M N Roy 1922
Taken from Communism in India – Unpublished Documents, edited by the late Subodh Roy. No reference as to the source is given save that it was found in the National Archives of India. The following letters found in the Security Service files were obviously intercepted by the security services, copied and then sent on. The Gaya conference took place at the beginning of December 1922. The MS of the programme that MN Roy wrote can be found in the MIA. – Note by transcriber Ted Crawford.
1. (M.N. Roy) to Singaravelu Chettiar, 22 South Beach, Tripilicane, Madras, dated Moscow, 9.11.22.
Dear Com. Singaravelu,
My long letter of 2 weeks ago must have reached you already – enclosed herewith is the MS of the Programme I wrote about, just a few words in sending it to you. We have been very much occupied by the International Congress and therefore you must excuse this short note.
My plan is to have the Programme complete before the Congress at Gaya and struggle for its acceptance there. If we succeed in this, we will have the Congress. If not, we will have to adopt a new line of action, viz: the organisation of a new mass party. But that will come later. I am sending this programme to all those people whose name and addresses were given in my last letter. It will be advisable for all of you to act jointly in the Congress. But I request you to undertake the task of bringing forward the resolution.
It is needless to write you anything by way of explaining this programme. It is quite clear to anyone with a revolutionary vision and sincere desire to see that our movement does not perish. You will notice that the clause on boycott has been struck out after it was put in the Programme. It is done advisedly. We have had long discussions on the question. Our attitude towards the petty bourgeois method of fight (boycott); should be a negative support; that is we will not sabotage it, but will always point out the economic impossibility of it in a country which is dependent upon import in manufactured goods. We will say also that boycott cannot be the weapon of working class strength, since it hits the poor masses before it does the capitalist. From this point of view we decided to exclude the boycott clause from our Programme.
Printed copy of the Programme will be sent in before the Congress meeting and it will also be published in the special Congress Number of the paper. I am preparing a pamphlet elaborating this progamme, which will be published right after the Congress.
Dear Comrade! How I wish to be present at Gaya to join you in the fight to save the Congress. I am doing all that can be done from here and all this is within my capability.
The main part of the struggle lies on you and other Comrades on the spot. Our comrades here were very very interested to hear of you and are anxiously looking for the day when they will have you among them here. The day must come. Our slogan is onward. Tomorrow our ‘old man’ will show the world that he is not dead by making his report to the Congress about five years of the Revolution and the ‘World Perspective.
With greetings
M.N. Roy