October 04, 2015
Array

Thinking Together

Q.Why does CPI(M) not mandate minimum education qualifications for people contesting elections? Shyamlal Panda, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh The CPI(M) is totally opposed to any educational qualification or other restrictions being imposed on anyone contesting an election at any level. In a democratic Republic, all citizens have equal rights, whether rich or poor, propertied or property-less, educated or uneducated. This is the basis of a Republican Constitution which accords equal political rights to all citizens based on universal adult suffrage. The Indian Constitution also provides for this basic right for all citizens. When this is so, to restrict contesting elections based on educational qualifications or any other criteria is anti-democratic and unconstitutional. In Haryana, recently, the government got a law passed for the panchayat elections prescribing matriculation (Class X) for men in general category and middle school pass for women and scheduled castes. By this criteria based on the census data 83 percent of scheduled caste women, 72 percent of general category women, 71 percent of scheduled caste men and 56 per cent of general category men will be rendered ineligible on the educational criteria to contest for elections. This is an assault on the basic rights and citizenship of a majority of the people comprising the poor, women, dalits and other oppressed sections. The All India Democratic Women’s Association approached the Supreme Court and has got a stay on the implementation of this law. It should be noted that like the BJP government in Haryana, earlier the Rajasthan government had also imposed various criteria for the panchayat elections. We must see this as part of the growing authoritarianism developing in the country. Such an assault on democracy has to be fought back and basic rights of citizens safeguarded. Q. Most leaders and cadres in a communist party come from its various mass fronts. Many talented leaders come from student/youth fronts. Once they leave those fronts due to age constraints, they begin working in other fronts particularly workers/farmers fronts. Since they have by that time already become leaders of the Party, they join leading positions in the workers/peasants fronts. But because of that, equally talented cadres belonging to those fronts themselves, cannot come up to the leadership of their fronts and as well as to top leadership of the Party. So how can this problem be solved? What is the Party thinking about this? Sarbatrik Brahma, Kolkata The Communist Party has a cadre policy which recruits capable and politically equipped leaders from various mass fronts as its wholetime cadres. An important segment of such cadres come from the student and youth fronts as the Party has to constantly recruit its cadres from the youth to replenish its cadres. This does not mean that cadres emerging from the trade union, kisan and agricultural workers’ fronts should be neglected. In fact, the emphasis should be to develop full time cadre from the basic classes as the class composition of the Party must be reflected in the committees of the Party at all levels. The political-organisational reports of various Party Congresses have noted the lag in this regard. It is also connected to the fact that wholetime cadres are not given sufficient wages for their basic requirements. The Party committees concerned should take conscious steps to develop and promote cadres from the basic classes. The forthcoming Organisational Plenum will be looking into some of these aspects.