Siraj Sikder
The original Bengali document is the Statement of the Central Committee on the 2nd anniversary of Party formation day published by the party in June 1973
The Communist Party Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Bangladesh translated the document in English and published online via www.sarbaharapath.com in 17 October 2014. Party slightly edited the translation on 10 April 2017
1
On 3 June 1973, the Proletarian Party of East Bengal is completing its second year of formation.
In those two years, Proletarian Party has achieved very much precious experience and solution of many fundamental problems related to party formation, armed struggle and national liberation front.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal has been able to combine universal truth of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought with the concrete condition of East Bengal revolution more successfully.
In this duration of time, the Proletarian Party of East Bengal—
Achieved significant experience of armed struggle;
Achieved efficiency on correctly determining political line by analyzing critical political situation;
Gained experience of successfully defeating and smashing faction inside party;
Mastered the method of ideological reconstruction of petit bourgeoisie class origin cadres;
Realized how to carry struggle inside party correctly;
Invented the correct way of unifying outside party revolutionaries. Thus, solved the problem of establishing and maintaining class unity;
Invented the way of actualizing line of united front to unify and organize outside party people. Thus, solved the problem of establishing national unity;
Has been able to assess military strategic situation and determine task accordingly;
In organizational field, solved the problem of consolidation, improvement, simple administration, establishing of single center and maintaining it and eliminating dirt;
The Proletarian Party has achieved grand success in the meantime.
These two years is the golden time in the history of development of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal.
2
A revolutionary party is needed to make revolution. The East Bengal people’s struggle for national liberation and democracy repeatedly failed due to lack of leadership of a revolutionary party.
Despite the British were overthrown as result of two hundred years long struggle, people’s struggle for national liberation and democracy did not succeed; as consequence of capture of the power of Pakistan by the bureaucratic capitalists and feudalists, the national democratic revolution remained unfinished.
The People of East Bengal carried repeated struggle to complete the national democratic revolution. Hundreds of thousands of people sacrificed their lives. The bureaucratic capitalists and feudalists of East Bengal invited the Indian expansionists and handed over East Bengal to them.
Thus, people’s those struggles failed due to not having leadership of a revolutionary party.
The history of long days’ struggle has proved that except the leadership of a revolutionary political party of proletariat, no other class political party can lead people towards liberation.
The proletariat of East Bengal is the most progressive developing class in East Bengal, which has scientific theoretical basis to make revolution: Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought.
The revolutionary masses of East Bengal grasped Marxism with very much eagerness, tried to transform themselves to proletariat, organize political party of proletariat and provide leadership in people’s liberation struggle.
But the unchanged non-proletarian class representatives captured the power of leadership of proletariat, developed revisionist-reformist party in place of proletarian revolutionary party, betrayed with proletarian class and people and misguided them.
The proletarian revolutionaries of East Bengal rebelled against the reactionaries to establish a revolutionary political party of proletariat by overthrowing all those revisionists and on 8 January 1968 established the “East Bengal Workers Movement” to establish a political party of proletariat.
Thus, a new chapter was initiated in the history of revolutionary struggle of East Bengal.
Inexperienced young revolutionaries, by neglecting the extreme difficulties, persisted on revolutionary practice and tried to combine theory and practice and master the universal truth of Marxism.
Their childish inexperience, immaturity started to transform into experience and maturity. Thus, they achieved the qualification of establishing of the political party of proletariat.
On 3 June 1971, in great Payarabagan, the “Proletarian Party of East Bengal”, the revolutionary political party of the East Bengal proletariat was established amidst the artillery firing of the Pak military fascists. The historic role of East Bengal Workers Movement ended.
Thus, a new chapter began in the history of the revolutionary struggle of East Bengal.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal continued to carry revolutionary practice with the target of clearing absence of a revolutionary party to carry revolutionary struggle of the people of East Bengal.
3
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal from the very beginning of its formation, took armed struggle as the only path of liberation of people.
Party took the line of taking armed struggle as the main form of struggle and building armed force as the main form of organization under party’s leadership.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal heroically carried national liberation struggle against the Pak military fascists. At the same time, party opposed the conspiracy of occupying East Bengal by the Indian Expansionism and their lackey the Awami League fascists.
Party sustained and continued to carry activities in face of huge pressure from on the one hand, the Pak military fascists, and on the other hand, the Indian Expansionists and their lackeys.
Lots of cadres, guerrillas and sympathizers and supporters, through great sacrifice have made the contemporary struggle bright.
In context of occupation of East Bengal by the Indian expansionists in December 1971 and formation of puppet government, the Proletarian Party of East Bengal made correct analysis of the emerged political situation and determined correct political line.
During that time, party successfully held its first national congress and determined political line.
In congress, party correctly decided dogmatism as the main danger for party.
Congress elected new leadership of party.
In congress, some careerists and opportunists infiltrated inside leadership. Soon they made all-out effort to capture party power and smash party through making conspiracy in collusion with inside and outside party opportunists. They carried factional activities inside party and made clique. Thus, the traitor Fazlu-Sultan clique emerged.
The clique failed to meet its target because of the correct line of party, vigilance of party leadership and sincerity of cadres.
In order to uproot the reactionary influence of clique, party carried huge ideological struggle. In this objective, rectification campaign was carried on some subjects.
Thus, party mastered the Marxist style of carrying ideological struggle.
Carrying anti-clique ideological struggle and rectification campaign is completely a new event in the history of revolutionary struggle of East Bengal.
Soon, the clique was completely defeated ideologically, politically and organizationally, and they were expelled from party forever. While carrying counterrevolutionary activities, some of them were annihilated.
Party-development got some losses due to formation of clique, but party achieved very much valuable experiences on various points at the same time. The clique is party’s negative teacher.
Clique was able to come into being as result of combination of dogmatists with narrow empiricists. Party took the decision to carry rectification campaign against dogmatism.
In the course of the rectification campaign, party achieved further deepened knowledge about the ideological reconstruction of the petit bourgeoisie origin cadres.
Party deeply studied petit bourgeoisie ideology and its manifestations and realized that this is the fundamental problem of revolution of colonial-semi colonial-feudal-semi feudal countries to make ideological reconstruction of the petit bourgeoisie class origin cadres.
In this regard, party correctly determined relation between thought and action, between genius-qualification and practice, between intellect-prudence and mode of production.
It is action that gives rise to idea; while on the contrary, idea controls action too. Practice is primary; genius and qualification depend on practice, while genius and qualification influence practice on the contrary. Genius is nothing but zeal, perseverance and deliberation. Intellect and prudence is dependent on mode of production, on the other side, intellect and prudence are helpful in changing mode of production.
Thus, party gained the key to solve the questions of starting more developed working method through changing thought and correcting working style; improving the standard of cadres and creating qualified genius cadres.
Party solved the problems of keeping internal unity, correctly carrying internal struggle and criticism-self-criticism.
Apart from keeping internal party unity, party invented scientific method of how to unify outside party revolutionaries and made effort accordingly.
Apart from carrying internal struggle, keeping internal party unity, at the same time, party invented how to establish and maintain class unity through unifying outside revolutionaries. Along with establishing class unity, party took step to establish national unity.
Broad section of people of East Bengal is patriot. Bit part of them is petit bourgeoisie. They are the basic allies of revolution of East Bengal. The victory of revolution depends on unifying them under party leadership.
Therefore, it is indispensable to forge necessary organization under the leadership of the class proletariat to unify them.
The National Liberation Front of East Bengal and its affiliated organizations are such organizations, though which, petit bourgeoisie and other patriots of East Bengal can be united.
Thus, party has taken the decision of forming national liberation front to lead the whole people of East Bengal in national liberation struggle under party’s leadership. Thus, party took the correct line of carrying and organizing petit bourgeoisie, other patriotic classes, sections, and national-lingual-religious minority people in national liberation war in a united way.
This time, in military question too, party solved fundamentally important and far reaching significant problems, which are closely linked with armed struggle and party development.
Party solved problems related to national enemy annihilation; invented very much effective method of rural propaganda through Armed Propaganda Team.
Party invented how to assess military strategic situation, and accordingly how to determine ideological, organizational, political and military works of party.
In organizational question too, party achieved great success. Fundamental problems of party-development have been solved like improvement of cadres and alleviation of shortage of cadres.
In this period, party achieved important concepts related to the role of cadres and leaders in revolution, relation of the level of party and revolution with qualification of cadres; keeping and strengthening single center inside party; and more developed leadership.
Various levels of party are mastering party-development related formality, division of labor, experiment, summation and simpler administration.
Before consolidating organizationally, party needs ideological consolidation. Party mastered the method of organizational consolidation through completing process of ideological consolidation, elimination of dirt, taking the green, improvement, collection and verification of cadre history, forming units, giving membership and applicant membership etc.
Party learned how to determine level of work via organizational practice (development or consolidation, armed struggle or preparation, retreat etc.), know oneself and determine policy accordingly, assess total situation, make bimonthly, half-yearly and yearly plan, make proper use of situation, make proper use of working capacity and many other daily working styles and techniques.
But in organizational field, party seriously has shortage of capable leadership to use total capacity of regions and correctly carrying activities.
Party must overcome the shortcomings.
4
The experience of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal proves that correct political line manifests in correct organizational line and military line.
Correct political line does not fall from the sky or it is not inborn, but it comes from correct ideological line, that is, combining Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought with concrete practice of revolution of East Bengal.
A correct line necessarily develops through struggling against erroneous lines.
The correct lines of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal developed through struggling against inside and outside party erroneous lines.
Those wrong lines are on the one hand, rightist and on the other, left in form and right in essence.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal incessantly developed in correct path by struggling against on the one hand, right line and on the other hand, ultra left line as expression of petit bourgeoisie impatience.
Party advanced through struggling against outside party rightist Moni Singh-Mozaffar revisionists, Kazi-Rono and Deben-Basar and on the other side, left in form but right in essence the Huq-Toha and Motin and Co.
The existence of the above mentioned Marxist named groups is working as a serious hindrance to the unity of the proletarian class and people.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal is giving line of class unity to the proletarian revolutionaries, national unity for national based unity and line to contact with general cadres.
It is a must that as result of this three dimensional principle, general genuine cadres affiliated to various groups except a few enemy agents and opportunists will unify with the Proletarian Party.
Thus, existence of those groups has become very much limited.
But as long as enemy area sustains, the so-called Marxist named groups are able to come into being. Even some groups may develop under government aid to confuse people. But those groups will not be able to solve day to day problems, improve cadres, persist in or continue to struggle to achieve target. Therefore, their general cadres will join the Proletarian Party, the enemy agents and opportunists will be isolated and ruin.
5
Before 25 March (1971—CPMLM-BD), the East Bengal Workers Movement was limited to intellectuals of a few cities. It was the first stage of party development.
After 25 March, party spread to rural areas, rural work expanded more than cities, party developed mainly among intellectuals of cities and countryside.
It is the second stage of party development.
At present, party has spread to almost all the districts of East Bengal. Party is taking its root among workers and peasants through intellectuals of cities and countryside.
That is, party has entered the third stage of its development. Soon, party will spread to the whole countrywide and take root among workers, peasants and petit bourgeoisie masses of cities and countryside. Thus, party will become a national based and mass based one.
Soon, guerrilla war will spread in wider regions under party’s leadership, massive guerrilla region will develop and in some areas, situation may develop like building base areas.
The wonderful preparation and initiation of party created huge possibilities.
In terms of people and arms, party developed hundred times higher than pre-25 March and in thinking, it is several thousand times higher.
6
Today, people want to rebel as a result of exploitation and plunder by the Indian Expansionism and their lackey the Awami League fascists. They realized that their bloodshed went in vain. Their struggle for independence and democracy remains unfinished.
Today, people seek correct leadership.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal has achieved ideological, political, organizational and military experience to lead people in this great revolutionary struggle. Party achieved wonderful preparation to lead people in the rainy season in strategic offensive against the Awami fascists. Do not be arrogant with the great success of party. Keep your head cool, sum up experiences and achieve more success. In the course of liberation of people, this success is just a preparation, a mile in several thousand miles’ path. Therefore, we have to be perseverant, clear all obstacles and persist in achieving victory.
In order to achieve further more success, cadres have to change their thinking and correct their working style.
These successes of Proletarian Party of East Bengal has been achieved through the correct line produced by comrade Siraj Sikder by combining the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought to the concrete practice of revolution of East Bengal and cadres’ persisting in materializing that.
Cadres of whole party must change their thinking and correct their working-method, learn from comrade Siraj Sikder and bring further more victories for party and revolution.
Party solved fundamental problems in ideology, politics, organization and military field. Now it needs to change thinking, correct working method and materialize the above mentioned lines.
The experience of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal proves that if there is correct line, smaller force gets bigger, an armed force develops from nonexistence.
The line of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal is correct. Therefore, one day, party will be able to capture political power too.
On the other side, if line is wrong, achieved successes will be lost. It is applicable to Huq-Toha, Motin-Alauddin, Moni Singh-Mozaffar.
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal has been able to build strong base right at the initiation and is advancing by taking well preparation.
Dawn is the image of the day, and a good preparation is the sign of good finishing.
Therefore, victory of the Proletarian Party is inevitable.
On the Party Formation Day, party is expressing grief for the martyred and arrested comrades and all the cadres are taking oath to materialize their dream.
Comrades are promising to break the imprisonment of the arrested and appoint them again in revolutionary practice.
Party wishes long life for proletarian revolutionaries of East Bengal as well as long life for comrade Siraj Sikder.