Telangana armed struggle: CPI(M) plans museum to commemorate event

The CPI(Marxist) is appropriating and emphasizing another part of the revolutionary Indian movement. They have decided to build a museum dedicated to the Telangana struggle. The Telengana struggle is importnt as it was the first real attempt by the undivided CPI (somewhere I read someone describe the undivided CPI as "semi-mythical" because it has been so long that no one can imagine the unitary party), besides Tebhaga, to mobilize a peasant armed rebellion.

However, the movement was prematurely withdrawn by the party because of anti-peasant attitudes within the party politbureau and due to pressure from the USSR (they were trying to encourage Nehru to join the non-aligned camp and were worried that this kind of militancy would not benefit the international movement). The Telengana movement also helped produce many of the leaders of the CPI-ML (1969). I mean this is an attempt by the CPM to act as if they are still a Marxist revolutionary party, despite the fact that the party has also accepted the "peaceful transition to socialism" thesis.

I actually own 1-2 books on the Telengana struggle. I just bought another one called "Telangana People's Struggle and its Lessons" by Com. P. Sundarayya. He helped lead the struggle in the 1940's. Anyways, I dont want to keep on rambling. I would like to see the museum once it is completed because it will be interesting to look at the collection that they will develop, however, this does not correct the fact that the CPM is tarnishing the glorious revolutionary history of the people's movements in India.

Telangana armed struggle: CPI(M) plans museum to commemorate event

Special Correspondent


PAYING TRIBUTE: Veterans of the Telangana Armed Struggle at a meeting in Hyderabad on Sunday. B. V. Raghavulu, State Secretary of the CPI(M) is at right. — PHOTO: P.V.Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) State committee has announced plans for setting up a museum to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic Telangana armed struggle.

The museum will display literature, photographs and firearms used by the participants in the armed struggle, one of the internationally recognised peasants' movements that shook the foundations of the Nizam's State. The party has already started collecting all the evidence pertaining to the struggle and it will also give publicity to the struggle, CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu has said.

'Relevant to present day'

Participating in a meeting to mark the anniversary on Sunday, Mr. Raghavulu said the message conveyed by the Telangana armed struggle was relevant to the present day as it was founded on land issues and decentralisation of administration to grassroots level. Successive Governments had failed to devolve the 29 subjects mentioned in 73rd and 74th amendments to panchayats. The Government was giving a new definition to land reforms by trying to sell assigned lands and auctioning lands forcibly acquired from farmers at cheap rates.

'Political conspiracies'

Chukka Ramaiah, educationist and Telangana freedom struggle fighter, said the armed struggle achieved international recognition, as it was a movement on social issues that later turned into economic and political struggle. Telangana of the present day was suffering not because of lack of resources, but because of political conspiracies, he said.

The CPI (M) leaders later felicitated some of the participants of Telangana armed struggle including Rajbahadur Gour and Mallu Swarajyam.

Link