Statement by the ‘Communist Party of Marxists – Kenya’ on the murder of Comrade Basavaraj

It is with great sadness that we receive news of the murder of Comrade Basavraj (Nambala Keshava Rao), Secretary General of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was gunned down together with 26 other comrades by mercenaries of the fascist Indian state in Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmarh region. The attack was carried out with the goal of patching the cracks growing in India caused by its oppression of millions of workers, peasants, women, dalits, and Adivasis. The Indian state continues to try and terrorise the Indian people into accepting their oppression by comprador capitalism, feudalism and imperialism.

Comrade Basavraj made great contributions in the founding of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA). His contributions were recognised by electing him to the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was passed the torch by Comrade Ganapathy in 2018. In all sorts of conditions, he has struggled both ideologically and on the battlefield to secure and expand the Indian revolution so that it may reach Indians.

The fascist leaders gloat over the death of the comrades of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army and the Communist Party of India (Maoist), assuming this marks the end of the party’s work. They forget that it is not the comrades who chose People’s War but that it was the path imposed upon them by the contradictions of India’s moribund marriage between feudalism and capitalism imperialism. Without dealing with this as the root cause, the People’s War can never end. In fact, the deaths of comrades will serve to inspire new resistance to the state and growth in the party.

These facts are already being revealed to us by their refusal to allow our slain comrades’ loved ones to offer them a dignified farewell. The Government of Chhattisgarh has cruelly decided to hold them in wretched conditions where they are decaying, in spite of court orders to the contrary. This is a clear reflection of the power of the comrades to inspire and motivate the masses towards the revolutionary path. That the fascists fear them even in death. And just like with Baghat Singh, hiding his mortal remains will not extinguish the spark of revolution lit in people’s hearts.

The Central Organising Committee of the Communist Party Marxist – Kenya and the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Youth League offer our deepest condolences to our comrades of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the Indian working class who bear the weight of this terrible blow. We grieve the loss of Comrade Basavraj and the other martyrs who laid their lives down in defence of the people. We will strive to uphold his memory and that of his fellow comrade fighters forevermore.

Lal Salaam, dear comrades!

Inquilab Zindabad!

Long Live the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army!

Long Live the Communist Party of India (Maoist)!