THE 23rd Party Congress of the CPI(M) successfully completed its agenda at Kannur, Kerala from April 6-10, 2022.

ISOLATE AND DEFEAT BJP

The Congress asserted its united resolve to “isolate and defeat the BJP” as the central task before the country, people and the Party. During the four years since the 22nd Party Congress, the BJP  utilised its government to aggressively further the Hindutva communal agenda of the fascistic RSS. Simultaneously, it continues to mount a multi-pronged attack through the pursuit of rabid neoliberal reforms, mercilessly looting national assets, undermining India’s economic sovereignty, strengthening the communal corporate nexus, promoting crony capitalism of the worst order, legalising political corruption through electoral bonds and imposing full-fledged authoritarianism trampling upon the constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights and civil liberties of the people with impunity.

Post 2019 elections with BJP’s return to form the government, it began to systematically undermine the foundational pillars of India’s secular democratic constitution. The dissolution of the state of Jammu and Kashmir through dubious subterfuge in the parliament and the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A of the constitution was its first act. Soon followed the legislation of the anti-constitutional Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with the announced sequence of National Population Register (NPR) to be followed up by a National Register of Citizens (NRC). This is a brazen violation of the constitution which does not link citizenship with religious affiliation of the people. The CAA excludes Muslims while fast tracking granting of citizenship to non-Muslims.  Negating the right to equality, irrespective of caste, creed or gender as guaranteed by the Indian constitution, this move is patently aimed at targeting and isolating the Muslim minority, further sharpening communal polarisation.  

Along with this, the construction of the temple at Ayodhya began on the basis of the Supreme Court verdict. The Supreme Court had delivered a verdict but not justice in the Ayodhya dispute case. These steps are aimed to realise the core communal agenda of the RSS − abrogation of Article 370, temple at Ayodhya and the uniform civil code.

The state of J&K was dissolved and dismembered on August 5, 2019. The construction of the temple at Ayodhya began on August 5, 2020.  The efforts to change the character of the Indian republic are sought to be conveyed by the propaganda that on August 15, India achieved its independence but on August 5 India marked its ‘real freedom’. On August 5, 2019 it was planned that the Modi City, Central Vista, being built by destroying landmark heritage buildings in Luyten’s Delhi, would be inaugurated on August 5, 2022. Despite the problems caused by the pandemic disruption and violating all protocols, this schedule may still be followed to buttress the propaganda of August 5 being the ‘day of India’s freedom’.

BJP government was singularly incompetent in handling the Covid pandemic. Its gross mismanagement and total inadequacy of public health care facilities led to a large loss of precious lives that could have been prevented. The lack of hospital spaces, the shortage of oxygen, exorbitant prices of required drugs led to a situation where the world witnessed unprecedented scenes of dead bodies floating on the river Ganga. The BJP government was however, unconcerned and busy doctoring statistics in order to create an image of effective handling of the pandemic.  

At the same time, the economic policies it pursued with the singular aim of aggrandising profit maximisation by private capital have destroyed the economy. The consequences of unprecedentedly high levels of unemployment, growing poverty and hunger along with galloping price rise continue to ruin the livelihoods of crores of our people. Even during the pandemic the Indian billionaires accumulated more wealth resulting in the shameful inhuman widening of economic inequalities to obscene levels.

Totally ignoring these realities and refusing to discharge elementary responsibility to the people, the BJP government at the centre and at the states worked to further sharpen communal polarisation through the enactment of laws directed against the Muslim minorities and the spread of hate, terror and violence. On every such instance, including the latest Ram Navami communal violence, the prime minister chose to remain silent. This silence is an eloquent testimony to the official patronage that these private armies enjoy emboldening them to issue open calls for a genocide against Muslim minorities.

Through such activities, the BJP government, which functions as the political arm of the RSS, is feverishly furthering the RSS project of replacing the secular democratic character of India with its rabidly intolerant fascistic communal ‘Hindutva Rashtra’. A narrative of overarching ‘Hindutva communal identity’ is being assiduously strengthened while ignoring and refusing to address people’s agonies and burdens. This government is singularly focused on advancing the fascistic RSS agenda.

GROWING PEOPLE’S STRUGGLES

These four years since the 22nd Party Congress have seen the massive growth of people’s struggles amongst all sections of our population. The historic farmers’ struggle forced an obdurate BJP government to repeal the farm laws. The continuous protest and strike calls given by the trade unions in opposition to the loot of national assets, widespread privatisation and abrogation of the labour laws with the enactment of new labour codes intensified with the latest two day national strike observed on March 28-29. The unprecedented opposition to the CAA saw an outburst of spontaneous outrage across the country resulting in people unitedly rising in the defence of the Indian constitution and the inviolable right to equality.

DEFEAT HINDUTVA

COMMUNAL NARRATIVE

Yet, the Hindutva communal narrative continues to dominate people’s consciousness as seen in BJP’s recent state assembly electoral victories. The isolation of BJP cannot be achieved only through electoral means. A multi-pronged effort needs to be made to combat the Hindutva communal agenda through political, ideological, social, cultural and organisational measures. The 23rd Party Congress adopted concreate tasks that need to be undertaken by the Party in order to effectively combat these efforts to cement the overarching Hindutva identity amongst the people by the RSS/BJP.  

This requires, first and foremost, a significant rise in the independent strength of the CPI(M) and its political intervention capacities. Simultaneously, the unity of the Left forces in the country must be strengthened. On this basis, the rallying together of all Left and democratic forces, including peoples and social movements needs to be forged projecting alternative policies to those pursued by the ruling classes. At the same time the broadest mobilisation of secular forces against the Hindutva communal agenda must be undertaken.

These four measures, to be implemented concurrently not sequentially, must be undertaken to isolate and defeat the BJP.

DETERMINATION TO

REALISE THE RESOLVE

The determination to realise this resolve was reflected in the Party Congress by the resolute manner in which it adopted the Political Resolution, the Political Organisational Report and unanimously elected the new Central Committee which in turn unanimously elected the general secretary and 17-member Polit Bureau.

The resolve of the Party Congress is to sharpen class and people’s struggles; safeguard the secular democratic character of the Indian republic; resist and defeat the systematic undermining of the Indian constitution and the brazen assault on its foundational pillars and to restore and uphold the independence of institutions created by the constitution i.e. Parliament, judiciary, election commission, CBI, ED and others which must function as “checks and balances” against the government’s over reach in violating the constitutional guarantees.  The Party Congress displayed a militant determination to realise this resolve.

The 23rd Party Congress is, hence, a Congress of resolve and a Congress of determination to realise this resolve.

INSPIRING PEOPLE’S SUPPORT

The resolve and determination of the Party Congress received an inspirational support from the surging sea of humanity that greeted the Party as it successfully completed its agenda in the Party Congress reflecting the deep roots that the Party has amongst the people in Kerala. It is incumbent upon the Party to discharge its immense responsibility for saving India today and marching forward to advance our revolutionary objective by sharpening class and peoples’ struggles in order to change India for the better in the future.