Alarmed by the massive cadre erosion to RSS
during post-Emergency, CPM adopted a strategy of
annihilating RSS workers and imitating the successful initiatives of the Sangh like Janmashtami festival
S Sethumadhavan
Not only that the CPM has never made any honest positive move to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity in the state, all along it has pursued a policy of abetting, encouraging and providing every assistance to the party cadres to freely indulge in violence. The shameful inactivity of the CPM and the valiant resistance put up by the RSS workers during the Emergency, gave an opportunity to the people of Kerala to evaluate both the organisations. As a result, youths and students were attracted to the RSS in a big way. During the final days of the Emergency, the RSS workers as a whole came out on the field to fight against totalitarianism. As the elections were fought by the Janata Party, in which the Bharatiya Jana Sangh had merged, in alliance with the CPM, in spite of serious ideological differences, the RSS workers wholeheartedly came forward to work in the constituencies in which the CPM candidates were fighting. Even in the constituency of Pinarayi Vijayan, who was one of the accused in the murder case of Vadikkal Ramakrishnan, one of their co-workers, in deference to the wishes of their organisation, the RSS workers had actively participated in the campaign. However, because of the mindset of the people of the state, which was against the violent nature of the CPM, they were routed in the elections in Kerala, whereas all over Bharat the forces of democracy made a big gain. The people of Kerala opted for the totalitarian Congress party.
Anyhow, the ever gaining popularity of the RSS made the CPM jittery. So, their leadership started a campaign under the banner of ‘anti-communalism’. But, more than a campaign against communalism, it was in effect, a campaign to call upon the people to beat to death the RSS men as they kill rabid dogs. And the unprovoked murder of Panunda Chandran in Kannur and a series of killings and violence thereafter, were a consequence of this.
CPM Says ‘No to Peace’
First, it was Dattopant Thengadi, a senior RSS pracharak and the founder of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, and Comrade Ramamoorthy, the CPM leader, who facilitated a meeting between the state leaders of the RSS and the CPM, at Ernakulam, as part of the peace initiative. Then, P Parameshwaran, Director, Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, Thiruvananthapuram, took the
initiative to arrange a meeting of two senior RSS pracharaks of Kerala, Bhaskar Rao Kalambi and R Hari, with the then Kerala Chief Minister, EK Nayanar, in New Delhi. And finally, Justice VR Krishna Iyer took the initiative to restore peace by facilitating talks between the two sides. And every time, it was the state leadership of the CPM that thwarted the attempts to restore peace in the state, as they were never interested in restoring peace. At one time, the Marxist ideologue, EMS Namboodiripad, had even declared, “We will take up arms against the RSS.” When a question about an incident in which three ABVP workers were stoned to death by the CPM goondas in the Pamba River in Perumala, was raised in the state Assembly during the Chief Minister-ship of E K Nayanar, the response of the Chief Minister was, “Why, were they not ABVP workers, what have you to do with it?” Nayanar’s reply implied that it was their privilege to kill the ABVP and Sangh workers and no one else had any right to question it!
During the high tide of CPM violence, in Kannur, the unearthing of a large number of crude bombs from the residence of a party activist, situated in one of their strongholds, by a police party led by an impartial police officer, sent a shockwave throughout the state. But, when the media people enquired of the Chief Minister, Nayanar, about the incident, he nonchalantly replied that those were firecrackers intended for the Vishu festival. It is amply clear that the senseless violence unleashed by the CPM cadres ever since Pinarayi Vijayan became the Kerala Chief Minister, and the provocative comment, “The wages for the work in the field will be paid at the ridge,” made by the present state secretary of the party, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, are definitely intended to encourage the cadres to take to violence.
The training given in the RSS Shakhas is aimed at fostering discipline, patriotism, unity and mutual love. Quoting the extermination theory of the Russian autocrat Joseph Stalin, who said, “Intense hatred in the basis of the success of the Communist parties,” Sri Guruji Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, once said: “Sacred love is the basis of our success.” In 1979, when the murder politics of the CPM was at its zenith, the then Sarsanghchalak, Poojaniya Balasahab Deoras, had visited Thalassery. On that occasion, his address to thousands of people, including a large number of uniformed Swayamsevaks, was never aimed whipping up passions. He said: “The RSS welcomes ideological debate and the Marxists, giving up their arms, should come forward for a fight at the ideological level.” After winning the fight against the Emergency, challenging cruel form torture and even death, Deorasji had undertaken a tour of whole Bharat. During that tour, as a committed and responsible leader, the call he gave to the Swayamsevaks was to forget and forgive all atrocities they were subjected to. Also, he exhorted them to actively participate in the nation-building activity. In the1980s, late P Madhavaji, who was one of the RSS ideologues in Kerala, had undertaken an extensive tour of the Kannur District. In an atmosphere in which the Swayamsevaks were eager and impatient to defend themselves and also for retribution, in the wake of killing of Swayamsevaks, torching of their houses by the CPM cadres, and putting them behind bars, implicating them in false cases by pliable police officers at the instance of the party-men, what Madhavji said, while addressing the Swayamsevaks, was this: “Our fight is against Communism and not Communists. By killing one or two Communists, Communism cannot be eradicated. Our fight should be to defeat it both at the theoretical and organisational level. Presently, Communists are treading a wrong path. But they are our own brethren, who, after realising their mistake, are sure to join us, if not today, tomorrow.” Although Madhavaji’s counsel was not acceptable to the Swayamsevaks of Kannur who were emotionally surcharged and were in a mood for some counter-action, they, nevertheless, accepted his advice against falling a prey to their emotions and to act wisely. During those days, the media, as if to add fuel to fire, used to compare the murders with scoring goals in a football match. And Madhavaji’s counsel had come at a time when the mental complexion was such that it was thought that the failure to win the match by scoring more goals would bring ignominy! As a result of the Sangh’s decision to follow the path suggested by Madhavaji, many CPM cadres left the party and became Sangh workers. And, as a sequence, when the ‘party villages’ had been liberated, the people there could taste the joy of peace and cooperation.
The Present Predicament
The CPM, unable to keep its workers in its fold anymore invoking the Marxian philosophy, is busy turning them into either murderers or martyrs. However, as an enlightened section comprising a large number of workers has seen through this game plan of the party, the party is finding itself in the most unenviable position of going in search of professional killers to accomplish their plans.
The Communist Movement, by and large, had a strong presence in almost all states when Bharat became independent. But now, even in Bengal, supposed to be its biggest stronghold, it has been reduced to rubbles, and even in Kerala and Tripura, where the movement is confined now, it is finding itself on the ventilator! Those who once boastfully claimed, “After Nehru, EMS,” and even dreamt of hoisting the red flag on the ramparts of the Red Fort, are presently in such a pitiable condition that the chances of their assuming power at the Centre is many, many light-years away. Although the Communists managed to come to power in Kerala in 1957 all alone, presently they are in such a precarious condition that they are forced to cringe and crawl at the feet of communal forces to grab power. The very people, who once contemptuously claimed that the RSS was good for nothing, are now busy giving frantic calls to others to join forces to face the “RSS menace.” Although they made unholy
adjustments with others and even took recourse to cross-voting to keep those who have embraced the Sangh
ideology away from the State Assembly, they miserably failed in that endeavour also.
Once, none of great men of Bharat was acceptable to the Communist Movement. For them, Swami Vivekananda, Sree Narayana Guru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sub hash Chandra Bose, etc. were either fascists or reactionary-communalists or boot-lickers! And Lenin, Stalin, Che Guevara, Mao Zedong, etc. were their demigods.
Nowadays one can find the portraits of those great men of Bharat conspicuously on the posters of the CPM and its feeder-organisations. If this change of mind has been sincere and prompted by the realisation of their past mistakes, it is not only welcome but also will be in the national interest. But the ground reality forces one to think otherwise!
Since Pinarayi Vijayan took over as the Chief Minister of Kerala, two ladies, along with an 18- month-old child, were jailed, implicating the ladies in some false case; a woman eking out her livelihood by plying an autorickshaw, was continuously intimidated and attacked by the party-men and then her autorickshaw was set on fire; a female student of an Ayurveda College in Ernakulam had to face untold sufferings for not yielding to the lustful demands of the party satraps; a female student of a Law College was brutally raped and killed, and the police and the government rescued the real perpetrators of the crime by playing a foul-game! These are some of the lurid examples of the CPM abundant love for the Dalits!
Imitation is the Best Option!
In the 1980s, the Balagokulam, a children’s organisation, started celebrating Sri Krishna Janmashtami in a big way. Out of envy, the Left parties sought to condemn, oppose and even disrupt the programme, but failed. Then, to counter the Balagokulam, they tried to organise parallel programmes under the aegis of Balajanasangham, to prevent the children from the communist households from participating in the Balgokulam’s programme. However, that also did not click, as the parents and children preferred the Balagokulam programme. Then the party had no other way but to organise the Janmashtami programme on its own. And, during the last two years, by organising the programme, the party could raise only hackles. To put it straight, the programmes they conducted brought them brickbats rather than bouquets. During the so-called cultural procession conducted by them, saint-reformer, Narayana Guru was shown in a tableau as being crucified and himself being tugged by someone, holding a noose put around his neck. This outrageous depiction of the revered saint brought the party
all-round condemnation. On another occasion, all of a sudden, the party had a revelation that it should celebrate the birthday of the renowned saint Chattambi Swamikal. During the
‘cultural procession’ they took out on that occasion, ‘Thidambu Nritham’, a sacred temple ritual, was performed, which also brought much reproach to the party from every quarter!
When all attempts to defeat the RSS failed, they made even attempts to ape the RSS. For instance, In the 1960s, seeing people captivated by the route-marches taken out by the RSS with spotless precision and perfection, out of jealousy, the CPM organised the ‘Gopalasena’. Even in recent times,
the Red Volunteers also had taken out a march and had also performed some ‘acrobatics.’
In recent times, CPM leaders have started taking keen interest in the affairs of Hindu temples. And the very people, who once considered taking oath in the name of God as something ignominious and the greatest sin, should now show extraordinary interest in the temple matters that cannot certainly be with any good intentions. There was a time when the same party leaders wanted to demolish temples for tapioca
cultivation. When the Hindus started an agitation under the leadership of K Kelappaji to assert their right to reconstruct the Angadippuram Temple, it was the very CPM, to appease Islamic zealots, raised the slogan: “Kelappan is applying sandalwood-paste on the stone urinated by the dog!” Diktats have also been given to the Hindu comrades against performing Ganapathi Homam and lighting the traditional sacred lamp in their households. Once, on a
marriage occasion, Sree Narayana Guru’s portrait and traditional lighted lamp were arranged at the bride’s home, befitting the auspicious occasion. However, the local secretary of the party, who came there to attend the marriage and saw the arrangement, he knocked everything out saying, “Nothing of the sort shall be allowed in our party villages!” These things are very common in Kannur District so much so, that even social and family functions like marriages, housewarming, etc. could be conducted by the Hindus subject to the dictates of the party’s local secretary. At the same, comrades belonging to other religious communities enjoy unfettered freedom and encouragement to follow their
religious practices.
(To be concluded…)
(The writer is Akhil Bharatiya Samyojak of Dharma Jagaran)
(Translated by V Gopal Matter)
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