Congress of the future

The newly-elected General Secretary of CPI (M) dwells on challenges of reviving the sagging fortunes of the Left party and takes stock of the current political situation in a special article

At its 21st Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) redoubled its resolve for strengthening the Party, the class and mass organisations and unleashing powerful people’s struggles for forging the Left and democratic front, based on a programmatic alternative to the current policies being pursued by the Indian ruling classes, with the eventual aim of replacing the bourgeois-landlord class rule by the People’s Democratic Front led by the working class.

This is the only way that the Indian people can liberate themselves from the multidimensional assault being mounted relentlessly on their livelihood. The Congress thoroughly discussed and adopted two major resolutions – Review of the Political-Tactical Line and the Political Resolution. The drafts of both of these were printed in People’s Democracy two months in advance and subjected to a thorough inner party discussion.

1432 amendments and 136 amendments were received on the political tactical line from Party members and units, which were considered and 29 of these were accepted by the Congress. 2,552 amendments and 248 suggestions were received for the Draft Political Resolution. Of these 74 were accepted. During the course of the Congress, the delegates moved 259 amendments to the Review of the Political-Tactical Line and 473 amendments and 5 suggestions to the Draft Political Resolution. Of these 11 amendments to the Political-Tactical Line and 55 amendments to the Draft Political Resolution were accepted.

Much more will need to be written dealing with these resolutions. In essence, the Review of the Political-Tactical Line underlined the primacy of forging the Left and Democratic Front. This can be possible only by strengthening the unity of the Left forces in struggles. This in turn can be achieved only on the basis of the independent strength of the Party and its class and mass organisations. The thrust of this resolution was hence on substantially strengthening the activities of both the Party and the mass organisations.

In order to achieve this objective, it is necessary to undertake a thorough examination of the state of the Party organisation and the functioning of the mass organisations. Based on such an analysis the consequent decisions should go a long way in achieving this objective which is of utmost necessity to move forward on the lines decided by this review of the Political-Tactical Line. In order to achieve this objective the Party Congress decided to convene a plenum on organisation, before the end of 2015. The strengthening of the popular people’s struggles on multifaceted problems that they face requires of the CPI(M) to forge the unity of the struggles on issues of economic exploitation with the issues of social oppression.

In our current Indian society the struggles against social oppression of the Dalits, tribals, women and the religious minorities forms an important element in forging such powerful people’s movements. The 21st Congress reiterated the CPI(M)’s understanding that the advance of class struggles in India has to be based on both the legs of strengthening struggles against economic exploitation and social oppression. Not paying the necessary attention to any one of these two, results in the inability to integrate struggles against social oppression with those against economic exploitation.

This will only result in the class struggles not running at the pace required to liberate the vast mass of the exploited sections of our people. The Congress emphasised on the need for the CPI(M) to stand on both these legs, begin walking and then running to achieve our objectives at a faster pace.The Review of the Political-Tactical Line established, once again, that the CPI(M)’s electoral presence is also directly proportional to its independent strength and the strength of the people’s movements unleashed under its leadership.

Our past experience has unambiguously demonstrated that it is only on the basis of such strength that the CPI(M) could register significant electoral victories like in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. The review showed that electoral alliances with regional secular parties alone cannot be the basis for forging a policy based alternative to the present rule of the ruling classes. Even the effectiveness of electoral adjustments with regional parties is determined by the independent strength and capacities of the Party.

Hence, the tactical line of the Party has to be based on according primacy for forging a stronger CPI(M) on the basis of its organisational strength and popular interventions through struggles. At the time of elections some adjustments with the regional parties in some states may be required. The Party however, cannot advance towards achieving its objective of strengthening the Left and democratic front on the basis of such electoral tactics alone.

This can be achieved only on the basis of consolidating the independent strength and intervention capabilities of the CPI(M).The Political Resolution adopted by the Congress emphasised on the need to strengthen the people’s struggles against the vigorous pursuit of the neo-liberal economic policies on the one hand and the rabid sharpening of communal polarisation on the other. This Modi government has brought about a convergence of both these aspects in the policy direction that it is undertaking.

The hastening of the process of subjecting India to the growing domination of international finance capital, with the opening up of virtually every sector of the economy to foreign investments is primarily aimed at providing greater avenues for international and domestic Indian capital to maximise profits at the expense of the living conditions of the vast mass of our people. This Modi government is thus pursuing the neo-liberal economic policies of the previous UPA government with greater aggressiveness. The various facets of such a process have been repeatedly discussed in this paper and will continue to be done in the future.

Notwithstanding all the hype of ‘development’ claiming to meet the needs of an aspirational India, these are only resulting in, as is becoming increasingly evident, and creating a cover behind which the pursuit of the real aim of subjecting India and its resources to the merciless exploitation for profit maximisation. This is resulting in a sharp deterioration in the livelihood standards of vast sections of our people. While a few may benefit out of such a merciless drive for profit maximisation, the hiatus between the rich and the poor in our country is alarmingly widening.

Nothing can be more explicit of this than the current crisis that continues to grip our agriculture. The already existing agrarian distress has been compounded by unseasonal rainfall patterns that have resulted in a massive loss of crops over vast tracts. Instead of protecting the Indian farmer, a prerequisite for ensuring our country’s food security, this Modi government is now mercilessly pursuing a new law for land acquisition.

This will create additional burdens and insecurities for our farmers and deepen the crisis in our agricultural sector as a whole. Various legislations are in the offing including major changes in the country’s labour laws, seeking to remove even the hitherto existing, though inadequate, rights of the working people. Popular struggles against such measures of the Modi government will be intensified by the CPI(M) in the future.

Simultaneously, this Modi government is patronising the vicious communal onslaughts against the secular democratic foundations of the Indian republic and the lives of religious minorities in our country. The various campaigns unleashed by the RSS and its tentacles like Ghar Vapsi, Love Jihad etc and the brazen statements aimed at spreading communal poison deeper by ministers of the Modi cabinet and ruling party MPs continue unabated. The Modi government is not even giving a modicum of assurance that those who violate the existing law of the land on this score with impunity will be dealt with legally.

This is creating widespread insecurity amongst religious minorities. Through such efforts, the RSS/BJP seeks to consolidate a Hindu communal vote bank to advance their political and electoral interests. Such efforts however mount a merciless attack on the foundations of our Indian republic and divide and disrupt the unity of the people in struggles against the severe erosion of their livelihood standards, on communal lines.

The Modi government has thus merged the threats of neo-liberal economic reforms onslaught on the people with the attacks based on communal polarisation. This Modi government is disfiguring the parliamentary democratic procedures to advance its objectives. There is an ominous threat of the country moving towards an authoritarian order through such manipulations and distortions of our democratic institutions and the system.

The 21st Congress declared its unrelenting opposition to this ‘trimurthi’ of attacks being mounted on the Indian nation and the people. The 21st Congress reinforced that the CPI(M) will prevent this ‘trimurthi’ from converting itself into a ‘trishul’ that pierces the heart of our nation and the life of our people. The CPI(M) with greater vigour, work for the advance of the people’s interests while protecting the unity, integrity of our country and the secular democratic foundations of our republic.

By Sitaram Yechury