INDIAN GOVERNMENT RELEASES POLITICAL PRISONERS
By: Keiles Chandra
Bombay
During recent weeks the central government and the various state governments’ in: India have ordered: the release of almost all the leaders’ of ‘the left’ (pro- Peking) Communist. party of India, who were detained without trial under the so-called DIR [Defence of: India |. Rules}. Some had been held ‘since -the outbreak: 6f the Sino-Indian border conflict in October 1962 and others since the left CPI wasformally inaugurated’ in September: 1963 following a break with the official pro-Moscow Dangeite leadership of the CPI.
At. present only about sixty leaders of the left CPI, mostly in West Bengal -- among them are’ leaders like Promode Dasgupta and’ Konar, whom the: government: describes as diehard Peking supporters meee are still being” held: in dail.
Among those released are- oR, Tr. Ranadive, top theoretician of the left CPI, A.K. Gopalan, leader of the Communist group in Parliament, E. M.S. Namboodiripad’'and P. Sundarayya ; general secretary of the party. aa
Namboodiripad, ‘first arrested in. 1962:,: was released later and lack of food in Kerala. Sundarayya. was ‘conditionally released. on. "parole" last year to facilitate a trip to Moscow’for an abdominal operation. Now his detention has been formally cancelled.
During his stay in Moscow, Sundarayya, according to press reports, held talks with leaders of. the Communist party of the Soviet Union concerning the prospects of "Communist unity" in India. It was later denied that such talks were held.
The government has: ‘also withdrawn Wwarrarts of arrestissuec ~ against some of the left CPI leaders who went "underground." Theconcession is believed to be part of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's strategy for the elections of February 1967. It is thought that she will-make ‘the ‘gesture of "restoring" civil liberties on the eve of the elections. But the central government has refused to withdraw the state of emergency and annul the DIR under which it has unlimited powers to arrest and detain citizens without trial, since the government ! s actions | are beyond the jarisdiction of law courts.
It would appear ‘that the central government is under heavy pressure from the chief ministers of various states not to lift the emergency ‘and* the - ae in view (SF. the: “popular: movements on food. and other questions. . OE
“Home Minister Nanda "assured" - Parliament April 27 that ‘the ft provisions of the DIR would be enforced only in the "border states" like Kashmir, Nagaland and Assam (Mizo district) whereas in the rest of the country the government would utilize merely the ordinary
law of the land. © SE tgs
‘All sections of: the press in India-.and. most; of- the political parties: (including a section of the ruling, Congress party.) have. criticized the government for: continuing, the;,emergency. and have — demanded scrapping of the DIR. But the/Congress. government evidently feels unsafe without these vicious measures.
The Kashmiri leaders Sheikh Abdullah, Mirza Afzal Beg and ~~ Maniana Masoodi are still detained without trial under the DIR. So are hundreds of leaders of the Naga and Mizo tribal People.
With the release of most. “of ‘their leaders, the: ‘panks* ‘are now discussing the role of the party | in the emerging mass | struggles in different States eho ag four cst ois ; a
2 ds far from: being homogeneous in its. political. perspectives, ‘although in ttts:split: from the parent body, it took along the most active and militant cadres. In fact, it is known ~ that three or four distinct tendencies exist inside the party. The right-wing CPI is also divided into two or three ccenfiicting tend ene ee er o te fok S.A Pol ad
VAmovie the main tendencies inside. ‘the “left CPt, “there ‘is a he d. core of uncritical supporters of Peking's positions, including ‘the. organizational methods of the Stalin period. Some prominent deaders, however, ‘Sséém prepared to makeoaecritical evaluation of the .chines positions aswell as. those of the Sevier: ‘Union -- ‘eepecially after the tragic developments in Indonesia. C8 Pe, ae ves
Then there is an influential group Of, centrists like Namboodiripad and Jyoti»Basu (West Bengal), who,support.the Soviet. positions in the ‘international Sino- Seviet. dispute. but, iWhe. "g0. along with the "left" teadership on domestic issues. ype et
A fourth tendenéy* consists of younger elements. in. the. “leadership who reject the concepts of a "four-class bloc" and a “péople's democratie revolution" in alliance with the.national- bourgeoisie and project ‘the slogan ofiai"so¢ialist revolution" in India. Some of these elements, including»a few figures;in the jails. of. some") states like Gujarat andi Maharashtra who. have been. labelled. Trot skyists," have faced disciplinary action.in recent- months,;. ~~
Magan Desai, a prominent leader of the left CPI in Baroda (Gujarat), who' has’ been released from jail, resigned. from the party, openly repudiating the Stalinist organizasional. practices of the left’ CPI. In his fietty-page: letter of. resignation (which is being published ‘by “the Gujarat unit of the Socialist Workers party), Desai upholds ‘the. ‘Struggle put up by the Trotskyists and the Fourth Marxism-Leninism ‘committed by the Stalinist CP's
The léaders of the left CPI appear to be aware of their predicament and their inability to meet the aspirations of their |. followers. For the present they are engaged in the task of setting
their own house in order.
With’ the general - elections approaching, a big section of. the Leadership: appears ‘tobe more. concerned iwith seeking electoral adjustments with other "‘democrati¢: forces" to:defeat the Congress -. “party at the polls than‘ with the necessity of a revolutionary socialist perspective in the emerging mass struggles in the country.