Calcutta: "In this cold world of diplomacy, nothing counts" said a student leader from Bangla Desh; "neither the electoral majority of a government nor the bloodbath of a people". If the euphoria which greeted the first split with West Pakistan, and which was sustained by last month's proclamation of the new state, has faded under the crushing artillery of Punjabi troops, courage and determination remain. But resistance is falling in political terms ever more under a leftist influence.

The first organised move to override the Awami League and establish a National Liberation Front took place in Bangla Desh in the last week of April. While the League and the government it has set up are busy trying to win diplomatic recognition, the leftist groups under the banner of the Liberation Front are preparing for "protracted people's war".

The only absentee at the April 25 meeting of leftist parties was Mohammed Toha's EPCP-ML (East Pakistan Communist Party-Marxist Leninist). Participating were Maulana Bashani's NAP (National Awami Party), the Matin-Sikdar group which calls itself the EBCP (East Bengal Communist Party) and the Zafar-Menon group which had always been particularly militant and operated underground. Leaders of some peasants' and workers' unions were also present.

The meeting is reported to have drawn up a broad programme which listed imperialism and feudalism as enemies to be fought. According to an EBCP leader, "the primary contradiction at this stage is between the West Pakistani army and big bourgoisie and the East Bengal people as a whole. The contradiction between feudalism and the people takes second place, the orientation of the whole fight being anti- imperialist."

This leader was critical of Mohammed Toha for relegating the struggle against West Pakistan to second place, but he refused to criticise Peking. "The Chinese stand is perfectly logical and consistent," he said. "In their recent statements they have scrupulously avoided pledging support to the integrity of Pakistan. Peking will certainly support a genuine anti- imperialist people's war by the Bangla Desh people." (It seems this particular leader had not heard Chou En-lai's message to Yahya Khan in which he said "the unification of Pakistan and the unity of the people of East and West Pakistan are the best guarantees for Pakistan to attain prosperity and strength".) However, the formal coming together of the left parties shows that events are moving towards what many commentators had predicted: development of a guerilla situation, ideological radicalisation of the struggle and the eventual takeover of the leadership by hardened revolutionaries, possibly even Maoists.