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/ . a fae Pe ape 9 a ‘ ; “ . ' oy ; ‘ he ra i
j ‘ VOL. 1. No. 48 Price hreoepence Nov 24th 1962 CHINESE CRASEFIRE MOVE DOMOLISHES WSST.uRN PROPAGANDA ABOUT AGGRESSION
Those of the left who tock the ‘unpopular! stand of not siding with Nehru in the 3ino/Indian border affaiz.have been vindicated. All the press ta.tk of 'the Chinese overrunning India' has exposed for what is - pure pr@aginda spcoculation. No wonder the Indian authorities have expressed alarm over having suffored a far-reaching diplomatic defcat. One is tempted to think that perhaps the Indian bourgeoisie was taken in by its ovm propaganda and expocted the Chinese to respond to their provocation. The ccasefire and the promised withdrawal of Chinese tro°ps has not stopped the passage of Westorn arms to India. Now we find out that Britain is to supply India with arms for nothing - can anyone now doubt the roal position of the Indian Government? This so-called neutralist, non-aligned country has, according to the Pakistanis, a secret military agreement with tho American Government for clevon years}
One would have thought that after the ceasefire move that at least some of the 'left-wing'! critics of China would have reappraised their attitude. But cortainly in the case of Tribune, the reverse is true, this paper instead of disowming the disgusting chauvinistic sories of articlos by Dev (seven waves of Chinese) Ilurarka, stuck to its guns. And what did it bring out in its defence? the statement of the discreditted right wing of thc Indian Communist Party. Presenting this statement as though this was tho unchallenged view of the whole of Indian Communist Pa rty Tribune 'forgots't to mention the fact that barcly a majority of that Party support the documents, and that those Indian Communists who opposed Nehru's attompts to whip up war hystoria are languishing in jail. We are certain, morcover, that it is the lattor section of the Communist Party which represents the future (and even immediate future) majority opinion in that Party. The grovellers who offered thoir Parliamentary wlaries to India's 'war effort! will dissolve away or find their real home inside the capitalist ‘Congress Party.
Stalinism has received a doathblow in India but there is a theoretical reckoning to be made, Lenin,in analysing the collapse of the Second International and the way in which nearly overy section of that Intcrnational supported its own bourgeoisis in the first world war, demonstrated that this was no sudden development but was ag the result of a long period of opportunist erosion. The degeneration of the Indian Communist Party majority, repeating almost exactly that of the partics of the Second International must similarly be explained. Communist Party members who, in private anyway, will admit this degerration must be asked to look into this question, They must bo asked whether or not they agree that the statement of the right wing of the Communist Party does not itself give a clue when it states, "The Communist Party of India in its sixth Congress at Vijaywada had already stated that the Government of India, under the leadership of Nehru, is pursuing a policy of peace and non—alignmont......-The Communist Parties of the world have again and again acknowledged the contribution to peace of the non-aligned countries, and particularly india." The British C.P., which now cnthusiastically supports the Chinese cease fire proposals and omits to publish the statement of the Indian right wing C.P., can be counted among the apologistg/ for Nchru. It,furthermore, is just as patriotic as the C.P. of India (especially in relation to the Common Market). Can anyone doubt that faced with a similar 'difficult' situation the British C.P. would go the same way? The lesson of the degoneration of the Indian C.P. majority must be used to show the fatal consequences of following Khrushchov's peaceful coexistence policies and the accompanying social chauvinism it breeds.
We in this country havo the immediate task of opposing the delivery of arms to India. This is not merely a short term task, it is clear that the border question will be used over a long period by the Indian bourgeoisie and thoir Western promptcrs. One has only to read the specches of Nehru to seo that he plans to use this question to divert the attention of the Indian masses away from their misera blo conditions over and over again. Furthormore the situation in India will not remain static, tho building up of the specific weight of the military, the growth of ovortly roactionary forces and increasing western influence will inevitably mean the end of Parliamentray democracy in India (such as it is) and its replacement by a military-type regime. uch an evolution may not take place until the death of Nehru. Faced with such a situation the Indian C.P. togcther with other forces will probably undergo a 'Chinese' evolution and take up armed struggle - if it doesn't other form ations will. Then the arms which are now supposed to be for the proservation of democracy in India will be used against the Indian people, and whcther they like it or not the Tribune types will have aided and abetted this process.