By Arun Srivastava
At a time when the Indian left has been in a state of stupor and the sympathisers and supporters were looking for some impetus, the 11th Congress of the CPI(ML) Liberation gave a big boost to the left and democratic forces of the country to take on the BJP unitedly in the coming battle, both in elections and outside.
When the entire political ecosystem of the country was scared of taking the fascist bull by horns, the CPI(ML) came out with the call to fight the fascist RSS and BJP and to accomplish this task the democratic forces and ideological streams should come together to form a broadest unity and cooperation.
Just after being elected as the general secretary for fifth consecutive term, Dipankar Bhattacharya told IPA that the primary gain of the party Congress was to break the stalemate over the opposition unity as for the first time all the opposition parties opposed to BJP shared the dais on February 18 at the save democracy and save country convention. The other major gain has been it projected the Bihar Model with the Gujarat Model, in which the Liberation has been playing the key role.
He said leaders of almost all the major political parties participated at the convention and agreed on the issue that there is the imperative need to collectively fight against the fascist designs of the RSS and BJP. The contentious issue of formation of alliance was to a great extent was solved with other parties, JD(U), RJD, agreeing to the point that Congress should lead and it should be major partner in the states where it has direct fight with the BJP.
Though some Marxist Leninist factions have severely criticised the Liberation for diluting its stand on the struggle. nevertheless the Liberation believes that it would be wrong to construe its latest stand as a shift in its stand and position. This tactical shift from its earlier political ideology provides an insight into the fascist danger India is faced with. Notwithstanding claims of Modi and his government that the crores of people have, come above the line of poverty, the fact cannot be denied that it has increased. If one subscribes to the so called solemn assertion of Modi that he was giving 5 kg grain to 81 crores people, it obviously implies that 81 crore people are below the poverty line. Why else, Modi would be so generous to help them. In this backdrop when both the objective and subjective conditions are in favour of a sustained struggle, Liberation has preferred to fight fascist RSS. The party is aware that the fight against fascism should get priority.
The party Congress has called upon the revolutionary communists to save the country from the fascist disaster and destruction and to accomplish this it is imperative that all democratic forces and ideological streams should come together to form a broadest unity and cooperation.
With the ruling establishment resorting to fascist mechanism, the CPI(ML) has to modify its stand as in the prevailing political situation fascism is the most urgent challenge before revolutionary communists today. This calls for the broadest possible unity and cooperation among all democratic forces and ideological streams. In India this unity has come to be popularly expressed as defence of the Constitution and the legacy of the freedom movement and saving the country and its resources and infrastructure from outright corporate takeover.
The primary task before the people is to undo the myth of electoral victory. Modi has been out to demolish all the democratic institutions behind the sneer of enjoying electoral verdict. He has been virtually usher into the new phase where the façade of electoral democracy gains an upper hand.
The draft upholding the line that in the existing situation the communists must be ready to wage a protracted and thorough-going resistance to give a fitting rebuff to the fascist offensive received tumultuous response from the 1639 delegates. In backdrop when the Communists have been written off from the polity of the country, the CPI(ML) membership increased by nearly 30 thousand since its last Congress in 2018. This has been period when the fascist forces led by RSS and Modi government have unleashed reign of terror on the pro-people and anti-rightist forces.
It is also significant that party has spread its support base in 27 states and central ruled states. If fascism is seen as a huge disaster to have befallen India, the goal of anti-fascist resistance has to be both rescuing and rebuilding India to overcome the disaster and the damage and devastation in its trail.
With less than 14 months left for the 2024 general elections and the economy tumbling rapidly, the Modi regime would intensify its politics of hatred and divisiveness and unleash fascist onslaught. Dipankar holds the fascist offensive in India is being unleashed both by the State as well as a whole range of non-State actors, both often working in tandem and in close collusion with each other. The State has become increasingly authoritarian and intrusive, even as it overtly or covertly patronises the Sangh brigade in enforcing the communal-casteist-patriarchal code. (IPA Service)
