WB: Muzaffar Ahmad’s Birth Anniversary Observed
Samprikta Bose
AT a commemorative programme marking the 137th birth anniversary of Comrade Muzaffar Ahmad (1889-1973), popularly known as Kakababu and a co-founder of the Communist movement in India, held at Mahajati Sadan, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim made a scathing critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He accused both parties of orchestrating a divisive political strategy based on religion and language to deflect attention from the pressing issues of people’s livelihoods.
The programme, attended by CPI(M) leaders including Polit Bureau member Ram Chandra Dom and senior leader Biman Basu, underscored the Left’s resolve to counter communal polarisation and rally the working class under the “red flag” for economic and social justice.
Salim said that the BJP and TMC are not genuine adversaries but collude to mislead the masses into a “dead-end alley” by exploiting religious and linguistic identities. He accused both parties of fostering communal polarisation to obscure important issues such as unemployment, inflation, and farmers’ struggles for fair crop prices. “They are fighting over who says jal and who says pani, while people lack safe drinking water and children drown in stagnant water,” he remarked, stressing that the real challenges of survival are being deliberately ignored.
Drawing from Muzaffar Ahmad’s writings in Langal nearly a century ago, Salim highlighted the enduring relevance of resisting communalism and asserted that only the red flag of the Left can counter the “poisonous consequences” of such politics. Salim called for a united front to address the fundamental issues of “bread and butter” for all classes, rejecting the divisive narratives propagated by the ruling parties.
Salim specifically criticised the TMC for weaponising the Bengali language to incite xenophobia, pointing to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s use of terms like bohiragoto (outsider) and her repeated references to “fake voters” and “infiltrators” in the voter list. He accused her of aligning with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda. Salim also condemned the BJP for dismissing the Sylheti Bengali accent as “non-Bengali,” citing historical figures such as Triguna Sen and Bipin Chandra Pal – both Sylheti speakers – to underscore the inclusive nature of the Bengali language. “Bengali has been built at the confluence of diverse cultures, with Arabic, Persian, and Turkish words enriching its vocabulary,” he noted, rejecting attempts to fragment linguistic identities for political gain.
The CPI(M) leader further charged both parties with targeting marginalised communities, particularly migrant workers. He highlighted the plight of Bengal’s poorest, who are forced to migrate to other states for survival only to face violence, humiliation, and even deportation. “Is this how a civilised country treats its citizens?” Salim asked, condemning the BJP’s attempts to brand people as “foreigners” based on language, food, dress, or facial features – as seen in attacks on North-Eastern communities and riots incited between Tamil and Kannada speakers.
Salim reminded both the central and state governments of their constitutional duty to protect migrant workers, criticising their failure to ensure the safety of those who are forced to go out of Bengal for economic survival.
The programme, presided over by Biman Basu, emphasized the ideological legacy of Muzaffar Ahmad who played a pivotal role in building the Communist Party in British India. Basu called for grassroots mass struggles to counter the BJP-TMC nexus, accusing both parties of suppressing welfare movements while staging conflicts to confuse the people. He alleged that the RSS not only directs the BJP but also manipulates regional forces like the TMC, which was formed by breaking away from the Congress to serve communal interests.
Ram Chandra Dom echoed these sentiments, stressing the need to strengthen the CPI(M)’s organisational base to confront the “aggressive right-wing forces” attacking rational thought and secularism. He noted that the RSS views communists as enemies in its drive to establish a Hindutva state and urged Party members to draw inspiration from Muzaffar Ahmad’s resilience in overcoming adversities to build a strong resistance against communalism.
