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'Misrule By Gun'
'...the terror practiced yesterday at Nandigram fills me with dread and disappointment...Please, please have some regard for those who feel that socialism is not terrorism, but humanism; and misrule by gun will not be the rule of the Left in State authority'
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Opinion
So the ruling CPI(M) government and party have unleashed a reign of terror in Nandigram. But what about the opposition that seeks to initiate another round of political discomfiture and fear elsewhere? Is that what the state's people want, a choice between two straitjackets? Updates
Rochona Majumdar
For The Record
'There is high tension prevailing in the area but the situation is currently under control. Police camps have been set up in the disturbed area. Senior police officers are also camping and making efforts to restore peace.'
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya

Letter From Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer to Prakash Karat on Nandigram

URGENT
March 15, 2007

My dear Prakash Karat,

I adore you as the top leader of the Marxist Party even as I hold Com. Jyoti Basu as a creative wonder of the Communist Marxist Party. As you know, I remained in power with the Communist Government in 1956 in Kerala under the charismatic Chiefministership of EMS, the great Leftist thinker. But alas!, in West Bengal things are murky, capitalism is happy, poor peasantry is in privation and deprivation, if newspaper reports throw light on events objectively. We, in 1957, came to power by the ballot and rarely, if ever, used the bullet, with the result the police violence was hardly an instrument against the peasantry.

Look at the contrast. The brutality and bloodshed, at the instance of the police force is now bulleting of humble humanity. I had and have great hopes that the Marxists if in power, will rule with compassionate ideology and win votes and people's co-operation beyond party barriers. But to my horror, the terror practiced yesterday at Nandigram fills me with dread and disappointment. The illusion of exploitative power has led the ministry to govern by the gun. The consequent bloodshed demands your urgent attention and commands the party's authority to arrest the frequency of bloodshed policy and police barbarity. Sri. Sumit Chakravartty telephoned me last night about the police misuse of firepower. If true, I protest and entreat you and the party to take immediate action and restore the basic proposition that Communist Government is not power with violent weapons. And action at party level must be taken if governance over humanity is for the benefit of the peasantry. I am sure, thousands like me will be shocked by the Nandigram incident. Please, please have some regard for those who feel that socialism is not terrorism, but humanism; and misrule by gun will not be the rule of the Left in State authority. Do forgive me for expressing my strong feelings with the expectation that the Left Administration believe and practice as a fundamental for the humble people, not for the proprietariat with the brute force of the bullet.

With high regards,
Yours sincerely,

(V.R. KRISHNA IYER)

To
Sri. Prakash Karat
General Secretary
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
New Delhi

Also In This Story   
Opinion
So the ruling CPI(M) government and party have unleashed a reign of terror in Nandigram. But what about the opposition that seeks to initiate another round of political discomfiture and fear elsewhere? Is that what the state's people want, a choice between two straitjackets? Updates
Rochona Majumdar
For The Record
'There is high tension prevailing in the area but the situation is currently under control. Police camps have been set up in the disturbed area. Senior police officers are also camping and making efforts to restore peace.'
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Filed In:
Authors: V.R. Krishna Iyer
Tags: SEZs
Section: National
Subsection: Opinion
Places: West Bengal
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COLLAPSE COMMENTS :
HAVE YOUR SAY
Mar 20, 2007 12:00 AM
12
Author writes .... "Please, please have some regard for those who feel that socialism is not terrorism, but humanism;...."

Good theory ..... but the practice of socialism hasn't been humanism.
Arun Maheshwari
Bangalore, India
Mar 20, 2007 12:00 AM
11
VR Krishana Iyers letter to Prakash Karat appears like an attempt to cover tracks. How can Krishna Iyer ramble on about Communist humanism when its legacy all over the world is a blood soaked one? As for the Kerala experience, the EMS legacy has left Kerala as the basket case of the south. The dysfunctional Kerala economy has forced many, if not a majority of Keralites to seek their livelihood outside the state. That is a form of indirect economic violence that has life long implications. That measures right up there with the brutual assaults of the cadres and police in West Bengal.
Sunil
Ponani, India
Mar 19, 2007 12:00 AM
10
Wind bag Krishna Iyer's verbal diarrhea knows no bounds. What is the point of publishing this drivel?
Who gives a flying fuck about what this intellectual midget thinks? As though all his torturous writings in The Hindu weren't enough.....
Zaphod Beeblebrox
Betelguese, USA
Mar 19, 2007 12:00 AM
9
In hypocrisy and double standards, the congress is fast catching up with the commies. Digvijay Singh goes to Nandigram as a part of congress delegation, later addresses a meeting and demands the resignation of Buddhadeb on moral grounds.

What moral grounds? The Home minister of the same congress party has given a clean chit to Buddhadeb in parliament. Why should a person receiving a clean chit resign on moral grounds? Only Sonia Gandhi can come with such a script. She has the home minister toe the CPIM line to keep the comrades happy. Then she sends another of minion to criticise the CPIM to keep the local congress unit happy.

Except that the double game is too obvious to see and neither is going to be satisfied. Sister Theresa is always too clever by half.
Ganesan
Nj, USA
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
8
"Please, please have some regard for those who feel that socialism is not terrorism, but humanism; and misrule by gun will not be the rule of the Left in State authority."

I dont really understand what it means. Who are those "other" people who regard socialism as terrorism? Since he his pleading to karat to have regard for those who think socialism is not terrorism, it follows that Comrade Karat respects(as of now) only those who think socialism is terrorism. Amen!! No one has described communists better than this commie judge.
Ganesan
Nj, USA
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
7
Krishna Iyer may be honest and sincere in what he says, but he did not have the onus of having to restore law and order in an area where violence and anarchy prevailed. The government was imposing order, not socialism in Nandigram.
Ghulam Y Faruki
New York, United States
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
6
>> Krishna Iyer may be honest and sincere in what he says, but he did not have the onus of having to restore law and order in an area where violence and anarchy prevailed. The government was imposing order, not socialism in Nandigram.

Very dangerous argument. The onus of restoring law and order is always on the state govt. Categorization of an area as infested with crime and violence also falls under the domain of the state govt. Unless there is some check by civil society, the govts, particularly ones as smugly and comfortably ensconced as the lefties in Bengal, can perpetrate such incidents repeatedly in the guise of restoring order.

Sad as the loss of life is, Buddha's efforts to atttract industry to Bengal need to be supported. The irony is that left is facing the same music it has been irresponsibly playing for other govts all over the country. If the loss had been just theirs, this situation would have been delicious.
Al Bundy
San Francisco, United States
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
5
>> the govts, particularly ones as smugly and comfortably ensconced as the lefties in Bengal, can perpetrate such incidents repeatedly in the guise of restoring order.

If we start with the premise that the state government is evil enough to want to perpetuate such bloody incidents repeatedly in the guise of restoring order, we can pretty much assert anything we want.
Ghulam Y Faruki
New York, United States
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
4
>> If we start with the premise

Excuse me the cynicism, but such a premise is usually an unsaid law when it comes to BJP govts.
Al Bundy
San Francisco, United States
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
3
Geet/Bhaskar/Minu/Paul/Phooljaan,

>> hurling unproven accusations about state complicity in Gujarat

It is no use talking to a moron, but no one accused the Gujarat government of perpetuating bloody incidents repeatedly in the guise of restoring order.
Ghulam Y Faruki
New York, United States
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
2
"I had and have great hopes that the Marxists if in power, will rule with compassionate ideology..."

Well you snivelling little lefty toe rag, theirein lies you problem. You must have had your head up your arse all these years to think that the marxist snot rags could remotely be of any use to any one in India. Looks like China has come to India and it is not very nice is it toe rag. Okay you can now stick your head back in your arse and piss off somewhere. BYE BYE
Raj Shah
New Jersey, USA
Mar 17, 2007 12:00 AM
1
This is crap. The jamaati muslims and trinamool cadres are killing cpm supporters as well as hindus. Buddha's police did the right thing. Nandigram is not above law.
Anindya Chatterjee
Dubai, U.A.E.
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