People's Democracy

Bengal Violence Aimed at Demobilising the Left: Yechury

THE ongoing violence against the CPI(M) in West Bengal is not a routine political rivalry related violence. It is a systematic violence aimed at demobilising the Left in the state by eliminating key cadre who form the link of the party with the masses.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury stated this in Hyderabad on June 12 while releasing a CPI(M) Publications booklet titled Attack on Democratic Rights in West Bengal. He told how 12 CPI(M) cadre and leaders were killed since the assembly election results on May 13, taking the total number of killings of Left cadre to over 380 since the last Lok Sabha polls.

The present violence has a parallel with the 1970s white terror and therefore all democratic forces in the country must realise that democracy itself is in danger once again. The 1970s violence culminated in the imposition of internal emergency in the country, reminded Yechury. Today it is the Left that is under attack and tomorrow it could be all if the present authoritarian trends are allowed to flourish, felt the CPI(M) leader. “All those who cherish democracy must come together to strengthen democracy by not allowing such violence to continue,” he asserted. In this context he welcomed the INTUC’s all-India chief writing a letter to chief minister Mamata Banarjee asking her to stop the attacks on trade union offices in Bengal.

Yechury also released a book brought out by Prajasakti Book House, The People's Marx, written by Julian Borchardt. He said that in the background of current global financial crisis, Marxism has become more relevant and is being read more widely. Such books would help in understanding the inherent crises of capitalism. Yechury felt the global financial crisis is deepening as is evident from the sharp fall in employment in US.

CPI(M) state secretariat member Y Venkateshwara Rao and Prajashakti Book House director S Srinivas were present on the occasion.