the Communist Party
Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Bangladesh, http://sarbaharapath.com.
Correct politics is the life of party. It expresses itself through political strategy and tactics. Strategy and tactics are raised to people through slogans and on that basis people are united and directed to struggle.
There are two types of slogans—strategic and tactical. Strategic slogans are reflection of strategy. Tactical slogans are reflection of tactics. Strategy is solution of a basic contradiction while tactics is the solution of a stage of contradiction. Strategy remains unchanged through out the whole period of resolution of a basic contradiction. So it is long-term. On the other hand, tactics is more changeable because the process of development of a contradiction passes through many stages until final solution and tactics changes accordingly as it are composed according to stages.
Proletariat as class is minority at present East Bengal society and even it will remain so till certain stage in socialist society too. In that situation, how proletariat will lead whole masses of the country? “First, by putting forward basic political slogans that accord with the course of historic development and by putting forward slogans of action for each stage of development and each major turn of events in order to translate these political slogans into reality.”[1] So, in order to lead the whole masses of East Bengal society, East Bengal proletariat has to make political strategy and tactics corresponding to the historic development of East Bengal on the one hand, and strategic and tactical slogans as reflection of respective strategy and tactics on the other, and they have to implement those as well.
In this context, they must study and analyze whether or not the slogans raised by different forms of revisionists of East Bengal properly reflect East Bengal society and its development.
People’s Democratic East Bengal
This slogan is correct with respect to the analysis made by Marxist-Leninist-Mao Tse-Tung Thought follower proletarian revolutionaries. It corresponds to the historic development of East Bengal society. This is solution of two contradictions, one, East Bengal people’s national contradiction with foreign exploiters; the other is feudalism versus peasantry contradiction. First one will be resolved through national revolution, while the later through democratic revolution. Among the two aspect of people’s democratic revolution – national revolution and democratic revolution – the principal aspect is national one because East Bengal is a colony, the whole nation is oppressed under colonial exploitation and rule and they want its end. The solution of this national revolution is to establish independent sovereign East Bengal and this is possible through national liberation war.
Peasantry versus feudalism contradiction is resolved through democratic revolution i.e. overthrow of feudalism and distribute land to peasants. Feudalism versus peasantry contradiction is secondary. For this reason, we have to destroy those feudal forces that are enemy of national revolution and oppose it.
Our strategy is to resolve national contradiction, to establish independent sovereign East Bengal by overthrowing Pakistan’s colonial ruling regime, US imperialism and Soviet social imperialism and to end all sorts of national oppression and on the other hand, to overthrow feudalism through democratic revolution and distribute land to the tiller. Our tactical line is to destroy the anti national independence feudal forces.
What the Huq-Toha neo revisionist clique raise as the analysis of the slogan of people’s democratic East Bengal do not correspond to this slogan. Consequently, clearly it manifests that they are using this slogan to deceive proletarian revolutionary masses and is working as the running dog of international bourgeoisie (imperialism, social imperialism) and its lackey bureaucratic bourgeoisie and feudalists.
Huq-Toha neo revisionists, other than taking national contradiction of East Bengal people versus Pakistan’s colonial military ruling regime as principal contradiction and its solution as correct political line of national liberation war, have taken the line of peasantry versus East Bengal feudal lords as principal contradiction and its solution as agrarian revolution. Agrarian revolution is civil war of peasantry against feudal land lord class of East Bengal. This is class struggle. In this way, by saying internal class struggle, civil war, agrarian revolution, they are making futile attempt to keep East Bengal far away from national liberation struggle, the struggle to establish independent democratic East Bengal by separating it from Pakistan. Thus they are constantly working to sustain the lackeys of international bourgeoisie and reactionaries.
If peasantry versus feudalism contradiction is principal, it is truer for West Pakistan. In that case, the program for the advocates of “feudalism principal contradiction” should have been Pakistan-based peasants’ civil war against feudalism. If feudalism versus peasantry contradiction is principal, then on the eve of that’s solution, the class war, the question of national cessation is secondary, and by carrying that secondary struggle, inflicting losses to principal class struggle and class war does not correspond to Marxism. That is bourgeoisie tactics. This is why Marxist-Leninists of India are not fighting for national separation of any particular nationality. By giving promise of solution of secondary national contradictions, i.e. right of self-determination .i.e. end of all national oppression, they are heroically carrying class struggle, the internal civil war.
Huq-Toha neo-revisionists are saying feudalism verses peasantry contradiction as principal contradiction, its solution agrarian war and civil war, and at the same time, they are saying people’s democratic East Bengal, that means, to separate East Bengal from Pakistan at certain stage of people’s democratic revolution. It proves that their slogan is betraying with their political analysis. These two are contradictory to each other.
Marxists always oppose unification based on national exploitation and suppression. On the other hand, they welcome equality based unification free from exploitation-oppression, what is helpful to development of production, social development and anti-imperialism. For this reason, if feudalism is principal contradiction, then comes Pakistan based revolution, formation of People’s democratic Pakistan on the basis of providing right of self-determination to every nationalities of Pakistan. By saying feudalism versus peasantry principal contradiction, taking anything other than the above mentioned program is against Marxism and manifestation of bourgeoisie nationalism. So, it is wrong to say people’s democratic East Bengal by saying feudalism versus peasantry contradiction principal. “People’s democratic Pakistan” will match to that analysis.
Why Huq-Toha neo revisionists are raising slogan of people’s democratic East Bengal? Because they are making vile attempt to entrap patriotic revolutionaries in the saying of independent East Bengal so that they can kill the consciousness of revolutionaries and make them their puppet and at last transform them to slave of neo revisionism.
Huq-Toha neo revisionists say of independence. Independence from whom? According to their analysis feudalism is the main enemy. So, independence from feudalism, that means, East Bengal feudal lords has kept East Bengal under foreign domination. This ridiculous logic, even a school boy will not accept. It proves that they lost their sense by continuous treachery.
Sometimes, they say, they want independence from imperialism. Imperialism is exploiting East Bengal and Pakistan as well. Every proletarian wants emancipation from imperialism and wants end of imperialist exploitation. But why to separate East Bengal from Pakistan by freeing it from imperialism i.e. by ending imperialist exploitation? Why not establishing independent Pakistan but independent East Bengal? Isn’t it bourgeoisie nationalism?
Huq-Toha, Deben-Motin, Kaji-Rono and Co., as answer to these questions, raise geographic distance, that is, external reason (East Bengal is 12 hundred miles away from West Pakistan). In modern scientific era, the transportation problem due to external reason of geographic distance can be solved. On the other side, some domestic regions of East Bengal like North Bengal and Khulna etc. needs more than twelve hours to transfer. Despite geographically these regions are of less distant than West Pakistan, are much problematic for transport. If we proceed along the logic of Huq-Toha and Co. all other remote regions of East Bengal including those should be independent. This is not a thought of modern scientific era, rather reflection of medieval thought when different regions would separates due to lack to transport.
Dialectical materialism teaches us “The fundamental cause of development of a thing is not external but internal. It lies in the contradictoriness within the thing”. It further teaches us, “Changes in society are due chiefly to the development of the internal contradictions in society”. That means, the basic reason why independent democratic East Bengal is the end result of social development of East Bengal lies inside the society of East Bengal. This is dialectical materialism. Along with other revisionists, Huq-Toha neo revisionists, by saying basic reason behind the result of social development of East Bengal, the independent democratic East Bengal as external that is, geographic distance, have expressed their own metaphysical world outlook. Chairman Mao said about them, “They ascribe the causes of social development to factors external to society, such as geography and climate (geographic distance is one of those–writer)”. He further added about them, “…it (metaphysical world outlook–writer) was supported by the decadent feudal ruling classes for a long time, are supported by the bourgeoisie.”. That means, this reactionary counterrevolutionary world outlook is helping international bourgeoisie, its lackeys, domestic bourgeoisie and feudal lords. Huq-Toha neo revisionists, in the name of peasantry versus feudalism contradiction as principal, its solution as class war, civil war etc struggle, are opposing national liberation war of East Bengal and struggle for national separation, and they have engaged in resisting separation of East Bengal that is the main problem of Pakistani colonial regime. They are working as the rapid force of Pakistani colonial ruling regime. Disguised with revolutionary slogan, they are working as the propaganda machine of reaction. This is why their journals and books are getting government favor to be openly published in market.
In this way, they are doing exactly what even Pakistan colonial government is unable to do. They are deceiving East Bengal revolutionary people by disguising themselves as friend. Thus they are working as the running dog of colonial ruling regime of Pakistan whose class basis is bureaucratic capitalism and feudalism.
They, by not opposing colonial rule and oppression over East Bengal are pushing East Bengal people behind the Six Point bourgeoisie.
Even a few days ago, Huq-Toha neo revisionists have denied the necessity to find out principal contradiction on determining political line of proletariat, and said that all the contradictions are one and inseparable. Huq wrote in his booklet “Semi colonial semi feudal” (58 pages), “this three forces (feudalism, imperialism and monopoly capitalism) are one and inseparable force…Today the main and basic opposition of our country is people versus expression of these three forces”. He further added, “To judge the inseparable entity of the three forces separately means willingly or unwillingly serve them, work for their interest.”
It is plain metaphysics and idealism and against dialectical materialism, what helps international bourgeoisie, domestic bourgeoisie and feudalists. Dialectical materialism teaches us – matter exists independent of our consciousness. Matter is primary while consciousness is the reflection of matter in our brain through five perceptual organs. Consciousness is created from matter and is secondary. It further teaches us, matter is dynamic and this dynamism has its own law. If there are many contradictions in process of development of a matter, in that case each contradiction has separate existence, they have mutual relations too and matter develops periodically through solution of principal contradiction. This is the reflection of the law of development of mater that has been included in the law of dialectical materialism and principal contradiction.
Huq, by not reflecting law of development of matter, has directed it from his head. In this way, he is giving consciousness as primary role and matter the subordinate role. This is clear idealism. In this way, they are defending enemies by stopping people from separating and smashing enemies one by one. On the eve of the Great Proletarian and Cultural Revolution, Liu Chao Chi, Tao Chu etc revisionist counter revolutionaries tried to defend a handful of revisionists by confusing proletarian revolutionaries with the slogan “attack all the cadres”. This is a very old tactics.
At a certain period of time, they used to say people’s democratic East Pakistan. All on a sudden, they started to say peasantry versus feudalism contradiction as principal contradiction and people’s democratic East Bengal.
Have they become dialectical materialist by saying principal contradiction and people’s democratic East Bengal? No. In the past, their idealism and metaphysics was open and vulgar, so that was easily caught. But at present it became more secret and sophisticated. What is the new situation that made change in tactics of Huq-Toha neo revisionists, and made their trick more sophisticated and secret?
That is, victory of Marxist-Leninists in Indian revolution led by Charu Majumder, Kanu Sanyal etc, the defeat of Nagi-reddy, Jyoti-Nambudripad and that’s influence over proletarian revolutionaries and the intensification in national spirit of East Bengal.
First Huq-Toha neo revisionists opposed Naxalbari peasant upsurge and termed it as conspiracy of CIA (as Jyoti-Nambudripad termed it). After the defeat of Jyoti-Nambudripad, they overnight changed their position and supported Nagi-Reddy as true Naxalite. But as actual neo revisionist character of Nagi-Reddy was exposed, they, to defend themselves and to deceive people, disguised themselves as Naxalite. They, by abandoning concrete analysis of concrete condition – that is the living soul of Marxism-Leninism – took the program prepared by Indian Marxist-Leninists for concrete condition of India, that is, peasantry versus feudalism contradiction and its solution agrarian revolution. Secretly they left people’s democratic East Pakistan and took people’s democratic East Bengal.
In the past, by saying three enemies one and inseparable, they stopped people from smashing enemies one by one. At present they are making last effort to save the main enemy-the Pakistan colonial ruling regime by saying to attack secondary enemy feudalism by terming it as the main enemy.
Independent people’s democratic East Bengal
This slogan of the Trotskyte Gueverist Deben-Motin clique proves that they don’t understand the meaning of people’s democracy and even they don’t have any knowledge regarding relation between independence and people’s democracy. Theoretically they are foolish, so their excuse is vulgar and open compared to neo revisionists.
In the past, they classified Jotdars ad Mahajans as rich peasants other than feudal, denied feudal exploitation of government rent and tax, said Pakistani colonial ruling regime’s exploitation over East Bengal as exploitation by national bourgeoisie, and showed East Bengal society a capitalist society by lessening imperialist exploitation.[2] To prove their subjective analysis, they filled books after books with the rubbish enough to disturb people.
Like past time, at present too, they mixed up everything and proved themselves ridiculous and also the fact that they don’t know a b c of Marxism.
People’s democracy is new democracy that means, in feudal or semi feudal, colonial or semi colonial society, to create condition of capitalist development by overthrowing obstacle of bourgeoisie development – competition of foreign bourgeoisie and obstacle of domestic feudalism – led by working class. This is bourgeoisie democratic revolution led by proletariat. If we term this revolution as contradiction, it has two aspects. One is national revolution, the other is democratic revolution. The aim of national revolution is to free East Bengal by overthrowing foreign bourgeoisie, while the aim of democratic revolution is to overthrow feudalism.
So, the question of independence and democracy lies in the very people’s democratic revolution. To add the term independence before people’s democratic East Bengal shows theoretical ignorance.
Among the two aspects of people’s democratic i.e. new democratic revolution – national revolution and democratic revolution – in the course of social development, sometimes national revolution is principal, while sometimes democratic revolution is principal.
In China, from 1924 to 1936, democratic revolution was principal aspect, from 1936 to 1946, national revolution was principal and from 1946 to 1949 again democratic revolution was principal aspect. At the stage of social development of India, the principal aspect of people’s democratic revolution is democratic revolution, i.e. peasantry versus feudalism contradiction is principal. On the other hand, Indian people versus imperialism, social imperialism and bureaucratic capitalism contradiction became secondary.
Motin-Deben & Co. who was borne from the womb of neo-revisionists maintained neo revisionist’s idealist metaphysical world outlook. They manifested their idealist metaphysical world outlook by saying East Bengal based revolution, feudalism versus peasantry contradiction as principal contradiction, and independent people’s democratic East Bengal. Although they have some difference with neo-revisionists, but that is actually of theoretical bankruptcy, not fundamental. They are the birds of the same feather, though having some difference in color. Neo revisionists are very much clever, are very much efficient in disguising themselves, and their revisionism is very much consolidated. On the other side, Deben-Motin & Co.’s excuse is open, vulgar and manifestation of theoretical stupidity.
Long live Proletariat
Deben-Motin and Co. raised this slogan. This slogan again proves their Trotskyte-Gueverist character.
The contradiction proletariat versus bourgeoisie will finally be resolved through carrying and finishing socialist revolution and realizing communism.
At present, as a class, proletariat is minority and will continue to remain so even till a certain stage of socialist society. In this situation, it has to achieve final emancipation by liberating whole people step by step. In other words, “proletarians will not be able to free itself without freeing the whole mankind.”
When East Bengal society still has not crossed bourgeoisie democratic stage, they by saying the long live proletariat slogan, have expressed their old Trotskyte-Gueverist theory of completing bourgeoisie democratic and socialist revolution at a single stroke.
This is totally plain Trotsky-ism and Gueverism. We can start socialist revolution only after completing bourgeoisie democratic revolution; we can arrive at second floor (socialism) only after crossing first floor (people’s democracy). By raising “Long Live Proletariat” slogan of socialist revolution during the time of democratic revolution, they have expressed their Trotskyte-Gueverist character.
Though left in form, this slogan is right in essence. Because, at present stage of democratic revolution, by saying of overthrow of bourgeoisie and their private property, it opposes those masses of people who want to be owner of land through democratic revolution and want to develop national capital by overthrowing foreign capital, and isolate revolutionaries from people, bring defeat of revolution and push masses behind the big bourgeoisie.
Long Live Revolutionary
This slogan has been raised by the traitor-conspirator Kaji-Rono clique . It is difficult to understand which social contradiction or stage of contradiction they want to resolve by this slogan. This is a splittist slogan which isolate revolutionaries from broad masses and in final analysis bring their destruction.
Joy Bangla or Joy East Bangla?
At present social stage, Joy Bangla slogan is heard in voice of broad masses. This is a popular slogan.
By Joy Bangla slogan, 6-points Awami League day dream of greater Bengal i.e. winning greater Bengal by unifying West Bengal with East Bengal. This dream will never realize. It is only an illusive imagination.
While chanting this slogan, general people of East Bengal seek oppressed and suppressed people’s victory over exploiters and dream of freedom and democracy.
We, by supporting struggle of East Bengal people, lead it and guide it till the end. But we firmly oppose dream of greater Bengal, and also oppose Indian expansionist infiltration in independent East Bengal.
On the other side, along with broad masses, we support East Bengal people’s national victory and independence, at the same time, right to raise their hands among the nations of world with full of pride. We support common people’s national sentiment and patriotism, but we oppose that to be used to meet the interest of bourgeoisie.
So, we can raise the slogan “Joy East Bangla”. This matches with the present social development of East Bengal. Clearly it opposes the dream of greater Bangla and infiltration of Indian expansionism and expresses East Bengal people’s national spirit, patriotism and victory. This is why this slogan ends any type of hesitation. This is the solution of the question of national liberation of East Bengal and solution of national contradiction. It matches with our politics. So, this is correct.
Establish Independent, Democratic, Peaceful, Non-aligned, Progressive People’s Republic of East Bengal!
This slogan completely matches with the present stage of historic development of East Bengal society and this is the program of present stage bourgeoisie democratic revolution. This is why it is correct.
Among the two aspect of bourgeoisie democratic revolution, at the present social development of East Bengal, the principal one is national revolution, that is, to free East Bengal by separating and liberating East Bengal from Pakistan through armed struggle. The secondary aspect is, to overthrow feudalism at present stage to overthrow those feudalists who are against national liberation.
As the question of national revolution is principal, along with bourgeoisie the whole nation of East Bengal will support national liberation movement of East Bengal and will take part in it. So, to make their participation easier, the slogan of people’s democratic republic of East Bengal has been raised.
This People’s Republic will be established by totally separating East Bengal from Pakistan and ending the exploitation of imperialist bourgeoisie (US and other imperialism and Soviet social imperialism), Bengali bourgeoisie and feudal regime.
The People’s Republic will materialize great program of East Bengal Workers Movement, will free the obstacle of bourgeoisie development of East Bengal, finish bourgeoisie democratic revolution and will cerate the preparation for sure going ahead through the path of socialist revolution.
So, this is correct slogan at the present stage of social development of East Bengal.
NOTES
[1] Mao, Selected Works, Vol-I, P-274
[2] See the book “Character of National Economy is Capitalist” written by Motin and Co.