(Speech of Comrade K Radhakrishna, Polit Bureau member, SUCI(C) and President of the mammoth meeting organized at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata, on 5 August last, as concluding programme of yearlong observance of birth centenary of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, Founder General Secretary of SUCI(C) and an outstanding Marxist thinker of the era.)
Beloved Comrade General Secretary,
Members of the Polit Bureau,
Members of the Central Committee on the dais,
Our honourable guests from Bangladesh and Nepal,
Comrades and friends,
It’s a vast sea of humanity which has gathered here, in memory of our beloved leader, teacher and guide, a great Marxist thinker of the era, Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. Very very happy thing is that we’re observing this day, his 100th birthday. This is the concluding ceremony of the year-long observance of his birth centenary. Throughout the entire year, all over the country, in every nook and corner, in villages and towns, in cities, in factories, among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, students, youths and women, thoughts of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh have been discussed, propagated; entire country is resounding with the name of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. A new interest is created. On this solemn occasion I can only say a few words before our beloved General Secretary Comrade Provash Ghosh, Comrade-in-arms of the Great leader of proletariat Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, will deliver his main speech.
I have to highlight a few things, that is the foresight Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had with his depth of understanding, the way he realized the philosophy of dialectical materialism and from there how he could predict many of the events, and today we are witnessing such events. He is no more. He passed away in 1976. But whatever he predicted gradually the world is recognizing. When the Bolshevik Communist Party leader Neena Andreeva, went through the book written by Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, ‘Steps taken against Stalin’, she remarked how well he understood everything in Russia sitting three thousand kilometres away from our land, which we could not understand sitting in Russia! What a deep analysis he had! Foresight he had! And now from the USA, Comrade Sara Flounders, a leader of the Workers’ World Party, is hailing how Comrade Shibdas Ghosh has presented a different perspective on the way the Cuban crisis was handled. These are some of the predictions I’m telling, where globally they’re getting interested about the predictions of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh.
Comrades, these are not predictions based on speculations, or guess-works, but they are based on very deep understanding and realization of the philosophy of dialectical materialism—the science of all sciences.
And coming to our country, what a vision he had! You all know, we’re observing this day not only because he was a great Marxist philosopher but also he was a leader of the uncompromising trend, revolutionary trend in the freedom movement. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh among others almost foresaw what’s going to happen in independent India after the Britishers leave the country. Independent India is going to be a capitalist India and the British set of exploiters will be replaced by the Indian set of exploiters, the capitalist class; and that has come 100% true. That’s why those revolutionaries in the uncompromising trend of our freedom struggle, fought against not only imperialism, even regarding feudalism they fought uncompromisingly.
All these are known to you—what are the thoughts of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, how he differed with Gandhi and the concept of non-violence, whereby the militant struggle against imperialism was sidelined. Of course, at the same time Comrade Shibdas Ghosh taught us that Gandhi, though his line was wrong since it ultimately helped the bourgeois class to come to power, was honest. But what to do—his line was wrong. This was the prediction of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh on the basis of Marxism. He told that it is nothing other than the mortal fear of proletarian revolution, what worked in the mental complex of Gandhiji. That’s why he took the slogan of non-violence. Secondly, Comrade Shibdas Ghosh also showed that Gandhi followed the line of compromise with feudalism i.e, feudal culture, religion, caste, everything. That’s why Com Ghosh pointed out that though India achieved freedom politically but culturally, socially our country remained divided on so many issues, on castes, on communities, on tribes, on various sub-castes and many other things. Moreover ours is a multi-religious multi-lingual country—so many things, we remain divided. We couldn’t be united culturally and socially. This remains because there was no cultural revolution. The banner of cultural—social revolution was given up.
Comrades, today, I’m referring to the great teachings of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, because so much of communal violence is going on, communal hatred, communal poison is being spread in the country. Right now we are witnessing what is happening in Manipur. Entire country not only, entire world is focussed on Manipur. What conflict is going on between two communities, what type of hatred is going on, and how women are being subjugated! Comrades, in this context I recall the analysis of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. Very painfully he remarked, because of compromise of politics with religion, in our country three major forces couldn’t join en mass in the freedom struggle. One is the Muslim minority community; another is Dalit; and the third one is the women. These were the worst oppressed sections of society. They couldn’t join en mass in the freedom struggle, because under Gandhi it was religion-oriented nationalism, more so Hindu-oriented nationalism, and that too upper caste-oriented nationalism. That’s why these three sections remained oppressed and today we are witnessing that the ruling capitalist class has continued this legacy of the freedom struggle and now the ruling capitalist class is more and more taking recourse to divide and rule much more than what the British did in India. It’s not only the question of Manipur; entire country has been divided, while the task of uniting all sections of the exploited masses is on us, on our shoulders, the disciples of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, who are the front-runners of the anti-capitalist, socialist revolution.
Comrades, today, we’re the torch-bearers of the thoughts of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. It was the behest of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh to accomplish the ant-capitalist socialist revolution overthrowing the bourgeoiseie from power establishing a working-class state, free from all sorts of exploitation of man by man.
With these words I pay my revolutionary tribute to our beloved leader, teacher and guide, great Marxist philosopher Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. On this historic occasion of his birth centenary, we again renew our pledge to carry to fulfilment his behest to accomplish the ant-capitalist socialist revolution in our country and to spread his thoughts world-wide. With these words, I conclude here.
Long live anti-capitalist socialist revolution!
Long live SUCI (Communist)!
Workers of the world unite!
Red Salute to the great leader of the proletariat Comrade Shibdas Ghosh!
