SEVENTY years have passed since the victory over fascism, with the defeat of Hitler and hoisting of Red Flag over the Reichstag, but a new trend is emerging in our country whereby the Hindutva and right-wing forces are trying to implement what Hitler tried and eventually failed. As the Hindutva and right-wing forces attempt to replace India's secular and democratic traditions with a "neo-fascist" system, there is a need to strengthen the Left and democratic forces to counter these challenges. At a programme organised jointly by the CPI(M) and the CPI to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism in New Delhi on May 9, leaders called upon the people to build a united struggle to counter the challenges posed by the BJP-RSS combine.

The venue, Aiwan-e-Ghalib in Central Delhi, was packed to its capacity with hundreds of people – men and women, young and old.

Stressing the gravity of the rise of "neo-fascism" in India, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury called upon people to take up the challenge and defeat the BJP-RSS combine, which was trying to make India an "intolerant fascist" state, hurting in the process the interests of the working classes.

Drawing similarities between the situation then and now, Yechury said in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the early 1930s, the capitalist forces had chosen fascism to tide over the crisis and Hitler got the full support of the capitalists. In the same way, with the world reeling under the tremors of the 2008 financial crisis, the Indian ruling classes led by the bourgeoisie, backed the Narendra Modi-led BJP-RSS combine, contributing to their victory in the 2014 general elections. Once in power, it is pay-back time for the present Modi government, which is now serving the big-business interests at the cost of the working classes. This was evident from the government's anti-farmer Land Acquisition Ordinance and anti-labour reforms to please select industrialists.

Just as Hitler had used hate campaign against the Jews to break the unity of the German working class, a campaign of hate is now being run in the country against the minorities, particularly Muslims and also Christians, to rally the support of the majority community, he said. Yechury recalled that the victory over the fascist regime in the 1940s had given strength to India's struggle for independence, along with bringing an end to colonialism in various countries across the world. This victory also strengthened and gave fillip to the notions of various rights – democratic rights, civil rights and human rights. One should not forget that the UN too was established after the war to ensure peace, security and cooperation among the countries.

Underlining the role of Communists and the USSR in the victory over fascism, Yechury said nearly five crore Russians sacrificed their lives and many more had contributed to the war efforts. Not a family was present in the then Soviet Union, which was not affected by the war, he recalled. “It is these heroic sacrifices of the Soviet people and the Red Army, that not only pushed back the German offensive, but also ultimately defeated the fascists. It is for this reason that before Germany's surrender on May 8, the Nazi flag on the Reichstag was replaced with that of the Red flag of the Soviet Union and not with that of any others. While the Communist USSR was fighting Hitler's Germany,  the Western powers including America, Britain and France instead of joining efforts with Stalin-led Soviet Union, had deliberately delayed the opening of the second front for nearly two years. They hoped and desired that the war fought between the fascists and the communists will weaken both the sides and then pave way for their dominance over the entire world. However, the fight at Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow and the Kursk bulge changed the entire nature and complexion of the war. Even avowed anti-communists like Churchill were forced to acknowledge the role played by the Red Army in the defeat of fascism”.

With the end of the war, the entire world was under the influence of the Soviet Union and communists, Yechury noted. To counter the growing spread of communism, even the developed capitalist countries were forced to accept many demands of the working class. Thus, the concept of welfare State, was forced upon the ruling classes of the respective countries and was not an act of benevolence, he pointed out. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the change of correlation of class forces in favour of imperialism, there is now an intense attack on the rights of the working class. The efforts to rollback the welfare measures in the name of austerity in many countries, as part of their efforts to overcome the global economic crisis are all intended to impose the hegemony of finance capital, Yechury stated.

In this scenario, the imperialist countries today are attempting to distort history by equating Nazism with communism and Hitler with Stalin, Yechury decried. “Imperialism is trying to black-out the role of the communists and the Soviet Union in the defeat of fascism”. Similarly, the BJP-RSS and right-wing forces in our country too are attempting to distort history by trying to nullify the role of communists in our freedom struggle. However, as the then president of the country, Shankar Dayal Sharma had stated while inaugurating the midnight session of the parliament to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Indian independence, the British records of those times show that communists were active in freedom struggle, while the RSS 'did not give much trouble to the rulers' and cooperated with the rulers, Yechury pointed out.

Today, the Sangh is trying to replicate the methods of Hitler's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels', by repeating a big enough lie hundred times and thus project it as the truth, Yechury said. He called upon the workers to fight and defeat this challenge.

Speaking earlier, CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy shed light on the events that led to the rise of Hitler and the Second World War. He said the world could have been saved from the danger of fascism and the unimaginable destruction of another world war, but for the lack of willingness among the imperialist powers like Britain to fight the challenge along with socialist USSR.

The then imperialist powers indeed wished for destruction of the USSR, while fighting the fascists. They even tried to egg on Hitler to take on and finish off the socialist powers. Referring to the lack of unity among Social Democrats in Germany that led to the election of Hitler, Reddy said there is a need to build a stronger and broader force in India to take on the challenges posed by the Hindutva forces. Though there is a difference between fascism and the right-wing communal forces in our country, we must resolve to defeat the spread of all such tendencies on this occasion as we observe the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism, he said.

AK Padmanabhan, MA Baby, members of Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) and Atul Kumar Anjan, D Raja, national secretariat members of the CPI were present on the dais along with the Delhi state secretaries of both the CPI(M) and CPI. Jogender Sharma, Central Committee member of the CPI(M) welcomed the guests and conducted the proceedings.

Diplomats from various countries too attended the meeting, which ended with a short play presented by Jana Natya Manch.