Naxalbari gave the mass movement a new shape. In October 1968, after consulting Charu Mazumdar, the Ryotanga Sangrama Samiti was formed as a body to seize political power in the villages. November 25, 1968, was the turning point when the mass movement took a new shape, tribal peasants raided landlords’ houses in three villages, snatching food grains, and burnt many documents of debt and land-records. It was the birth of the Srikakulam Armed Peasants’ Struggle. Naxalbari carved a new path and Srikakulam followed it. The Naxalbari spring thunder over India provided answers to Sathyam and other leaders of Srikakulam who embraced the politics of Naxalbari rather than the revisionist CPI(M) leadership.
In February 1969, Charu Mazumdar visited Andhra Pradesh (especially Srikakulam). A report prepared by the Srikakulam District Committee on the experiences of the Srikakulam struggle was placed at the meeting. It was decided to build up a revolutionary Party based on Mao Tse-tung thought.
People’s Red Army
With the increase of attacks from police and goondas of landlords, leaders of Srikakulam felt the need for a people’s army to continue the struggle. In October 1968, after consulting Charu Mazumdar, the Ryotana Sangrama Samiti was formed as a body to seize political power in the villages. Girijans rose against the landlords; seizure of landlords’ land and foodgrains started. Armed guerrilla squads were formed to protect the people from the police and landlords, and a more systematic form of resistance was developed. The guerrilla squads formed the backbone of the people’s revolutionary power to defend their rights and assisted the people in the seizure of landlords’ property and fighting the class enemies (big landlords, money-lenders, police informers, and army camps). In 1969, the number of functioning squads increased, and so did the actions. It sowed the seeds of a genuine Red Army emerging. Tilling of the seized land had begun. When the armed police came to stop people who had begun tilling the land, hundreds of people stood in defence of those tilling the land. Tribals and peasants in Srikakulam achieved forms of revolutionary power that had not been attained before, since after the Telangana armed struggle. The peasants and tribals formed their own committees and carried out seizure of more than 10,000 acres of land and its distribution. In the Srikakulam area, daily wages increased 7 to 40 times for different works (from 20-40 paise to Rs. 3-8 for paddy workers). Additionally, the tribals were receiving 10-50 times more for various forest products. Vetti (bonded labour) and other forms of forced and unpaid labour were abolished.
As the movement grew stronger, it gained the support of teachers, youth, students, and agricultural labourers from different parts of Andhra. The movement reached a new height with hundreds of youth volunteering to join armed squads and armed actions. The armed struggle encompassed hundreds of villages. Red revolutionary power emerged in around 300 of the 518 villages of the Sirikakualm regency area. In areas run by the Ryotanga Sangrama Samiti, there was such a fortification that no village council person or forest revenue official would dare to enter. The struggle was a great boost in the tribal masses in realizing their revolutionary potential to organize and govern as well as confront the police and government structures. Inspired by Srikakulam, seizure and distribution of land started in other areas under the leadership of revolutionaries.
Which side are you on, you poets?
On the celebration ceremony of the 60th birth anniversary of Sri Sri (Srirangam Srinivasa Rao), students asked the assembled poets: ‘Which side are you on, you poets? On the side of the struggling poor masses or that of the cruel government?’ Sri Sri spurned the honor and the prize money given by the CM of Andhra Pradesh, and participated in the founding of the Revolutionary Writers’ Association [Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Virasam)], which openly advocated Marxism-Leninism-
Mao Tse-tung thought as its guide.
Women in Revolution
One of the key features of the Srikakulam movement was the remarkable participation of women. Women participated in large numbers in the guerrilla war that started in November 1968. Women like Panchadi Nirmala led guerrilla squads. Ordinary women participated in large numbers and confronted the police with brooms and wooden pestles. A total of 25 women were martyred in the Srikakulam struggle.
State repression and setback
In October 1969, the government deployed 12,000 CRPF personnel to suppress the peasants. The movement suffered a setback with the martyrdom and arrest of the leadership. In July 1970, Vempatapu Satyanarayana and Adibhatla Kailasam were shot by the police in the Bori Mountains near Parvatipuram. Sathyam, Adibhatla Kailasam, Panchadi Krishnamurthy, Panchadi Nirmala, Bhasker Rao, and Subbarao Panigrahi became folk legends. Between 1967 and 1972, more than 500 revolutionaries were shot dead (mostly in fake encounters after capture) by the Indian State. More than 3500 people were sent to jail. Due to severe state repression, the movement declined by 1972. However, the Srikakulam revolt proved the viability of armed agrarian struggle in the Indian context.
The Srikakulam revolt attacked the most ruthless feudal class, enabling the peasants to withstand attacks of the state machinery. Today, when the Indian government is making new policies to oppress the farmers, when the Indian peasantry has been bled by neoliberal policies, agrarian crisis, land-acquisitions, evictions in the name of development, and repression on movements, we must remember the lessons of Srikakulam to build a revolutionary peasants’ movement.
