HVK Archives: Hardliners triumph over moderates in APCLC
Hardliners triumph over moderates in APCLC - The Times of India
Pushpa Iyegnar
()
September 15, 1998
Title: Hardliners triumph over moderates in APCLC
Author: Pushpa Iyegnar
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 15, 1998
As expected hardliners in the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties
Committee (APCLC) triumphed over the moderates at the end of a
year-long struggle during which the former group took the line
that violence perpetrated by naxalites was only a response to
"state repression" and therefore necessary while the latter
argued that violence by anyone was unjust and needed to be
condemned by a body set up to uphold civil rights.
The takeover was completed late on Sunday evening when the
election held at the end of the two-day tenth state conference
saw hardliners Ratnamala and S. Seshiah take over as President
and General Secretary respectively of the APCLC. It is the first
time that the APCLC, founded in 1973, has a woman president.
Sunday's election saw the exit of one of the most respected
figures of the civil rights body, Dr K. Balagopal who had been
the APCLC's General Secretary from 1883. The APCLC, which has
for long been slammed by police as a "front of the People's War
Group", in its new avatar is not far from such a description now,
sources say. However, the 16-member new executive does have two
moderates Dr Hargopal and the outgoing President M T Khan.
It was around 1993 that Dr Balagopal first began propounding the
theory that APCLC should unequivocally condemn in court "unjust
violence" being unleashed by naxalites and also should broaden
its agenda to issues such as gender exploitation and other social
issues alike caste, repression instead of becoming an "appendage"
of PWG. Dr K. Balagopal's argument was "when I am fighting for
someone' right to struggle (the naxalite movement), then I am
morally responsible for all their actions." An example of this
was seen recently when he issued an apology for the agitation
launched by the APCLC in the Hussain Bee case after it was found
that the husband Eedanna had not been killed by the police but by
two men avenging the molestation of their sister.
Hardliners, however, argued that taking such a line would be
playing into the hands of the police. Also their stand was that
violence committed by "revolutionaries" should not be equated
with state violence because "counter-violence" was inevitable
when the state unleashed repression. This point of view was
supported by 75 per cent of the cadre. A debate in Kurnool in
1993 on the issue brought the differences out into the open with
Mr Balagopal saying "we cannot justify everything in the name of
people's anger". The burning of the Kakatiya express by the PWG
that had led to several innocent people being burnt alive was the
starting point for such introspection.
Dr Balagopal found his views being opposed at every meeting of
the APCLC being held thereafter but took on an urgency over the
last year. Things became crystal clear when the issues were put
to a vote at the Guntur executive meeting in May and those
supporting his viewpoint found themselves in a hopeless minority.
Even on Sunday evening, former president K.G. Kannibiran advised
the APCLC not to justify "counter- violence as it would affect
the democratic spirit." Mr Kannibiran also dwelt on the other
issue dividing the hardliners and moderates. "Do not think that
revolution is the solution to all issues", he said making it
clear that moderates placed their faith in parliamentary
democracy.
For the moment both groups deny that a split in the APCLC is in
the offing. The new General Secretary Seshaiah conceded that the
exit of Dr Balagopal would have some impact "but we are prepared
for it". But observers say that Dr Balagopal, a fulltimer in the
APCLC till Sunday, might float an organisation for those
supporting his point of view sometime in the future.
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