PRAGOTI

 On the 6th of November, 2009, Left View conducted a discussion recently on the Maoists' Role in India Today featuring the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Prakash Karat and eminent economist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. Jayati Ghosh.The meeting was chaired by Prabir Purkayastha of the Delhi Science Forum 

The video recordings of the talks are linked in this post. An unedited transcript of the video (for those who don't have broadband) is attached along with the post. UPDATE- A Tamil translation of Prakash Karat's speech is also attached (courtesy Sa.Veeramani ) UPDATE 2 - A Bengali translation is available here. UPDATE 3 - A Malayalam translation is available here. 

On the hypocrisy of the 'Sushil Samaj' in West Bengal

 The serious electoral reverses suffered by the Left Parties in India, particularly the CPI (M), in the 2009 Loksabha elections have generated an intense debate. It has spurred reactions and responses of various hues, ranging from sympathetic critiques and “admonitory counsel” to passionate expressions of scorn and disgust. Given the gravity of the situation, this is not altogether unexpected. Some of the criticisms made by the well-wishers of the Left as well as the critics are valid. A few critiques, however, have raised questions regarding the basic understanding of the CPI (M) of the very world we live in and how to make it better. Other critiques have focussed on the issues confronting the Left in West Bengal and drawn strong conclusions, questioning the ability of the CPI (M) to offer economic and political alternatives to bourgeois-landlord rule in India in the era of globalisation. This has led in some cases to a diagnosis of irredeemability in the CPI (M).

It is an year since Com.Surjeet breathed his last.Pragoti pays homage to the memory of Com.Surjeet.

Reproduced below is an obituary by Com.Prakash Karat,written in 2008.