The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-06
BY N. NJ. ROY.


Bombay are not isolated events.
Nor are they the outburst of "re-
ligious fanaticism," as the imperial
ist news service depicts them to be.
They are the elimination of a long
series of events taking place during
the last year which Indicate the ap-
pearance of the proletariat as the
driving and leading force of the In
dian Revolution. Growing out of a
bitter and protracted economic
struggle, the happenings of Bonn
bay are of the greatest significance,
involving not only local industrial
issue; they represent stormy de-
velopment of the entire political sit
uation of the country into the higher
plane of revolutionary mass action.
First, a few words about the
events at Colombo. They did not
last so long as the struggle in Bonn
bay. But they are none the less
important. The movement was so
broad and so deep that for nearly
week the government abdicated its
functions to the popular leader,
Gunasinha. The city was practi-
cally under the rule of the trade
unions. Uniformed labor guards
paraded the city and replaced the
police, which had to be completely
withdrawn on the demand of the
proletariat. The situation was so
intense and such an atmosphere of
panic prevailed that a British men,
Der of the government was obliged
to make an apologize statement in
the parliament, on behalf OF the
governor, contradicting the charge
of the imperialist press that the
government had abdicated in favor
of the trade unions. Not only the
police, but even troops could not
face the strikers and the mass DEM
onstrations organized in their sup
port. The situation could be kept
under control, avoiding a general
outbreak and unlimited bloodshed.
only with the help of the popular
leader, Gunasinha. For many rea-
sons, the movement cannot be ex-
pected to go any farther in the near
future; but the proletariat comes
out of it decidedly victorious. The
weakness of an alien government
has been revealed in this trial of
strength with the revolutionary
masses.
In Bombay, the movement devel-
cped into a regular barricade fight
owing to several reasons. Firstly,
the movement there is more mature,
being the elimination of year-long
industrial dispute; secondly, the
government forces there are much
too powerful to be so easily cowed
down as at Colombo; thirdly, the i'm
perialist government and the native
bourgeoisie Jointly provoked the
precipitation of events in order to
justify new repressive laws. AL
though the heroic action of the Bonn
bay proictariat indicates revolution
airy maturing of the entire situation
of the country, it cannot be expected
to develop directly into general
national outbreak. 1t is only pre-
lude to what is coming. It's his
toric Significance can be understood
and the perspectives opened by it
clearly seen when one visualizes the
general political situation which
provides it the background.
The last two years have been
period of developing class struggle
evidenced by great strikes and lock-
outs which usually developed into
mass activities of enormous dimen-
sions. During tile last year the sit
uation became so acute that prac-
t;cally all the important industries
were affected. The main events of
this period were: 1, the great rail
way strikes lasting for months. in
volving hundreds of thousands Of
workers and frequently resulting in
pitched battles between state forces
and the strikers; 2, the strikes in
he Tata Iron and Steel Works of !