Siraj Sikder
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal produced and published the original Bengali document in Late 1973
The Communist Party Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Bangladesh translated the document in English and published online via www.sarbaharapath.com on 1 December 2014. Party slightly edited the translation on 26 April 2017
The Tenth Plenum of the 1st Central Committee of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal successfully held.
All the members of the Central Committee were present in the meeting and the chairman of the central committee presided over the meeting.
The meeting summed up the experience of the ‘Great Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive’. Meeting determined present task, enemy’s future strategic offensive and our strategic defensive aspects.
1) On the ‘Great Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive’
▬ The decision of the Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive was a historic, far-reaching significant and epoch-making decision of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal.
▬ That decision totally corresponds to our subjective condition as well as domestic and international objective condition. That is why we have successfully been able to actualize the aim of that decision.
▬ The materialization of that decision was indispensable for the later development of organization.
▬ The plan of the Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive and its implementation is a wonderful example of application of Marxist military line in the concrete condition of East Bengal.
▬ Party has become further able to master the laws of revolutionary war through this plan and its successful actualization.
▬ The plan and its actualization has further proved that the party overcame the numerous limitations of the past in theory and practice in military line and gave proper solution of the new problems.
▬ Continuous work in vast regions one after another.
▬ Better work in cities and countryside.
▬ Principal aspect of work is village
▬ Attack area and Rear area
▬ Seizure of enemy base on the basis of revolutionary courage. Thus, raising revolutionary war to a new stage (from national enemy annihilation to the stage of attacking enemy position and seizing it) and creating completely new tactics
▬ Solving money and arms problem
▬ Massively Recruiting cadres
▬ Creating domestic and international reaction
▬ Smashing the influence of the so-called Muslim Bangla and JSD [National Socialist Party]
▬ Making huge development in creating leadership of genuine proletarian revolutionaries in national democratic revolution in East Bengal
▬ Discovering the relation between consolidation and armed struggle
▬ Massive propaganda among the people of all level of East Bengal and making huge development in establishing mass based party
▬ Creating firmer confidence of cadres, guerrillas, sympathizers, supporters and masses over party and leadership
▬ Giving teeth breaking repulse to remnants of Fazlu clique and various forms of revisionists
▬ Clearing the influence of revisionists and accelerating their total destruction
▬ Accumulating huge experiences for next struggle
▬ Party gained the above-mentioned successes through planning and actualizing the Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive
Those were achieved by the correct line of party, cadres’ hard effort to actualize that, hard discipline and iron-hard unity inside party, single center inside party and cadres’ firm confidence to that, firm and principled struggle of party against factionalism and left and right deviations, rectification campaign against non-proletarian ideology and consolidation in that course.
It was appropriate to mention in the central committee statement on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal (3 June 1973), “The year 1972 and 1973 are the golden time of development of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal”
All the predictions of party have been materialized. Thus, party achieved further confidence as correct foresighted.
2) Our success is great, but we should not be self-contented, guard against egotism, arrogance and bossism, be polite and diligent and make hard effort to materialize aim of party. Persist like old fool, must not underestimate enemy, and must reject adventurist activities out of ultra-optimism and incautiousness.
Strategically we must see the enemy as paper tiger but we should consider it with proper importance in real struggle.
We have to overcome the difficulties that arise from enemy’s Winter Strategic Offensive.
We have to accomplish the preparation for further greater struggle before the next rainy season.
Spread the significant experience of rainy season everywhere. Improve and preserve experienced cadres.
Experienced cadres who are able to utilize own experiences are decisive for organization.
If we have such cadres who can actualize own experiences in case we do not have money or any other adverse condition, it is possible for party to cross all the bends or develop everything.
3) On enemy’s Winter Offensive and our Strategic defense
▬ Enemy is preparing to carry Winter Strategic Offensive; already in some of the places, they started attack, and soon they will start it in the whole East Bengal
▬ The aim of enemy’s strategic offensive is to overthrow us from the villages, rehabilitate lackeys and establish their administration
▬ During the time of enemy’s strategic offense, we have to take the line of strategic defense. That defense shall be active defense, that is, in order to defend ourselves, make counter attack on enemy in various methods, not inactive defense i.e. abscond-ism or not smashing ourselves by following the method of resisting enemy everywhere
▬ During the time of self-defense, we have to consolidate ourselves. The experience of the rainy seasonal strategic offense has proved that armed struggle developed better in better consolidated areas, while on the contrary, armed struggle have not developed better in areas that were not better consolidated.
So, in the next rainy season, it will be possible to achieve target of greater armed struggle if we consolidate our organization better.
Other than further consolidating the achieved target of development that came as a result of past consolidation, if we continue to carry development, we shall have losses than gain, quality will be lower compared to development, discipline will be weaker, various manifestations of petit bourgeoisie ideology will get prominence, good outcome will transform into bad outcome and organization will have setback.
Our target is to make each step with consolidation, so nobody will be able to smash or damage us.
During this strategic defense, we have to avoid one-sided error, that is, we have to avoid trend like only defense but no attack or only attack but no defense or only improvement but no struggle or only struggle but no improvement.
For consolidation and struggle we have to divide areas and cadres in such a way that neither armed struggle nor improvement is obstructed.
For example,
Improvement and consolidation is going on in a sub-region of a region, while struggle is going on in another sub-region in the same region that is better consolidated.
Similarly, a section of cadres is going through improvement and consolidation while another section is carrying struggle and organizational responsibilities.
Thus, carry improvement and consolidation in all the regions and cadres one after another and at the same time, continue struggle.
During this time,
▬ Keep materials safe
▬ Keep cadres safe
Transfer cadres and distribute responsibilities (according to need)
4) The general line of party is to continue armed struggle, raise and organize the masses and develop and consolidate party.
Each and every cadre must know that general line, so they will not lose future guide. At the same time, they must master particular line also, so they can correctly carry present task.
Thus, we can be realistic and far-sighted.
The particular line of party is:
▬ Improve and consolidate all the regions and cadres one after another successively; thus consolidate the whole party
▬ Continue to carry military activities beside consolidation
▬ Organize our controlled areas
▬ Carry mass struggle
5) If we are able to fill the gap we have in carrying mass struggle
▬ We shall be able to totally merge with people
We shall be able to massively unite people with us; eliminate such idea that exists among some people that open political party is needed to organize and raise people. Thus, eliminate the existence of such open organizations that are not organized under our leadership
▬ Utilize our lot of cadres
Thus we shall be able to achieve targets like mentioned above.
6) If we are able to achieve the targets of armed struggle, mass struggle and improvement and consolidation, we shall be able to reach the main road of revolution. Thereafter, we need only to march ahead along the path.
7) During the winter strategic defense, we have to achieve the following extra targets:
▬ Send cadres in a planned manner to the areas where there is no work
▬ Develop good organization-in-charge, cadres and commanders
▬ Build good work in both side of the enemy line
▬ Advance in all the cases in planned manner
▬ Clear the geographical gaps
8) Meeting discussed the role of leadership during the Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive:
▬ Leadership determined the general line of the Rainy Seasonal Strategic Offensive on the basis of concrete condition of organization.
▬ Applied general line in concrete area
▬ Thus achieved experience in actualizing general line through breaking ice
▬ On the basis of that experience, gave concrete guidance to actualize general line in other regions and took necessary steps
Thus, leadership successfully applied the method of Marxist leadership in policy making and utilizing cadres.
9) Meeting discussed the financial situation of party:
▬ Presently, financial problem is not the central problem of party
▬ Rural armed activities is the only genuine way to solve the financial problem
▬ If we continue armed struggle, financial problem will not arise
10) Meeting discussed wonderful international revolutionary situation:
▬ Party sincerely welcomed successful Tenth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
▬ Party sincerely welcomed the re-election of comrade Mao Tse-tung as the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party
The collapse of Lin Piao clique is a great victory of the Chinese and World Revolution.
▬ Party condemns US imperialism for its act of overthrowing Allende Government of Chile
▬ The events of Chile prove that it is not possible to carry socialist revolution by peaceful means
▬ Party firmly supports the great and heroic struggle the people of Chile are carrying against the US imperialism and its running dog the fascist Junta
Party firmly believes that the heroic masses of Chile will ceaselessly carry their struggle for national liberation, democracy and socialism
▬ The unhealthy situation of neither war nor peace created in Middle East by the US Imperialism and the Soviet Social Imperialism and their conspiracy to exploit and plunder Middle East failed at last. The People of Middle East have started their just war against Israeli Aggressors to establish their just right
Party firmly supports the just war of the people of Middle East and wishes their victory
▬ Party welcomes the birth of Guinea Bissau Republic
11) Meeting took the decision to completely erase the paragraph regarding Lin Piao from the constitution of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal
12) Meeting approved all the documents, decisions and directives published and produced by the Central Committee and its Chairman
Meeting granted the directives given by Comrade Shahin Alam [An organizational name of Comrade Siraj Sikder – CPMLM-BD]
13) All the decisions were unanimously granted in the meeting
14) Meeting carried criticism-self-criticism and concluded by scheduling the date and time of the next meeting □