Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer on Nandigram
URGENT
March 15, 2007
My dear Prakash Karat,
I adore you as the top leader of the Marxist Party even as I hold Com. Jyoti Basu as a creative wonder of the Communist Marxist Party. As you know, I remained in power with the Communist Government in 1956 in Kerala under the charismatic Chiefministership of EMS, the great Leftist thinker. But alas!, in West Bengal things are murky, capitalism is happy, poor peasantry is in privation and deprivation, if newspaper reports throw light on events objectively. We, in 1957, came to power by the ballot and rarely, if ever, used the bullet, with the result the police violence was hardly an instrument against the peasantry.
Look at the contrast. The brutality and bloodshed, at the instance of the police force is now bulleting of humble humanity. I had and have great hopes that the Marxists if in power, will rule with compassionate ideology and win votes and people’s co-operation beyond party barriers. But to my horror, the terror practiced yesterday at Nandigram fills me with dread and disappointment. The illusion of exploitative power has led the ministry to govern by the gun. The consequent bloodshed demands your urgent attention and commands the party’s authority to arrest the frequency of bloodshed policy and police barbarity. Sri. Sumit Chakravartty telephoned me last night about the police misuse of firepower. If true, I protest and entreat you and the party to take immediate action and restore the basic proposition that Communist Government is not power with violent weapons. And action at party level must be taken if governance over humanity is for the benefit of the peasantry. I am sure, thousands like me will be shocked by the Nandigram incident. Please, please have some regard for those who feel that socialism is not terrorism, but humanism; and misrule by gun will not be the rule of the Left in State authority. Do forgive me for expressing my strong feelings with the expectation that the Left Administration believe and practice as a fundamental for the humble people, not for the proprietariat with the brute force of the bullet.
With high regards,
Yours sincerely,
(V.R. KRISHNA IYER)
March 15, 2007
My dear Prakash Karat,
I adore you as the top leader of the Marxist Party even as I hold Com. Jyoti Basu as a creative wonder of the Communist Marxist Party. As you know, I remained in power with the Communist Government in 1956 in Kerala under the charismatic Chiefministership of EMS, the great Leftist thinker. But alas!, in West Bengal things are murky, capitalism is happy, poor peasantry is in privation and deprivation, if newspaper reports throw light on events objectively. We, in 1957, came to power by the ballot and rarely, if ever, used the bullet, with the result the police violence was hardly an instrument against the peasantry.
Look at the contrast. The brutality and bloodshed, at the instance of the police force is now bulleting of humble humanity. I had and have great hopes that the Marxists if in power, will rule with compassionate ideology and win votes and people’s co-operation beyond party barriers. But to my horror, the terror practiced yesterday at Nandigram fills me with dread and disappointment. The illusion of exploitative power has led the ministry to govern by the gun. The consequent bloodshed demands your urgent attention and commands the party’s authority to arrest the frequency of bloodshed policy and police barbarity. Sri. Sumit Chakravartty telephoned me last night about the police misuse of firepower. If true, I protest and entreat you and the party to take immediate action and restore the basic proposition that Communist Government is not power with violent weapons. And action at party level must be taken if governance over humanity is for the benefit of the peasantry. I am sure, thousands like me will be shocked by the Nandigram incident. Please, please have some regard for those who feel that socialism is not terrorism, but humanism; and misrule by gun will not be the rule of the Left in State authority. Do forgive me for expressing my strong feelings with the expectation that the Left Administration believe and practice as a fundamental for the humble people, not for the proprietariat with the brute force of the bullet.
With high regards,
Yours sincerely,
(V.R. KRISHNA IYER)
We respect the concern of Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer over the brutal repression in Nandigram, although don't completely agree with him. Let’s clarify our view:
Justice Iyer wrote, “I had and have great hopes that the Marxists if in power, will rule with compassionate ideology and win votes and people’s co-operation beyond party barriers.”
We are sorry to say that it is nothing but a day-dream. Marxist are not god; so there is no point to think that if they are in the power something different could happen independent of the rule of that society.
What is the rule of a society? The rule of a society is determined by the mode of production of that particular society.
Whoever be in the power, he has to secure that mode. In our society everything has been running to serve the interest of imperialism-comprador capitalism-semi feudalism. In this existing mode of production, whoever is in the power, has to secure the maximum profit of imperialism-comprador capitalism. There cannot be any exception. And, Buddha with the heritage of Jyoti Basu has been doing the same.
So bringing anybody or any party in power won’t make any difference. Any primary student of Marxism knows it. A change in society can only come by bringing a change in the mode of production.
Had CPM and its rank and file ever thought in this way?
No.
That is why they cannot help but convert themselves into fascists, just like other parties enjoying the power as trusted dogs of imperialism-comprador capitalism-semi feudalism.
We believe it is too late to mourn.
Justice Iyer wrote, “I had and have great hopes that the Marxists if in power, will rule with compassionate ideology and win votes and people’s co-operation beyond party barriers.”
We are sorry to say that it is nothing but a day-dream. Marxist are not god; so there is no point to think that if they are in the power something different could happen independent of the rule of that society.
What is the rule of a society? The rule of a society is determined by the mode of production of that particular society.
Whoever be in the power, he has to secure that mode. In our society everything has been running to serve the interest of imperialism-comprador capitalism-semi feudalism. In this existing mode of production, whoever is in the power, has to secure the maximum profit of imperialism-comprador capitalism. There cannot be any exception. And, Buddha with the heritage of Jyoti Basu has been doing the same.
So bringing anybody or any party in power won’t make any difference. Any primary student of Marxism knows it. A change in society can only come by bringing a change in the mode of production.
Had CPM and its rank and file ever thought in this way?
No.
That is why they cannot help but convert themselves into fascists, just like other parties enjoying the power as trusted dogs of imperialism-comprador capitalism-semi feudalism.
We believe it is too late to mourn.
1 comment:
I happened to read Justice V R Krishna Iyer's letter to Prakash Karat and the comment by Sigur today. I keep wondering as to why this retired Judge is writing such open letters. The latest is the letter to the Governor of West Bengal to which he too replied through Hindu paper. What purpose is served? Will the Bengal Government be moved enough to listen to his words? Here in Kerala even a small group of people constituting the Malankara Orthodox Church are not listening to him when he attempted to bring together the two rival factions of the Church.
Is this some sort of a public stunt ?
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