By D. Raja
2019 ended with country plunging into a political turmoil from North West to Noth East, from North to South and from East to West. It marked the Mr. Narendra Modi government taking over the power for the second term. It witnessed the abrogation of Article 370 and snatching away of Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, Ayodhya Verdict and the passage of Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) –NRC, NPR. It also witnessed the increasing crimes against women, Dalits , Adivasis and Minorities. Democracy and Constitution being undermined, the activists and agitators being dubbed as ‘anti nationals and urban naxals’. While the economy continues to fall into recession, the working people both informal and formal sector are resorting to countrywide protest.
2020 is going to be a year of struggles and challenges. The emerging situation demands proper clarity and coordination among all revolutionary and democratic forces to save the Constitution and Democracy and take the country forward to the goals which CPI aims at since its foundation.
More than nine decades ago, a solemn gathering in the industrial city of Kanpur set off Indian politics in a new direction. It was the foundation of the Communist Party of India (CPI) on 26th December 1925 which brought together young revolutionary patriots from all parts of the country to struggle against British Imperialism. The impact of the Russian Revolution and the work of great Lenin was one factor which inspired these people to come together. Also, the country and specially its youth was going through a churning in that period. The liberation struggle led by galaxi of leaders and their dream of Socialism and building a country free from inequality, poverty and exploitation has was inspired by the Russian Revolution and it gave them a revolutionary zeal and a coherent ideology to fight decisively against Imperialism.
The Communist Party of India has come a long way in these nine decades and has been at the forefront of common people’s struggle for equality and dignity. The CPI continues to provide leadership to various sections of the population through its dedicated cadres on many fronts like AITUC, AIKS, AISF, AIYF, etc adding to the legacy of our earlier leadership. In the parliamentary forums too, the CPI has remained the voice of the downtrodden and marginalised and will continue to work for their upliftment from poverty and misery.
At this critical juncture in history when the very foundations of our republic, our constitution and the values of our freedom movement are under threat, it is the responsibility and duty of the party to safeguard the wellbeing of our population through intensive struggles against the Brahamanical and pro-corporate BJP-RSS combine. To achieve this and to expose the hollowness of the claims made by the BJP-RSS leadership, we need to reach the maximum number of people and try to win their hearts and minds. The leadership and authority of the Communist Party depends on winning the hearts and minds of the working classes and that can only be gained through tirelessly struggling for their causes.
Several questions of historical importance are looking at us at this moment which we have to address collectively. The question of caste hierarchies and oppression is one of them. The Communist Party and the Left are regularly accused by many to have neglected the caste question but this is not true. M. Singaravelu, while presiding over the foundation of the CPI in 1925, touched upon the issue of untouchability in his presidential address. This was in recognition of caste rigidities andsocial oppression prevalent in the country at that time. Since that period the Communist Party has always taken the caste issue seriously but its approach to the question was different and it gave much weightage to economic exploitation. We need to address the caste question and social oppression simultaneously with economic exploitation. Our country is still gripped with caste hierarchies and injustice. Attacks on Dalits and minorities have increase manifold since the BJP-RSS combine came to power and vigilante groups have their tacit support. We need to combine the Left forces with Ambedkar’s teachings on caste which he dubbed as “division of labourers”. We need to have the Communist Manifesto in one hand and Annihilation of Caste in another. Through combining our forces with those who are fighting against social oppression, we will be able to unite the socially marginalised and downtrodden under a wide Left umbrella and could struggle effectively to end their oppression and exploitation.
The present government tenure in office has been one where the constitutional foundation of the republic is being dismantled brick by brick. We need to fight for our Constitution and the values we have inherited from our liberation struggle. Secularism and equality before law are the cornerstones of any pro-people democracy and they are under threat by majoritarian nationalism now. In recent months, since the Narendra Modi led government came back to office, they have unleashed the RSS’ longtime agenda of making India a Hindu Rashtra. Implementing divisive and discriminatory decisions one by one, the government is trying to make India an intolerant, majoritarian nation. We will have to counter this agenda through all democratic means possible. We will need to unite the people for the India Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Dr. Ambedkar dreamt of and expose the blatantly communal, casteist and divisive designs of Sawarkar and Golwalkar.
Under the protection of the BJP-RSS public sector assets are being snatched away by a few crony-corporates while common people are struggling to meet ends. The growth rate of the country is declining with almost all sectors of the economy sending distress signals. Employment opportunities are diminishing and to take popular attention away from all this the government is trying to impose a communally charged and polarising agenda. The agrarian crisis is deepening with the indifferent attitude of the government making it worse. We will have to ensure that public debate should take place around the issues that are of material interest to the population and should not diverge to communal and polarising issues. Collectively we should hold this government accountable for the mess they have made out of the economy threatening the livelihood of millions. All this should be brought before people and the government should be held accountable in all possible forums. The misery has been increased by the democratic rights of the population being snatched away and the assault on our affordable public education and health system intensifying.
Let’s make no mistake here, the footprints of a larger sinister design to make India a Hindu Rashtra can be recognised everywhere. This has become more and more visible since the Modi government came back to power. The government singled out Kashmir as a Muslim majority state and undemocratically removed the constitutional protections given to Kashmiri people by abrogating Article 370. The Kashmiri people are under a siege for more than 3 months now. Again, the Ayodhya Judgement emboldened such polarising and divisive elements of the society, mainly from the RSS-BJP combine. Now the government is trying to fundamentally alter the basis of according citizenship of this country, again singling out one religion and excluding it. The CAA-NRC exercise is a conscious attempt to bring about a theocratic majoritarian state. The second RSS Chief Golwalkar’s deeply flawed and discriminating ideas of turning Muslims of this country into second-class citizens are being realised today by the BJP-RSS combine. These disturbing developments can demean everything we have achieved since independence and every value that was inculcate by that great struggle for liberation.
Our further struggles should reach all these dimensions. We should combine the struggles against social discrimination, assault on the bedrock values of our republic and economic exploitation and state excesses together to unite th e oppressed working classes of all hues. This unity will prove to be formidable in face of the fascistic assault by the BJP-RSS combine. The year 2019 was full of disappointments with because of the indifferent actions of the central government but it was also full of resolve and struggle. In 2019 alone, the BJP’s presence has been significantly reduced in many states and people voted them out. The protest and civil disobedience observed after the CAA was passed reflected the accumulated anger against the divisive and hateful policies of the BJP-RSS. The participation of youth and students, the future of the country, was inspiring and reassuring for the future of our secular democratic republic. The coming year will also be full of struggle against the polarising agenda of the government and allied social forces. All Left democratic and secular forces should join hands against this fascist onslaught on the idea of India shaped by a galaxy of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Ambedkar, Sardar Patel and Bhagat Singh. With these thoughts and resolve, I extend my wishes to all Comrades, friends and sympathisers on the occasion of the 94th foundation day of the Communist Party of India and for the coming New Year 2020. (IPA Service)
The writer is General Secretary, Communist Party of India (CPI).
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