MH MEMORIAL LECTURE

Jaipal Reddy Applauds Role Of The Left

                                                                               M Venugopala Rao

S JAIPAL Reddy, the union minister for information and broadcasting and culture, showered rich encomiums on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for its ideological commitment, sacrifice, selflessness and its role in defending democracy, secularism and in influencing the political course of the country, while analysing the unique role of the Left in the country. Delivering a memorial lecture in connection with the third death anniversary of Comrade Moturu Hanumantha Rao former polit bureau member of the CPI(M) and former editor of Prajasakti, organised by the Prajasakti Sahithi Samstha in Hyderabad on the June 18,  Jaipal Reddy said Comrade Hanumantha Rao affectionately known as MH was one of the top most leaders who led the Left movement at the national level.  Recollecting his intimacy with Comrade MH and his family when he was a legislator, Jaipal Reddy said the selfless work of Comrade MH and his wife Comrade Udayam for the good of the people throughout their life was a source of inspiration to all those who were working in the political field. Without any weakness for name and fame, leaders like Comrade MH, who rendered service with a firm ideological commitment over a period of six decades of political life, were rare in the history of the country and all of us should draw moral inspiration from such leaders, Jaipal Reddy said.  He garlanded the portrait of Comrade MH and paid homage.

Dwelling on the unique role played by the Left in the country, Jaipal Reddy said that though the Left had not come to power at the centre through its movements, the role of the Leftist movements was unique and that without recollecting their history for the last 70 years, it would be impossible to write modern history of the country.  For implementation of land reforms in the country the movement and ideological inspiration had come from the Left, even though the Congress government initiated their implementation, Jaipal Reddy said.  Behind the kind of freedom the weaker sections in rural areas in the state were enjoying the multifaceted effort of the Left parties was there, he said.  Similarly, the efforts of the Left parties were responsible for removing superstitious beliefs in the country.  In the past the main contest in the politics of the country used to be between the Left and the Congress, Jaipal Reddy said recollecting his student days when the conflict was mainly between the Youth Congress and the Students Federation.  At that point of time the communal forces were not that strong enough.  The conflicts used to be between the Congress and the CPI(M), whatever be the reasons, Jaipal Reddy said.  The communal forces started flaring up in the country from 1990 onwards. Before that the friends in the CPI(M)  and the CPI  used to caution the other opposition parties that by accommodating the BJP in their alliances they were endangering themselves and the country, Jaipal Reddy said, recollecting the days when he was in the Janata Dal,  “We did not keep those warnings in mind. As a result, the communal forces flared up”, he said.  After L K Advani started his rath yatra for Ram mandir in 1990, the Left parties, especially the CPI(M), played a unique  role.  Jaipal Reddy said he shuddered to think what would have been the fate of the country’s politics without the role of the Left parties.  It was the CPI(M) and other Left parties which had realised that unless we fight against the communal forces, there would be no democracy and unity of the country, Jaipal Reddy said.

The role of the CPI(M) used to be unique from 1996  onwards when, the United Front was formed and the Congress offered to extend support to that Front of secular forces to form the government. Though the partners of the UF proposed the name of veteran leader of the CPI(M), Jyoti Basu, to be the prime minister of the country,  the CPI(M) gained  ethically high position by rejecting that offer, Jaipal Reddy said.  It was not an ordinary thing, when we were seeing murders and mayhem even for the post of a sarpanch, he commented. Whether Jyoti Basu should have been the prime minister or not the historians would decide. But as a political party, by refusing to accept prime ministership and form government at the centre, the CPI(M) exhibited its ideological commitment, and sense of sacrifice. It would remain as an unforgettable event in India’s history, Jaipal Reddy said.

Terming the Congress as their main political opponent, leaders like Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh and Naveen Patnaik in Orissa, claimed that they were joining hands with the BJP, because the latter was opposing the Congress. Joining hands with a communal party like the BJP was politics without any relevance to ideology, Jaipal Reddy remarked.  The CPI(M) has been the main political force in the three states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura where the Congress has been its main political opponent, he said.  Taking a dig at Chandrababu and Naveen Patnaik, Jaipal Reddy sarcastically commented that the CPI(M) did not join hands with the BJP because it did not have the kind of political knowledge had   Chandrababu and Naveen Patnaik had about the BJP. The CPI(M) was prepared to give power to the Congress in the present national political situation and with a view to safeguarding the country, democracy and the poor masses from the danger of communal forces, Jaipal Reddy remarked. He also complimented the CPI(M) for the same. In the entire world he could not see any other political party acting with such selflessness as the CPI(M) did. Though it was asked, the refusal of the CPI(M) to join the recently formed Congress-led coalition government at the centre was another example of its ideological commitment, Jaipal Reddy felt.

Though reach of the Press and electronic media has not dwindled, the results of the recent Lok Sabha elections were contrary to what they, political observers, commentators and international analysts projected.  How was it possible, asked Jaipal Reddy. Without the Left parties, the defeat of the NDA would not have been possible, he asserted.  The liberal intellectuals played their role. Lately the communal forces have grown to the extent that they may decide what kind of government should be there, in this country. Karl Marx said religion was the opium of the people. That opium was being used to kill the class consciousness of the common people, Jaipal Reddy said.  After the six-year rule of the NDA government, the common people had understood that it was a government of the rich and for the rich and that the concessions to the tune of Rs 12000 crore were given by that government before the elections were for the benefit of the rich only. What the capitalist Press had written was contrary to the opinion of the people, he said. Another reason for the electoral verdict was the understanding of the people that the country would be engulfed in darkness if the NDA came to power again.  The Left parties had played a very significant role in creating such opinion, uniting democratic parties and ensuring victory of democracy, Reddy said.

The communal forces are now facing a multi-pronged crisis. After the elections, the sangh parivar finds itself in a crisis, Jaipal Reddy said.  First, there is an ideological crisis - whether the communal forces should act with an extreme stance or moderately. Second, crisis of leadership - who should lead the sangh parivar.  All those who are in the sangh parivar are communalists only and the moderates are not bogus genuine. Third, there’s tension between the BJP and other constituent parties in the NDA. Unless the sangh parivar gives up command ideology, it should be treated as a political untouchable and those who did not see the sangh parivar as such also would become political untouchables, and like Chandrababu, they would vanish politically.

May 13, was a milestone in the long march of Indian democracy, for the country had escaped from a big danger, Jaipal Reddy said.  Had the NDA come back to power, leaders of the sangh parivar would have re-written history, he said and cautioned that the threat did not recede completely and that the communal and reactionary forces would attack again at a convenient time.  Jaipal Reddy felt was confident that the United Progressive Alliance government would continue for the five-year term, for the Left parties are very strong in the 14th Lok Sabha with a strength of 63 members.  Behind the communal forces, the rich and the capitalists were hatching conspiracies and therefore we should be cautious. Though economic reforms were necessary to some extent, it was our responsibility to see to it that the common people were not adversely affected in the process of introducing them, he felt. That the people would not keep quite if the governments acted eccentrically in the name of reforms was a lesson to be drawn from the electoral verdict, Jaipal Reddy asserted. Jaipal Reddy stated that he used to tell people outside Andhra Pradesh that Chandrababu was popular outside the state, not inside. Chandrababu joined hands with the BJP and tried to imbibe the ideology of capitalism.  Jaipal Reddy said we should remember that there would be economic interests behind the communal forces.  During his life time, Comrade Moturu Hanumantha Rao supported democratic forces.  Ordinary democrats like us also should draw inspiration from comrade MH and strengthen democratic and secular forces, Jaipal Reddy expressed complete confidence that the danger of disunity of the country would be eliminated and something good would be done to the common people. 

V Krishnaiah, general manager of Prajasakti, who presided over the meeting, said since his student days Comrade MH was actively involved in the long march of Communist movement and, as an outstanding leader of the movement and editor of Prajasakti, inspired many people.  The people had taught a fitting lesson through their verdict to those who had argued that the Left parties had no place.  Even before the exit polls, Prajasakti had conducted a survey and its results reflected the people’s verdict, Krishnaiah reminded. That Prajasakti, with its reporters in about one thousand Mandals, was standing by the people and their movements and struggles and reaching every nook and corner of the state, braving discriminatory treatment of the erstwhile government, was a legacy of Comrade MH, Krishnaiah said. Jaipal Reddy presented Moturu Hanumantha Rao memorial best journalist award to Ramanjaneyulu of Andhra Jyothi and best photographer award to Srinivasulu of Andhra Prabha - with Rs 5000 each, momento and shawl.  V Srinivasa Rao, editor of Prajasakti, presented a momento and shawl to Jaipal Reddy.  Veteran journalists and chairman and member of the awards committee, Pothuru Venkateswara Rao and C Raghavachari made brief remarks. The family members of Comrade MH were also seated on the dias.  S Vinay Kumar, news editor of Prajasakti, welcomed the gathering and G Buchi Reddy, manager, proposed a vote of thanks.