BY A CORRESPONDENT

Calcutta: Of the very few persons in India who have no
sympathy for the Bengali nationalist movement in East
Pakistan, retired army chief General K. M. Cariappa has
been extremely forthright. "Once the process starts," he
warned recently, "fragmentation of the subcontinent is
unlikely to stop at the creation of an independent East
Bengal." As if to confirm this view the CPI(M)
(Communist Party of India - Marxist), the party he
considers to be subversive, has formally demanded for
"right of self-determination for nationalities in India
"- meaning right of states like West Bengal to secede.
Using the Stalinist definition of "nationalities" the
Politburo of the CPI(M)) considers India, a multi-
national country, to contain widely differing languages,
cultures and aspirations. "The time has come," CPI(M)
General Secretary Promode Dasgupta said recently, "for
the people to start campaigning for their right to self-
determination."

He was not simply taking a leaf out of Mujib's book.
Ever since the first communist government in Kerala in
1958, the communists have not ceased to criticise
"phoney federalism" in India. "Confrontation with the
centre" became the battle cry of the left in West
Bengal. And so favourable was the popular response that
even provincial Congress satraps started whipping New
Delhi for its "step-motherly" attitude. It was
increasingly apparent that without massive salvation
work by the central government it was impossible to cure
the ills of this overpopulated, violence-ridden state.
New Delhi made some small beginnings in improving the
living conditions of Calcutta - but sadly out of
proportion with the magnitude of the task. And the
little impact it produced was submerged by the avalanche
of refugees from Bangla Desh.

With more than 200 industrial units closed, alarmingly
high numbers of unemployed and spiralling prices, the
CPI(M)'s attitude might seem plausible and the solution
seductive. West Bengal, CPI(M) leader Promode Dasgupta
said, has been "a victim of Delhi's discrimination." It
earned 20% of India's total revenue but got back only
13.1% while Maharashtra received 26% against its earning
of 25%,and Tamil Nadu 14% against 10%. On the other
hand, said Dasgupta, New Delhi had been very prompt in
sending in CRP (Central Reserve Police), the Industrial
Security Force and the army to suppress democratic
movements and topple a democratically elected
government. The CPI(M)'s charter of grievances has a
striking similarity to the Awami League's against
Islamabad. With the Bengali liberation war going on
across the border and sympathy flowing for the oppressed
people of East Pakistan, the CPI(M) has skillfully
chosen the moment to air its demand for the right to
secede. (It is now known that this programme was
originally drafted in 1969 but kept in cold storage for
the opportune moment.)

Dasgupta has of course disclaimed any intention to
launch a secessionist movement now but there are
indications that the party, frustrated in attempts to
hold on to state government, might start a movement
demanding the "right of national self-determination" a
punishable offence according to the Indian Constitution-
and force Premier Indira Gandhi into the embarrassing
position of supporting Bengali nationalism in East
Bengal while suppressing it in the West. The slogan on
the lips of CPI(M) cadres in Calcutta is "Indira-Yahya
ek hai bhulo mat" (don't forget Indira and Yahya are
same). They are determined to make their slogan come
true.