Vinod Mishra (1947-98)
What Mao Tse-Tung was to the Chinese, Vinod Mishra, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) was for millions in Bihar. And when he died in late December 1998, more than 50,000 of them gathered in Patna to bid goodbye to their leader: journalists, poets, academics, activists, politicians and thousands of peasants and landless labourers.
It had been a long time since Patna had seen such a large turnout at a funeral. The long route from the CPI (ML) Liberation office at Veer Chand Patel Marg to Bans Ghat, the cremation spot, was a sea of humanity. And when the crematorium was switched on at 4:45 pm amidst the slogan of "Comrade Vinod Mishra Ko Lal Salaam [Red Salute]", the setting sun also turned a deep crimson.
Born in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, "VM", as he was commonly addressed, became involved in the communist movement in his college days. It was the decade of the 1960s, a time of great turmoil for the Left in India. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had split from the Communist Party of India in 1964. But soon there was dissension within the CPI (M) as well, over the question of Maoist strategies and their application in India. In 1967, Charu Mazumdar led a rebellion against the official line of CPI (M) and began the Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal.