Articles by Ajit Roy

The Stalin Question ed Banbehari Chakrabarty; Kathashilpa, Calcutta 1979; pp viii + 400, Rs 35 (paperback), Rs 80 (library).

Covenant of 'Freedom' Ajit Roy THERE was a report in a Bangkok daily towards the end of August about the resurfacing of the 'old politicians' in Manila, A long Reuter despatch from Manila said that more than 70 members of various opposition groups in the Philippines had launched a 'National Covenant of Freedom' with the aim of "the immediate and absolute termination of the Marcos dictatorship". The covenant, released by the leaders of the old Liberal Party and disaffected elements from Marcos' own Nacionaliste Party at a posh Manila club, also voiced the demand for "protection of our country and people from all forms of foreign domination".

Seventh Lok Sabha Elections Ajit Roy NO political analyst had an inkling about the eventual outcome of the seventh Lok Sabha elections; almost without exception they had conceded to the Congress(I) the status of the largest party in the new House, but without a plurality. There was a near unanimity in the country on this, prognosis for the obvious reason that there was neither an Indira wave nor a solid organisation behind Indira Gandhi, While everyone recognised a swing in favour of the Congress(I), none was able to correctly estimate its dimensions. The fact that Indira Gandhi had chosen to contest a second, safer, seat in Andhra Pradesh was tell-tale evidence of her own nervousness about the mood of the people in north India. The eventual outcome of the .seventh Lok Sabha elections has been contrary to all prognostications based on the above premises. The Congress(I) has secured a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. But, here again, the appearance is somewhat deceptive. The Congress(I) has secured 67 per cent of the seats in the Lok Sabha by polling less than 43 per cent of the total valid votes cast. In absolute figures, out of a total electorate of 351 million, about 201 million took part in the polling. Out of this, only about 86 million voted the Congress(I). Thus, less than one in every four of the eligible voters in India positively voted for the return of the Congress(I) to power. It is further estimated that over 100 seats were won by the Congress(I) because of the split in the combined votes for the Janata party in the 1977 elections between the rump Janata and the revived Lok Dal, in addition to the fact that in the recent round, the proportion of the electorate actually exercising their franchise declined by 5 percentage points compared with 1977

PHILIPPINES Maoists with a Difference Ajit Roy ON September 21, official Manila celebrated the seventh anniversary of 'New Society' by holding parades by school students, policemen and civil guards, brought over in commandeered buses, on the broad boulevards facing the Manila Bay. 'New Society' is the euphemism for the martial law regime imposed by President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972. The day Lefore the celebration, a Manila daily carried the following three items of news, First, a noted composer had set to , a marching song written by the First Lady, Imelda Marcos, specifically for the anniversary celebration.

Nalini Pandit Classes in Marxist theory are not mere economic categories. They are living social groups whose attitudes and responses are determined by historical and cultural factors. The materialistic interpretation of history does not imply an exclusive emphasis on the economic factor to the comparative neglect of others. The purpose of formulating a social theory is to understand the attitudes and responses of different social groups to particular programmes.