BOLIVIAN PEASANTS
When the Barrientos dictatorship in Bolivia, working hand in glove with the CIA, murdered Che Guevara they spread the story that the revolutionary hero and his guerrilla band were isolated and without support from the peasants.
A recent Reuters dispatch from La Paz, however, reports that the dictatorship is so nervous about Guevara's influence among peasants around the village of Higueras that they razed the village school where Che was murdered. The school had "taken on the appearance of a local shrine," Reuters said.
"Recently," the dispatch continues, "evidence has come to light that peasants
Comrade Ranchodbhai Dalal, a prominent
peasant leader of Gujarat, and was ad-
dressed by Comrades Chitta Mitra, secre-
tary of the West Bengal Committee of the
SWP, Somendra Kumar of Bihar, Sharad
Jhaveri of Gujarat, and Magan Desai, the
newly elected secretary of the SWP. Con-
rade P. Mohamed, secretary of the party's
Baroda Committee, welcomed the visiting
delegates and observers from other states
on behalf of the reception committee.
The National Conference of the SWP
is an important landmark in the history
of the Indian Trotskyist movement, espe-
cially after its regroupment as an inde-
pendent party in 1965.
The SWP has established its func-
tioning units in six states including
West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gu-
jarat, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Several
militant members of the traditional left
parties including the CPI, CPI(M), SSP
and the RSP who are dissatisfied with
their leadership have joined the SWP
during the last two years.
The party has built a substantial
base in the trade-union and peasant move-
ment in several states of India.
REVERE GUEVARA
around Vallegrande [a town near Higueras]
were not, as had been reported, unfriend-
ly to Guevara and his guerrilla band.
"A roll of photographs found in
Guevara's haversack when he was captured
showed the guerrillas with the peasants,
eating and chatting with them, according
to reliable sources.
"In one, Che can be seen cradling
two children on his knee while an old man
directs their attention to the camera."
The dispatch also reports a wide-
spread sale of photographs of Che among
peasants in the region.
A NEW ISSUE OF "ARAB REVOLUTION"
The February issue of Arab