This intervew is published on Democracy and Class Struggle.

What is your response to the decision to form Telangana?
The demand for Telangana is very old and we support it. Though Delhi has announced its intention to form Telangana, I doubt their sincerity. Many rich and powerful Telugus have illegal land in Hyderabad and have invested millions there. There are powerful people in the UPA who are linked to these vested interests. They will create roadblocks.

But will a separate state help? Jhar-khand’s tribal leaders are as corrupt as those who ran Bihar.
Creation of Jharkhand was the first step towards fulfilling aspirations of tribals who were neglected in Bihar. It will not solve all problems, but it is the first victory. Now they will have to fight corruption within their society. It is because tribal leaders like Shibu Soren and Madhu Koda betrayed them that tribals have turned to us. But the fight for a separate state where they are masters of their destiny is the first step of revolutionary mobilisation for deprived people.

So you would also support the Gorkhaland movement?
Of course. In fact, the undivided Communist Party, the old CPI, had called for this soon after Independence. The demand first came from CPI legislator Ratanlal Brahmin, a leader of the hill people. There is a CPI resolution supporting the demand for a Gorkha state. The CPI(M) emerged from the CPI, but they are now pandering to Bengali chauvinism. Read the rest of this entry »

This article is originally published on A World to Win News Service issue 4 January 2010

What links together the dismissal of charges against Blackwater security guards who murdered 17 civilians and wounded 27 more at a Baghdad traffic roundabout in 2007, a suicide bombing against a CIA base in Afghanistan and the two latest massacres of civilians in that country? These end-of-the-year events in Iraq and Afghanistan made news, but the mainstream news media have not connected the dots.

The Nisoor Square massacre was a signal event in the U.S. occupation of Iraq. A convoy of U.S diplomatic personnel became bogged down in traffic; their Blackwater escorts opened fire with machine guns, grenade launchers and a sniper rifle to clear the way. They may have feared danger, but the slaughter of individuals and families in cars and on the street was deliberate, systematic and protracted. They opened fire a second time while leaving the square.

”They were chasing me and shooting at me. They were determined to kill me,” recalls Abdul Wahab Adul Khador, a bank employee interviewed by The New York Times. (2 January 2010) Mohammed Kinani, whose nine-year-old son Ali was killed, told Al Jazeera (2 January 2010) that he was driving with his sister, her three children and his son when Blackwater men instructed him to stop. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: In the current situation, in which international support for the Nepalese revolution has waned considerably since 2006, members of WPRM (Britain and Ireland) were in Nepal for six weeks since August 2009 to talk with leaders and masses to try to better understand the contradictions in Nepalese society and how the UCPN(M) is providing leadership in making revolution. We believe constructive criticism should be made on the platform of internationalist support, especially given the ongoing threat from US imperialist and Indian expansionist intervention. Below are the reports and interviews conducted in Nepal by members of WPRM (Britain and Ireland).

Click here to Download PDF file, Reports and Interviews by Members of WPRM (Britain & Ireland) during their Visit to Nepal, Aug-Sep 2009

[1] Nepal: Interview with Comrade Binod
[2] Maoist Cultural Group: A Vital Link in the Party’s Mass Line
[3] Nepal: Interview with Comrade Jayapuri
[4] Maoist Practice in the Heartland of the Revolution
[5] Nepal: Interview with Comrade Sonam
[6] Educating Revolutionary Successors: A Maoist Model School in Jiri
[7] Comrade Rashmi: Mobilising Youth for New Democratic Revolution
[8] Nepal: Interview with PLA Division Commander, Comrade Jeevan
[9] The PLA: Magic Weapon of the Nepali People
[10] Nepal: Comrade Gaurav speaks on Democracy and Cultural Revolution
[11] Nepal: Interview with Comrade Basanta
[12] Nepal: Interview with Comrade Baburam Bhattarai
[13] Final Report: Nepal Visit 2009 Members, WPRM Britain & Ireland)

The current focus of the mainstream English medium media is both almost exclusively Kathmandu orientated and largely negative about the current UCPN(M) strategy and protests. In order to assess the strength and depth of these protests a number of remote areas in the far-western Terai were visited at various stages of the current series of protests and rallies.

UCPN(M) Protest – 1st November 2009, Torch Rally in Hasuliya VDC, Kailali District, Far-West Nepal

The national programme of protests began on November 1^st with torch rallies in every VDC (Village Development Committee), town and city across Nepal.

Hasuliya village is a small but central village in the VDC of the same name close to the Indian border in Kailali district of far-west Nepal. The torch rally here visited local villages before finishing with a series of speeches in the central junction of the village. A significant number of UCPN(M) supporters, local YCL members and local residents listened to speeches from party leaders regarding the significance of the protests and updating on the wide extent of similar rallies across the country. The speeches stressed the importance of establishing civilian supremacy, correcting the President’s unconstitutional move and highlighting the significant number of unelected Constitutional Assembly (CA) members who are currently in the coalition government (including the Prime Minister and many cabinet members). Read the rest of this entry »

Two of our members had been on the 2^nd International Road Brigade in April 2006, but its fair to say Nepal looked like a different country than it did back then. No longer underground and fighting a People’s War, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has now opened offices and operates legally in every village in the country. The monarchy is a relic of the past, abolished in 2008, and the Maoists, after having led the government for nine months, are now leading a popular protest movement against the current government with the aim of creating a third Jana Andolan – People’s Movement.

But similar to 2006, party leaders and supporters alike were keen to welcome us to Nepal, help us with whatever we needed and talk to us at great length about the situation. With huge smiles, warm shakes of the hand and the constant raised clenched fist of lal salam, red salute, we were able to see much in our one month visit. We travelled to the districts of Rolpa, Dang and Banke in the mid-west, Kailali in the far-west, and Dolakha in the east as well as Kathmandu. We met with leaders and cadres of the UCPN(M), especially members of the Young Communist League (YCL) and various Cultural Groups. In Kailali we visited the cantonment of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 7^th Division, and in Dolakha we visited a model school. Along the way we spoke to many party supporters and ordinary masses about their thoughts and experiences of the struggle in Nepal. Read the rest of this entry »

This interview is published on Spring Thunder

PUJA: Your party headed government has resigned citing the breach of civilian supremacy. Apart from resignation, is there any other alternative options discussed in your party? How do you justify the resignation as the only right option?
Basanta: First of all the question of civilian supremacy – I think it is a very important issue in Nepal. Because, in the history of our country, the army was under the monarchy, which was the enemy of our country. Even after monarchy was thrown, the Nepalese army has not come under the control of the elected government. The Nepalese democracy, which it says, was achieved at 1950 movement. Nepali congress got elected securing two third majority in the parliament. But later on king dissolved the parliament, sacked the government with the might of the army. If the army was under the control of the government, the army could not have been used to dissolve the parliament and sack the cabinet. For the second time it happened during the course of intensive people’s war. There was a parliamentary body in the country. There was a people elected government. But, Gyanedra, the then king, who is deposed now, took help from the army, dissolved the parliament, and also sacked the elected government. Hence, just to ensure the democratic right of the Nepali people, the first and the foremost important thing has been to establish civilian supremacy in our country. There remains the importance of the question we had been raising.

We were an elected government and we were the largest party. We took the decision not to extend tenure of the existing military chief and to deploy another army chief in that place. But there were severe pressures from the external world, mainly from India – Indian ruling classes and U.S. imperialism, and the reactionaries all over the world. They were opposing this move. They did not want to bring about civilian supremacy in Nepal. Rather they propagated against us that Maoists are trying to impose their ideology in Nepal army. In this way they tried to provoke the masses while it was not the reality. We wanted at least to establish civilian supremacy in Nepal. But when there was a massive pressure on us, either we had to submit to the dictates or we had to resign. There was pressure from all over. We guess it’s because we are fighting for the people, to establish for civilian supremacy and to establish democratic rights in the Nepalese society. Hence, we did not surrender to the external pressure. We thought, we should fight to establish this by remaining outside of the government. So we think it is a correct stand of our party to fight for the democratic rights. Read the rest of this entry »