Below is the text of the message of greetings given by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to the Portuguese Communist Party, PCP on its 20th Congress held from December 2-4, 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal. Prakash Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member represented the Party in the Congress as fraternal delegate.

DEAR Comrades,

On behalf of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), we extend warm fraternal greetings to the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP). We convey our greetings to all the delegates assembled and wish your 20th Congress all success. We hope that the deliberations you will have in the Congress will contribute to further strengthening of the PCP.

The world capitalist system is unable to recover from the crisis as the global economy. It is still struggling to regain momentum. The exuberance displayed by many world powers in declaring that the world is out of recession has proved to be a chimera. International funding agencies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) too are forced to concede this fact. They have expressed concern over the ballooning global debt and warned that it could lead to yet another financial crisis. This proves that what we are witnessing today is not any ordinary economic crisis, but a deep-rooted systemic crisis of capitalism.

What has happened during these years of crisis is that while profits are soaring, the real incomes of the working class are falling. Another alarming feature is the increasing power of multinational corporations, which has reached enormous proportions. The United States has been pushing for trade agreements that wish to privilege corporate power over people and national sovereignty. This must be resisted and fought back.

Finance capital, which is enforcing a cut on social welfare expenditure in the name of 'austerity', is, on the contrary, encouraging an increase in military spending. Along with economic and political machinations, it is using military alliances like NATO as a threat to prise open the markets for resources and end products, while cloaking it with rhetoric of 'democracy' and 'humanitarian interventions'. It is with this objective that US led imperialism is intervening in all the regions of the world.

The prolonged economic crisis is leading to growing discontent among the people of many countries. This discontent is getting expressed in various ways like the working class struggles against austerity measures in Europe. It has also found expression in the vote against the European Union as in Brexit. It is also having a political impact with the election of right-wing governments in some countries and the rise of the far right which is fueling xenophobia and racism. The recent victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election in the United States is an expression of this phenomenon. The contradictory nature of the political and social developments must be understood from a class standpoint. It requires the intervention of the Communist and the Left forces to channelise the popular discontent into struggles against the neoliberal economic order and the fight for social and economic justice.

Comrades,

In India, there has been a rightward shift with the right-wing reactionary party assuming office in 2014. We are witnessing an aggressive pursuit of neoliberal policies along with a full scale attempt to advance the communal-sectarian agenda.  Such a conjuncture presages growing authoritarianism with increasing attacks on democratic rights of citizens and targeting of religious minorities.

Faced with the all-round attack on the people’s livelihood and living standards, there is growing resistance being put up by the working people. Over 150 million workers participated in the general strike on September 2 on a call given by the central trade unions.

The CPI(M) and the Left forces are building united struggles of the peasantry who face large-scale dispossession of their land; they are in the forefront in the fight against religious communalism and intolerance. By developing class and mass struggles, we are trying to build the unity of all the Left and democratic forces to present a real alternative.

Comrades,

The CPI(M) and PCP share a long tradition of friendship and fraternal relations. We take inspiration from your heroic role in the anti-fascist struggle and the April Revolution. We are both united on the common basis of Marxism-Leninism. We fully support your struggles against the dominance of EU, over-riding the sovereign rights of the people and your fight against 'austerity' measures. We are keenly following the role played by the PCP in the struggle against the right-wing forces and for the strengthening of a Left alternative.

Comrades,

Your Congress is being held at a time when all of us are observing the centenary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, which is an occasion for us to rededicate ourselves to the cause of socialism. We are confident that the decisions you take here will strengthen the PCP and the struggle for socialism. We once again take this opportunity to express our strong solidarity with you in all your struggles and wish your Congress all success.

Central Committee

Communist Party of India (Marxist)