Comrade Moni Singha

After the partition of India, Moni Singha was the general secretary of Communist Party of East Pakistan for a long time. Almost all his life he was involved in under ground politics. In 1967 he was arrested after two decades in underground politics. His arrest created a sensation around the country. Due to the media coverage of this legendary leader of the cultivators' movement in greater Mymensingh-Netrakona area and the demand for his release from all professional groups, he became a leading political figure of Bangladesh.

In terms of manner and character, Moni Singha was a superman. In an age dominated by aggressive individualism, Moni Singh was a remarkably selfless individual. The word "I" did not exist in his dictionary. He would always say 'we' even though he had to lie for that. After accomplishing a great job at his own effort, he would say "we all have done it together".

Moni Singha was a nephew of the Susang king of greater Mymensingh district. He had a great contribution in the anti-imperialistic, anti-feudalism and anti communal politics in the Bengal.

In 1921, Moni Singha joined the anti British imperialist movement under Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1925, a revolutionary Bangalee, Mr. Gopan Chakraborty, secretly came to India and met Moni Singha. Due to his influence, Moni Singha committed himself to socialism and left Mymensingh for Kolkata. Mr. Gopan Chakraborty was a resident of Chandpur (then greater Comilla). To pursue his dream for a socialist revolution Mr. Chakraborty left Bangladesh and went to Moscow as a sailor.

In Kolikata, Moni Singha joined the labor movement organized for the laborers of the Keshram Cotton Mills at Metia Buruj, Kolkata. For his leadership in labor movement, he was arrested and imprisoned for five years. After his release from the prison, he was house arrested in his own residence in Susang. During this time, he organized the cultivators' movement in Bangladesh. For his involvement in cultivators' movement he was arrested again. Due to the demand for his release around the country, the authority had to release him in 1937. In 1938, Moni Sing formed the Communist Party of Mymensingh district in association with Khoka Ray, Altab Ali, Robi Niyogi and few others.

The Communist Party of Mymensingh District considerably enhanced the anti feudal movements in that area and local cultivators, the indigenous groups, started to win the class struggles against their feudal overlords. Tebhaga movement as it is known gradually gained momentum. In 1945, the annual general session of the Council of All India Cultivators' was held in Netrokona-Moni Singha's hometown. The credit for organizing such a great program in such an unknown place goes definitely to Moni Singha. He identified himself completely with workers' revolution.

India was partitioned in 1947 and Pakistan was formed. So was the communist party. Unfortunately, the East Pakistan communist party, without realizing the feasibility, followed the call for armed revolution declared by the leader of CPI, BT Ranadebe. Moni Singha rushed into action with his comrades at arms to realize the rash decisions taken by the party high command. Thousand of committed communists gave their lives. As the communist party fought for capturing state power instead of leading cultivators in their struggles against feudal lords, it was isolated from the majority of its supporters, the cultivators. The party was split into several factions. The conservative Pakistani authority ruthlessly persecuted thousands of party members. Stalinist dictatorship grew inside the party and the members who criticized the mistakes of high command were silenced. Many members had to leave East Pakistan.

The greatness of Moni Singha lies in his sincere dedication to peoples' politics. He admitted the past mistakes of party high command and invincibly strained all his energies to reorganize the party. In the mid 1950, he was elected the general secretary of East Bangla Communist Party.

Since then, Moni Singha had to organize peoples' movement from the underground and despite such inconvenience he had always been in the forefront of socialist movement in Bangladesh. Even from the underground he was imprisoned for quite a few times.

In 1971, during the massacre of General Yahya Khan, Moni Singha was in the Rajshahi jail. He broke the jail along with his loyal comrades and entered India. In our liberation war, the communist party played a significant (see politics) role under his leadership.

In the first congress of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) in 1973 held in independent Bangladesh, Moni Singha was elected the chairman of the party.

In the war between exploited against the exploiters, Moni Singha always sided with the exploited with integrity and commitment. In his fight against the exploiter, he made few mistakes. But he did not give up. He corrected himself, always marched with his comrades despite all odds, and redirected his energy and leadership to advance the class struggle he has committed himself to. For this rare virtue he became the legendary hero of the Bangalee have-not's.

Prof Mozaffar Ahmed (NAP) on Moni Singha.

Comrade Moni Singha: A Homage

Dr Ajoy Roy

Today is 31st December. Thirteen years ago on this day Comrade Moni Singha, the legendary hero of the poor masses of Bangla, brethed his last. It was a terribly cold day of December. The death of such a great man not only shocked us, it sent a cold wave in our beings, a cold wave born out of heaped up frustration, sadness, helplessness. We’re in a kind of limbo, directionless: Bangladesh was heading against the tide, one HSC pass military dictator changed the meaning of socialism with the stroke of a bayonet ...and Socialism meaning economic and social justice....; secularism was made a taboo; nationalism was Islamized, his successor, another military dictator, made Islam the state religion: The state religion of the Republic is Islam.

Frankly speaking I lack the scholarship to discuss the vastly diversified and eventful life of such a great man. People of my stature can only express reverences. The towering figure of Bangla (East and West) was born in a middle class family on July 28, 1901 in Kolkata. Although his father came of a middle class family his mother came of an aristocratic family: the Jamidars (feudal lords) of Susang Durgapur of Netrokona district. Young Moni chose his uncle’s estate as his political field to realize his socialist ideals. With his comrade-at-arms, Nagen Sarkar, Moni launched a fierce movement against the exploitive feudal revenue collection systems known as Tonk and Nanka. This cultivatior’s movement turned a local leader into a national hero.

The spark of cultivatior’s movement ignited the fire resulting in the famous TEBHAGA MOVEMENT of 1946. As a kid I had the opportunity to see the movement very closely. My father, although he was not a politician but a lawyer by profession, was associated with the leaders and activists of this movement as legal adviser and social worker. In those days I saw daddy was enormously busy defending hundreds of cultivators in the court falsely accused by the feudal lords (Jamidars). Our house turned into an camp of the activists of Tebhaga movement. Mum was busy n the kitchen supervising the cooking of pots of rice and dals. One of my uncles, Bibhuti kaka, was also involved in the movement despite being a member of Congress. Dad’s mate Haji Danesh and one of my relatives, Gurudas Talukdar, were among the front liners. Moreover, there was Rupnarayan Ray, the cultivator’s leader, who used to see dad, often in the dead of night to skip the police surveillence, to seek legal advice. My accounts of legendary Moni Singha, are mainly from the people I’ve just mentioned. The Tebhaga Movement of 1946 brought forth the Nachole Rebellion

Monisingha was of my father's age. Even before the assassination of Sk Mujib, Monising was in possession of uninvincible youth. He was on a visit with his wife to the USSR. On his return home after the assassination of Mujib, Monisingha turned, overnight, into a miserable old man. His transformation made me cry. I knew that he would be home as the real revolutionaries never stay away from home in the time of crisis. Later I heard from him that the members of Russian communist party did not want him, due to his poor health, to return to Bangladesh. Still the patriot returned home-to take direct the party amidst horrific adversities. Leading the communist party under military dictatorship, his life was always at stake. Once at a private discussion the legendary leader of the poor masses vented his frustration: Where the great nationalist leader, the architect of independent Bangladesh, Sheikh Sahib, along with all his family members, can be killed so ruthlessly, they would not swerve a bit to kill an ordinary communist like me.

Despite being such a great patriot Monisingha was often criticized. His critics were …………………Not only the religious fundamentalists, the so-called leftists extremists (Maoists) also exhausted themselves, instead of opposing the establishment, in showering invectives at Moni Singha. The Weekly Holiday, the representative of the Bangladeshi Maoists, vilified Moni Singha more than the Jamati newspaper Inquilab or Sangram: He was branded as the agent of India and Russia. But those media and the axis of the rightists and the Maoists, never highlighted the great contributions of Moni Singha in the history of Bangla and India: his contribution in anti British Imperialist movement; his role in the organization and leadership of cultivator’s movement in the 30s; his contribution in founding and directing the Communist Party to better the lots of the millions of toiling poor Bangalee masses; above all his unforgettable leadership during the liberation war especially his role in forming the peoples’ army with the members and supporters of CPB, NAP and Students’ Union. Moni Singha’s contribution was by no means confined to the battle field only. He was one of the most influential advisers of prime minister Tajuddin Ahmedon during the liberation war. He advised Tajuddin on war strategies and foreign policy issues. Moni Singha and communist party secured the political and military support for liberating Bangladesh against the alliance of its local and international enemies: Pakistan, China and United States of America.

The ordinary party members respected Moni Singha as an elder brother, his party mates lovingly called him Monida (brother Moni). For the majority of his countrymen Moni Singha was truly an opulent, priceless gem-Moni (meaning gem in Bangla)

I first met him during the mass movement of 1969. I was actively involved in the heated political movements of 68-69, especially the six points (1968) and later the 11 points (69): political autonomy of East Bangla and autonomy of the state universities. Most possibly Moni Singha was released from the central jail in February (unless my memory betrayed me) 1-2 days after the release of Shaikh Sahib. Informed by a couple of my party mates (Student Union), we went, towards the evening, to the gate of Dhaka central jail. We saw, from a distance, the legendary leader, garlanded on a truck amidst thousands of swarming heads gathered to pay their tribute. I stared at him awestruck and bowed him with great respect: the hero of my childhood adventure stories.

He was quite opposite to what I portrayed him with a stretch of juvenile imagination: tall, dark and sturdy, like the cultivators’ leader of the Tebhaga movement, Kamslaram Singha who was later martyred in the Rajshahi jail murder (see Our Heroes). But he was rather of an average height, like me, a fair skinned prince. I thought he would be a huge titan, like the mythical Meghnadh son of Raban, the lord of the titans. But he was rather slim, as handsome as prince Laksan, Ram’s brother.G Was I a little frustrated due to the difference between imagination and reality? Perhaps I was, a little. But the frustration did not take long to bubble away. It did not take long to realize that the interior of the apparently polite gentleman was made up of fire, strong as thunder strike. Encountered from close range the hero of the laborers of Metiaburuj, Kolkata; the protagonist of the Hajong and Garo tribal cultivators of North Bangla; the proverbial leader of the Cultivators’ movement of Tonk and Nanka; the mentor of hundreds of cultivators’ leaders like Rashmoni Hajong; the invincible fighter against the British imperialism and Paki colonialism whom the police / intelligence forces of British and Paki rulers tried to crash for decades; the King Moni of the poor Bangalee cultivators. What an overwhelming profile! He came straight to the Shaheed Minar (Bangla Language Monument) from the jail gate, thousands of his supporters rallied behind his truck on foot. Thousand others already waited for him at the Shaheed Minar. The leader came, offered the garlands at the monument, rose and waved his hand to the huge public gathering. Then gave a brief speech (unlike the typical Bangalee politico who utters rhetorical rubbish): …I haven’t seen such a huge mass movement in the forty years of my political life. Ayub government always wanted to put us in prison. But their conspiracy failed. This victory is indeed the victory of your years of political fight. The public burst into joy and cheered the great leader with claps. The streets of Dhaka were loud with slogans even a couple of days ago:

We broke the prison lock
And brought Mujib back.
We broke the prison lock
And brought Motia and Rashed back.
We’ll break the prison lock And shall bring Moni Singha back

That slogan turned into the voice of the millions: “We broke the prison lock and brought Moni Singha back”. “We broke the prison lock and brought Moni Singha back”. “We broke the prison lock and brought Moni Singha back”. “We broke the prison lock and brought Moni Singha back”………….

A few days later came the rare opportutnity to meet the legendary hero. One of my leftist uni-mate took me to see Monida. He took me to a house in the Old Dhaka area, perhaps Wari area. There were 2-3 party members. Most possibly Jnan Chakroborty was also there. I always shy away from high profile people. Makes me nervous! Nothing different at this instance. I felt numb. As soon as I was introduced to him, Monida told me “I know about you, I feel privileged to meet you”. To dispel his misunderstanding (I thought he must have been confused me with Ajoy da, a party member from Mymensingh), I said “I’m an ordinary university lecturer, not a party member). Monida smiled at me and added looking at Jnanda’s eyes “From my colleagues I came to know about your activities in and out of the university. You are working for us from outside”. I was nearly dying of shame in the face of such a great man. With great effort I somehow managed to say: “I was a student of Haji Danesh, the cultivators’ leader, at Surendronath college. And comrade Guru Das Talukdar, the leader of Tebhaga movement of North Bangla, was my uncle. I heard of you from them since my childhood”. At my first meeting, out of respect, I greeted that great man, a father figure, by touching his feet-a traditional Indian manner I still maintain despite being a secularist and a believer in Charbak’s philosophy. None of my two sons care about this convention !

That brief interaction with Monida got closer during the liberation war. and grew even deeper during the post war Bangladesh. Without being a formal party member, I enjoyed the privilege of any regular party member, had their unconditional love and affection. Despite many efforts, I could not make him, then of my father’s age, call me ‘tumi (denoting lesser status or informality) ’ instead of ‘apni’ (denoting seniority and respect). This is why I could never, unlike others, managed to call him ‘Monida’ (brother Moni) or ‘baroda’ (elder brother). He was a father figure to me. His calling me ‘professor’ ashamed me more and more. During the last few days of his life in the hospital, he patted me on the shoulder, gave me blessings touching my head, but I could not even say a few words, as I did during the liberation war, out of my inertia I suffered due to the fear of losing this great man soon. If there happened to be a few Students Union workers he would say “I’m leaving them at your care. They are our future” He had such a great confidence on the Bangalee youth. Then the great man was gone leaving us behind in mourning.

Let us pray on the 14th death anniversary of the great man, that his eventful life will forever inspire the young people of our country.