CPI is an elder brother to the newborn and younger sibling to those growing

Many people have asked me ‘your contemporary N Chandrababu Naidu has been a Chief Minister on four occasions. The year your party was born (1925) also saw the birth of the RSS. They, like A Revanth Reddy, who is very junior to you, have come to power in the State. But you are still holding red flags and marching on the streets. Why so?

I wish to state that the proverb “All that glitters is not gold; all that is seen is not truth” has proved true. But this is not the occasion to get into unnecessary arguments. If we look at the Communist Party of India (CPI) from another angle, justice will be done to history.

Has CPI done nothing in 100 years?

The freedom struggle after the Battle of Plassey (1757) led to the First War of Independence in 1857 (though the British deliberately called it a “Sepoy Mutiny” to belittle it).

In 1885, the Congress Party was formed to lead the anti-British struggle. From 1915, Mahatma Gandhi led the national movement. In that movement, moderates and extremists together carried the struggle forward. But there was a lack of clarity about what sort of freedom we wanted. Only political freedom? Or complete freedom? They were widely debated. It is a matter of fact that it was under intense pressure from Communist-minded forces that the demand for ‘Complete Independence’ (Poorna Swaraj) was adopted as a resolution.

After Independence, neither Gandhi nor the Congress leadership had any clarity on the kind of freedom that should be implemented—or perhaps they did not want to implement real freedom.

Instead of fighting in the shadows, communists decided to come openly before the people. History was made on December 26, 1925, that marked the formation of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

The CPI came before the people with fundamental slogans such as: Complete independence, land to the tiller, among other basic demands.

From that time onwards, the land question came to the forefront. Great movements rose across India: the Telangana Armed Struggle for land and survival, Tebhaga movement in Bengal, Punnapra–Vayalar in Kerala, and anti-zamindari struggles like Challapalli in Andhra. The land movement became a national agenda.

The 1917 victory of the Communist Revolution in Russia influenced our country. That influence shaped the Indian Constitution, under the leadership of Dr B R Ambedkar and building of the public sector under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

In separatist movements in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and the North-Eastern states, it was the resistance of communists that strengthened the country’s unity. During this progressive journey, the party that sacrificed countless martyrs was the CPI.

Did RSS, the then Jana Sangh, or today’s BJP leaders participate in any of these struggles? Did they go to jail? Did they stand with the people in land struggles, anti-feudal movements, or freedom battles?

Even without ruling power, we can proudly say with hand on heart that communists defended the country, and stood as a shield for Dalits, Adivasis, and all weaker sections. Was it not because there were 61 Left MPs in Parliament that we could achieve employment-based welfare schemes and people’s protections?

As communists weakened, serious debates on people’s issues disappeared from Parliament and Assemblies. Today leaders only abuse one another, while the nation’s wealth is handed over to corporate forces through clever conspiracies.

Communists stood firmly committed to the basic principles and policies of the nation. I wish to ask the nation and her people ‘has the 100-year journey of CPI become a benchmark or not?

Today, the time has come for all parties dedicated to the Red Flag to unite on one platform. Delay is dangerous. The moment demands unity and struggle.

(The writer is Chairman of Central Control Commission, CPI)

Did RSS, the then Jana Sangh, or today’s BJP leaders participate in any of these struggles? Did they go to jail? Did they stand with the people in land struggles, anti-feudal movements, or freedom battles? Even without ruling, we can proudly say with hand on heart that communists defended the country, and stood as a shield for Dalits, Adivasis, and all weaker sections