*whether in elections or in wars,* *the defeated side is BIG WRONG and the winners is always BIG RIGHT. * ** *regards * *Rasheed *
On Sat, May 30, 2009 at 3:19 PM, C.K. Vishwanath < [email protected]> wrote: > > > > > --- On Sat, 30/5/09, C.K. Vishwanath <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: C.K. Vishwanath <[email protected]> > > Subject: [GreenYouth] Re: Sadanand Menon: What 'reality' did the Left > lose touch with? > > To: [email protected] > > Date: Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 5:23 PM > > > > > > i have to add here- > > labour aristocracy and petty bourgeoise is the reactionary > > element in the working class movement.embourgeoisement is > > the dream of this section.k.marx and engels are far off > > from this dream world. > > working class base is shrinking to such a large > > extent,where class formation is in the imagination of > > leadership rather than in concrete reality. > the political imagination and its idealogical understanding from th e roots > of third international reaveals the ultimate truth of working class > imancipation has been an open conflict with liberal democracy.Party vs > constituional authority. > > > > > > --- On Fri, 29/5/09, damodar prasad <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > From: damodar prasad <[email protected]> > > > Subject: [GreenYouth] Sadanand Menon: What 'reality' > > did the Left lose touch with? > > > To: "[email protected]" > > <[email protected]>, > > "Green Youth Movement" <[email protected]> > > > Date: Friday, 29 May, 2009, 12:04 PM > > > The Left might have become the > > > laughing stock of the nation post elections, but laugh > > is > > > the last thing we should be doing. It is a matter of > > > tremendous concern that a country with such a vast > > pool of > > > industrial and agricultural proletariat has just 24 > > Members > > > in Parliament to speak on their behalf. > > > > > > > > > This is the lowest ever since the first Parliament of > > > 1952, during which time the strength of the Left on > > the > > > floor was matched by their extra-parliamentary > > strength in > > > the field with representative control over peasant > > and > > > worker organisations and syndicates. Not like at > > present > > > when the low numbers in Parliament is matched by a > > > drastically shrunk base in representative bodies of > > working > > > class interests. > > > > > > So is the Left leadership worried in any way? From > > the > > > tone of the inner party stock-taking going on in the > > CPI(M), > > > in Kolkata, Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram; and the > > preambles > > > to the forthcoming June 6 meeting of the CPI in > > Coimbatore, > > > it certainly does not seem like any lessons have been > > learnt > > > or any yardsticks for evaluation have been evolved. > > All one > > > hears are strident and arrogant sounds indulging in > > mutual > > > slanging, just looking for scapegoats to apportion > > > blame. > > > > > > The question arises, what are the criteria for > > > self-evaluation that Left parties should be laying > > down? Is > > > it at all a ‘political’ evaluation to propose (as > > in > > > Kerala, for example) that the Left was drubbed due to > > its > > > poor alliance strategies (particularly with the > > communal > > > People’s Democratic Party of Madhani) or due to the > > whiff > > > of a financial scam that enveloped it in the wake of > > the SNC > > > Lavalin case. How ‘political’ is it to lay the > > reason > > > for their setback at the door of something as silly > > as > > > inner-party dog-fights (in this case, the prolonged > > spat > > > between Chief Minster V S Achuthanandan and the CPI(M) > > party > > > Secretary Pinrayi Vijayan)? > > > > > > In other words, these are mere day-to-day events in > > the > > > life of any party and stuff on which their electoral > > > strategies are built. But what should distinguish > > ‘Left’ > > > evaluation from the rest? Is it enough for them to be > > stuck > > > in the rut of the ‘tactics and strategies’ > > discourse? Or > > > is it important that they embark on the route of a > > > theoretical evaluation which tries to find answers to > > a > > > whole range of new questions? > > > > > > Some of the questions that demand answers in a public > > > sense need enumeration. Like, why is it that in this > > time > > > and age, the Left is splintered into three — the > > CPI, > > > CPI(M) and the CPI(ML)? It has been a good twenty-five > > years > > > since anyone has even bothered to analyse what the > > > ideological divisions between these three and their > > various > > > off-shoots are. Besides delivering the conventional > > gyan > > > than the two big CPs are parliamentary and believe in > > the > > > ballot-box while the ML are extra-parliamentary and > > profess > > > the line of ‘armed revolution’, we really have not > > had > > > either a serious theoretical analysis nor a > > theoretical > > > debate on the reasons for the continued fractiousness > > of the > > > Left or why it is so impossible for the splinters to > > fuse > > > together into a common front. > > > > > > It’s not now enough to admit, like a few senior > > > leaders of the CPI(M) did, that the party has lost > > touch > > > with ‘reality’. We also need to hear what that > > idea of > > > ‘reality’ is with which they feel distanced. Is > > it > > > possible that the organised Left has steadily been > > losing > > > touch with newly-developing realities, regionally, > > > nationally and internationally? > > > > > > One has not heard party leaders telling us > > > about, say, climate change or why caste is > > consolidating in > > > India or how they understand emerging issues of > > gender, > > > ecology or culture. We have not heard from Left > > parties on > > > why they stand opposed to opponents of mega-projects > > like > > > dams, SEZs or nuclear programmes who have been taking > > up the > > > cause of millions of internally displaced people. We > > have > > > not heard from them on issues of human rights abuses > > in > > > India; for example, neither the parties nor > > individuals > > > within it even made a token noise against the > > treatment of > > > someone like Binayak Sen. Even after the initial > > absurd > > > justifications for what happened in Nandigram, they > > seemed > > > to lack the courage to face the truth. They have not > > been > > > able to explain why they need to wait for a global > > > capitalist like Tata to develop West Bengal > > industrially > > > before obtaining the ideal conditions for a > > proletarian > > > revolution in the state. > > > > > > The Left parties have not been able to explain their > > > holier-than-thou posture, when it is clear that they > > have > > > devolved into a conservative, inflexible, > > intellectually > > > moribund club, mortally scared of both self-critique > > or > > > external evaluation. But one would like to offer a > > critique > > > from the outside here. It is from Karl > > > Marx who warned us (in ‘The 18th Brumaire of Louis > > > Bonaparte’) against “doctrinaire socialism” > > which > > > “surrenders this socialism to the petty > > bourgeoisie.” > > > This is the ‘reality’ the Left needs to > > > ponder. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Share files, take polls, and make new > > friends - all under one roof. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/ > > > > > > > > > > > > Explore and discover exciting holidays and getaways with Yahoo! India > Travel http://in.travel.yahoo.com/ > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
