Acting upon the call of the party’s 24th Congress to educate and re-educate party members, the Madhya Pradesh State Committee organized a four-day state-level training camp in Bhopal from August 18 to August 21. Participants included members of the State Committee, special and permanent invitees, and members of state-level sub-committees and fractions. The State Committee dedicated this class to the memory of the party’s former General Secretary, Comrade Sitaram Yechury.

In the morning session on August 18, Polit Bureau member Mariam Dhawale delivered a lecture on the challenges facing the democratic movement in India, specifically regarding caste, gender and identity. She stated that state power in our country rests in the hands of the monopoly capitalist class, they have alliance with feudalism and an understanding with international capital (imperialism). The politics of caste, gender and identity pose a major challenge in mobilising the working sections—under the leadership of the working class—against these three enemies. The monopolists provides protection to feudal elements due to their alliance; therefore, the democratic movement can only be strengthened by raising issues related to caste oppression, the oppression of women, and equality.

On the evening of August 18, Polit Bureau member and President of All India Kisan Sabha, Dr. Ashok Dhawale delivered a lecture on the relevance of Marxism. He noted that following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the setback suffered by socialism at the end of the last century, proponents and pundits of capitalism had declared it the final stage of development. He recalled that even then, the CPI(M), in the ideological document of its 14th Congress, had affirmed that Marxism is a science. While socialism certainly suffered a setback due to weaknesses and violations in its implementation, the fundamental laws of social change remain immutable.

On August 19, Badal Saroj—former State Secretary and National Joint Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha—delivered a lecture on the topic “India through the lens of Marxism.” Referencing the materialist strands of Indian philosophy, he traced a lineage extending from Charvaka through Buddha, Mahavira, and Vivekananda, all the way to Bhagat Singh. Discussing the characteristics and developmental stages of Indian society, he explained how Marxist philosophy remains valid for India’s evolution; he therefore emphasised the need to mobilise various working-class sections—under the leadership of the industrial working class—towards a socialist path, grounded in a concrete assessment of India’s specific socio-economic realities.

In the evening session, Badal Saroj delivered another lecture on the topic: “What are Hindutva and the RSS, and how do we combat them?” He explained how the RSS emerged under the patronage of British imperialism during the freedom struggle, specifically to fracture the unity of the masses along religious lines. He noted that it was Savarkar who laid the groundwork for India’s partition by championing the concepts of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ (Hindu nation) and Hindutva. He observed that the organisation is attempting to alter India’s culture and history, adding that the RSS not only draws inspiration from Hitler and Mussolini but also seeks to dismantle India’s secular framework, democracy, and Constitution in order to establish a Hindu nation.

The subject of the first session on August 20 was “The Contemporary World.” Polit Bureau member R. Arun Kumar delivered a lecture on this topic. He noted that although US President Donald Trump may be perceived as erratic, corporate interests stand firmly behind him due to his protection of imperialism and international finance capital. However, the US is currently grappling with multiple challenges. On the one hand, the unipolar world order of the last three decades is shifting towards a multipolar one, jeopardising US global hegemony. On the other hand, the dollar is steadily weakening; while it accounted for 73 percent of global trade in 2015, that figure has now dropped to 53 percent. Furthermore, China’s rapidly growing and strengthening economy poses a challenge to the US; by 2030, China is projected to overtake the US and become the world’s leading economy.

He stated that the underlying motive behind all US actions is the desire to encircle China. The primary objective behind the move to hold the Venezuelan President hostage was to disrupt energy supplies to China, and the same intent lies behind the conflict with Iran.

Referring to developments in neighboring countries and the foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government in India, he remarked that by abandoning the policy of non-alignment—rooted in India’s anti-imperialist traditions of independence—the Modi government has become a stooge of US imperialism.

In the evening session, R. Arun Kumar lectured on building the party organisation as well as mass and class organizations. He emphasised strengthening democratic centralism, developing independent functioning at all levels, ensuring effective branch-level operations, and building a broad-based revolutionary party.

On August 21, State Party Secretary Jaswinder Singh conducted a session on the party’s priorities in Madhya Pradesh. He emphasized building mass and class struggles, engaging youth and women with the party, and organising Adivasis and sections of society subjected to feudal oppression—in accordance with the priorities set by the party’s 24th Congress and 17th State Conference—and also spoke of intervening in the state’s cultural issues.