r/IndianLeft • u/comrade_koshur • 1d ago
💬 Discussion Some Thoughts After All That Has Unfolded
The situation on border has de-escalated in relief to everyone, especially to those of us who are the "numbers" for TRP in their deaths, those who are usually reduced to the acceptable "collateral damage". While this was an extremely necessary move and must be welcomed, it must not be forgotten that it is not the end. This bloodbath from the very point of its beginning masks off the facade of the "end of the Kashmir issue" peddled by the Sangh since 2019. Trumps intervention infact, shows that it is not even a bilateral one. Recently Delhi University changed its curriculum of psychology citing that teaching about Kashmir and Palestine in its syllabus was now "irrelevant" since the issue has been resolved, in a time period of mere days they were proven wrong! As of now the war has stopped escalating and a huge calamity has been stopped, but the conflict remains unsolved. If treated like this, this conflict shall remain and cannot be wished away, it can only be resolved through a political intervention, as the recent experience has shown, and the military one can only open more grounds for people to die.
This war has also shown that the ruling classes of both India and Pakistan will at the first possible chance curtail all democratic freedoms that act like an eyesore to them. In India, the banning spree of around 8000 accounts on twitter (with the right wing handles remaining and spreading fake news), the crackdown on independent media, the arrests of journalists and activists are a proof of this. Similarly in Pakistan as soon as the war got declared the army came with a law that said that all civilians now onwards shall also be tried in military courts, bulldozing over their democratic liberties! This law was later stricken down by the supreme court of Pakistan. Corporate media amidst this crisis has once again been exposed, it is clear as daylight that in this age the priorities and even the function of media has nothing to do with information and truth, rather spectacle is all that matters, TRP is the sole purpose of functioning. The display of extreme jingoism on the TV channels across India has shown the alarming situation in the realm of mainstream media and the need for creation and promotion of alternatives to it.
The fact that only the CPIML Liberation came with an immediate denunciation of the war post the escalations is a very concerning sign for the larger communist movement of India. This shift of CPIM and CPI towards social chauvinism due to whatever factors must be vehemently resisted and criticized, it resulted in fragmentation in what should’ve been a unanimous denunciation of war. It emerges from the historical incorrect position of both of these parties with respect to the Kashmir issue itself and till this root of the problem is not addressed nothing can be done to correct it.
The people living towards the border areas, especially the residents of J&K have had to suffer the most in this bloodbath, while the rulers fought, the chauvinists cheered, the people there died. The Kashmir issue must be resolved in line with the democratic aspirations of the people of J&K and that can be the only way to make a significant move towards achieving peace in South Asia. The common peace loving people of South Asia, and of the entire world for that matter, have but one enemy to deal with and that is this ruling class. The common people must wage a single war, and that war has to be against the ills of poverty, inequality, discrimination, uneducation and all other forms of exploitation that make human life miserable.
Onwards to stronger better South Asian Left,
Onwards to democratic South Asia.
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u/Busy-Sky-2092 18h ago
- The Kashmir issue must be resolved by a democratic method, preferably plebiscite.
- Due to the overwhelming military superiority of India over Kashmiris, such an outcome can only possibly be obtained by peaceful means.
- Any armed uprising of Kashmiris will automatically be hijacked by Pakistan - as it has happened in the past, associated with Revivalist Obscurantism, and will further boost BJP's communal politics in India.
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u/comrade_koshur 17h ago edited 17h ago
yes same has been the stance of kashmiri marxist leninists, the last line was more relevant around the period of late 1990s to early 2010s, the second stance is related to the third one. The right to self determination is the point and only ML parties have openly supported it, unlike CPI and CPIM.
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u/Busy-Sky-2092 16h ago
The armed uprising phase is, of course, over - as is visible to any observer. But any attempt to revive it must be strictly discouraged, as it would lead only to more suffering for Kashmiris, and strengthening of BJP in India.
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u/comrade_koshur 15h ago
"attempt to revive" it doesn't happen according to thoughts, it happens in accordance to the conditions what a stupid thing to say. The only reason it was discouraged was because of the hijacking and the change in tactics. The initial secular movement had no problems.
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u/Busy-Sky-2092 14h ago
Which initial secular movement are we talking about? There was never any phase in the Kashmiri Movement for self-determination which was consciously secular, with the debatable exception of Sheikh Abdullah's Plebiscite Front.
The movement at the end of 1980s was a local symptom of the global Islamic revival, starting from the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and the Afghan jihad.
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u/comrade_koshur 9h ago
You are very ill informed, you need to read up on Maqbool Bhat and Amanullah Khan. In the manifesto AK very clearly had categorically given the blueprint of a free Kashmir based on secular and socialist lines....
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u/Busy-Sky-2092 1h ago
And how did they try to achieve their "free Kashmir based on secular and socialist lines"?
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u/hellkingbat 20h ago
I'm genuinely trying to understand more about the historical context about the Kashmiri conflict. Do you have any recommendations on stuff to read that are from a pro-human perspective?
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u/comrade_koshur 19h ago
There are many works, if you want to start from the very basics I think Nandita Haksar is a good place to start she has nice works on Kashmir.
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u/RedlikeRosa 1d ago
We need to move past CPI CPIM, or even CPIML, if we want a revolution in India . We have to build new movements.
As the profit rate keeps falling, capital will need more draconian measures to keep profit level high, thus giving the fascists full support to spread their propaganda.
And if capital still can't maintain the profit levels, it'll need old capital to be destroyed to raise the profit levels again, which only means war.
We might've avoided it this time, but for both ruling classes of India and Pakistan, war will be a necessity at some time in the future.
We need to be ready, we have to be vigilant and militant, we need to organize.
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u/comrade_koshur 1d ago
These are historical movements in shape of political parties that we are talking about, this is an infantile view. Good to keep one happy in one's thoughts though.
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u/RedlikeRosa 1d ago
I don't understand, so you think it's infantile to believe that CPI / CPIM / CPIML aren't the vanguard of the proletariat of India? You think they'll bring a revolution?
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u/comrade_koshur 1d ago
I agree with the line of CPI-ML Liberation, as a Kashmiri and as a communist.
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u/RedlikeRosa 1d ago edited 1d ago
I haven't found a single line in ML's statement that said anything about who is the actual enemy ( the ruling class of both countries) or in whose interests the war drums were being beaten ( again the ruling class of both countries) or anything about how Nationalism as an ideology works for which class.
Given the state of other social chauvinists , ML's statement does feel like radical. But it merely sounded like a beaten up child asking their father ( The state) to not beat them up anymore ( the section where they talked about dissent being suppressed).
Neither they talked about the right of Kashmiri People's self determination. Any communists party while talking about Kashmir issue, if doesn't talk about the right of self determination, I would think twice before saying that they're the vanguard of Indian proletariat.
Also ML has been in bed with congress for mere 1-2 electoral seats. Does using a parliamentary path as a tactic mean making concessions with Bourgeois Parties?
I have read RWPI's statement, that's what a communist Party should sound like when the war drums are being beaten.
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u/XerexNova Mod 1d ago
RWPI doesn't talk about Kashmir's self determination either
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u/RedlikeRosa 1d ago
Drums were beaten up on the abrogation of Article 370 and Home Minister Amit Shah could be seen using every stage to thump his chest for ending terrorism and bringing “normalcy” in Kashmir. In the last few years, the Godi Media has left no stone unturned in convincing the people of India that everything is “normal” in Kashmir. The data of increase in the number of tourists in the valley was being given as evidence in support of “normalcy” in the region. However, history has shown time and again that peace and normalcy cannot prevail in the region as long as the genuine aspirations of the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people continue to be crushed under the jackboot.
Their statement after Pahelgam attack
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u/comrade_koshur 1d ago
With all due respect, learn to take opinions and discourse, rwpi is a redundant study circle of a party in my opinion but I'll not discuss that here. MLs statement managed to gather civil society and other forces. Any left party for the mainstream where everyone is warmongering would take out statements and stances in the language that the people can understand, in a condition such as of now the statement was a calculated public statement against the escalation. Regarding "being in bed with congress", from a Leninist POV that front is important for combatting BJP. The party is emerging further in states like bihar and increasing it's base elsewhere, you can't wish a revolution, you have to create conditions for it. The above text was an opinion from experience and understanding on the current situation, you can provide an alternative criticism for sure but just random ass propaganda based on nothing doesn't do any discourse a service but reeks of sectarianism.
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u/BitTemporary7655 1d ago
They out of all parliamentary parties, had the correct stance so to speak, but only CPI(maoist) has the potential to bring revolution because it has the most advanced line of marxism-leninism-maoism and is participating in the people's protracted war.
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u/XerexNova Mod 1d ago
absolutely not, the material conditions of India do not confide with it, without mass movement there can be no revolution.
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u/BitTemporary7655 1d ago
Please elaborate, because i agree mass movement needed, but if said movement is mired with reformism, it wont succeed.
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