SAVE THE INDIAN COMMUNIST MOVEMENT FROM ITS CURRENT LEADERSHIP
Daya Varma
We argued that an attack on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM for its development policies in West Bengal weakens the communist movement no matter what the intentions of the critics were. This time it is not outsiders but the leadership of the Party itself destroying the glorious tradition of the Communist Party of India as the architect of a culture of unity and camaraderie among communities belonging to different religions. Notwithstanding CPM/CPI’s recent moves, every effort should be made to save the glorious anti-communal traditions of the communist movement. – Ed.
During the Singur-Nandigram upheaval, it was argued in INSAF Bulletin that attacks on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM, especially its West Bengal leadership by liberal and hard line leftists amounted to weakening the communist movement no matter what the intentions of the critics were. We argued then that the tirade against CPM would only strengthen reactionary forces led by the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee. The post-Singur-Nandigram Panchayat election results indeed show that reactionaries benefited from the episode.
The defense of the West Bengal Left Front government for their development policies also came from a few other sources. A few intellectuals from within CPM offered guarded support while protecting their self-image. Surprisingly the main leadership of CPM, especially its General Secretary Prakash Karat, was not very vociferous in defending his West Bengal comrades.
On the other hand, Karat and company were over enthusiastic in trying to unseat Manmohan Singh. Had they succeeded, their Bharatiya Janata Party allies might have approached the President to be invited to form a government and they may even have succeeded. Of course CPM would not have supported such a government but it would also not have been up in arms against it.
The Indian Communist movement has a glorious history in particular in building a culture of unity and camaraderie among communities belonging to different religions. That it did so with a bare membership of less than 40,000 until 1942 is a remarkable feat. The towering image of the communists dominated Indian political scene and both adversaries and friends looked towards communists. The socialist party came into existence merely to act as an alternative to the communists. Minoo Masani was so scared that he wrote a whole book against the CPI. The British colonialists recognized the impact of communists and so did Congress leadership from Nehru to Gandhi.
At the same time the communist party made many mistakes. However, all its previous errors related to errors in analyzing the state of Indian Revolution and taking the appropriate line. Even BT Ranadive’s mistakes fall in this category. Never, ever in its history did the Communist Party of India (CPI) succumb to the onslaught of communalist fascist Hindutva forces. No wonder CPI members faced the physical wrath of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the biological parent of the present BJP and other fascist formations.
Yet, Prakash Karat led a major communist formation of India to ally with BJP to defeat Congress. How to relate to Congress is not a new issue in front of Indian communists. But to ally with the worst in Indian politics to oppose Congress is certainly new and speaks volumes against the tactics indulged in by Prakash Karat and A.B. Bardhan of CPI.
Manmohan Singh has survived. Whether or not CPM will survive is an open question. But notwithstanding CPM/CPI’s recent moves, every effort should be made to save the glorious anti-communal traditions of the communist movement.