THE 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) concluded at Hyderabad, successfully completing the agenda that was before the Congress.  The spirit of unity and determination overflowed with abundance in the massive rally attended by lakhs of people marking the closing of the Congress. 

The 22nd Congress re-doubled the CPI(M)’s determination to offer a policy alternative to the Indian ruling classes that would be built through intensified  people’s struggles.  The current BJP central government, whose reins are controlled by the fascistic Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has mounted a multi-fold assault on people’s livelihood  and, simultaneously, grievously threatening the unity and integrity of our rich pluralistic social fabric. 

Amongst these multi-fold challenges, there are four that need to be confronted with urgency and reversed in the interests of people’s livelihood and for safeguarding and strengthening India’s secular democratic foundations. The assault of neo-liberal economic policies has assumed unprecedented dimensions. The sharpening of communal polarisation is tearing asunder the unity of our social fabric as never before. The assaults on institutions of parliamentary democracy and constitutional authorities have unleashed an anti-democratic onslaught and India has been reduced to the status of a junior partner and a subordinate ally of US imperialism. India’s independent foreign policy has been discarded and a US-Israel-India nexus is emerging in global affairs.

These challenges have to be met by a Left and Democratic policy alternative that has been outlined in the Political Resolution adopted by the Congress.  On the basis of this alternative, the efforts to change the correlation of class forces amongst the Indian people in our favour rests on the CPI(M) strengthening itself independently and its capacities for political intervention.  Upon this strength, the consolidation of the unity of the Left forces in the country must be built through intensified people’s struggles.  Further, the forging of the unity of Left and democratic forces must be built drawing in also various streams of people’s movements, currently under various banners, into a strong front of Left and democratic forces.  It is only through the sharpening of popular struggles that a policy alternative to the current offensive by this RSS-BJP government can be met and defeated. 

CONGRESS OF UNITY

The Indian ruling classes and the corporate media, that today vigorously aids and abets the current BJP central government and Prime Minister Modi, went on an overdrive to depict that the CPI(M) is a divided house. In the eventuality, the CPI(M) emerged from this Congress more unified than ever before with the determination to confront and defeat the current challenges.

This, once again, resoundingly vindicates the fact that the CPI(M) is the only political party in India that practices vibrant inner-Party democracy that fortifies its internal strength.    

Following an intense discussion on the draft Political Resolution, the 22nd Congress overwhelmingly adopted the following amendment to the draft moved by the Steering Committee to emerge stronger:

“The main task is to defeat the BJP and its allies by rallying all the secular and democratic forces. 

“But this has to be done without having a political alliance with the Congress Party.

“However, there can be an understanding with all secular opposition parties including the Congress in parliament on agreed issues. Outside parliament, we should cooperate with all secular opposition forces for a broad mobilisation of people against communalism. We should foster joint actions of class and mass organisations, in such a manner that can draw in the masses following the Congress and other bourgeois parties.”

In order to achieve the objective of ousting this RSS/BJP government, the 22nd Congress of CPI(M) decided that: “Appropriate electoral tactics to maximise the pooling of the anti-BJP votes should be adopted based on the above political line of the Party.”

The unity of the Party, as Comrade Ho Chi Minh always taught us, is the strength of only weapon that the Communists posses to usher in an end to exploitation and human liberation. Comrade Ho always underlined the need to “protect and strengthen the unity of the party like the apple of our eye”. 

POLITICAL-ORGANISATIONAL REPORT

Apart from adopting the Political Resolution, the 22nd Congress also discussed and adopted the Political-Organisational Report. 

The Political-Organisational Report undertook a review on the implementation of the important decisions taken by the CPI(M) at its Plenum on Organisation held in Kolkata in December 2015.  

This report highlighted the fact that the Party is facing a difficult situation after the setbacks in West Bengal and recently in Tripura.  The reactionary forces led by the RSS/BJP are concentrating their attacks against the Party. This challenge can be met only by strengthening the Party’s live links with the masses, streamlining the Party organisation with quality membership and building a strong Communist Party throughout the country.

Accomplishing these objectives is absolutely necessary to successfully mount people’s struggles and resistance to defeat this RSS/BJP government. 

The recent period has seen an upswing in the mass struggles and united movements.  The Party and the mass organisations have played an active role in these.  We have to carry this forward by intensifying and widening the class and mass struggles which will enable us to forge Left and democratic unity.

The organisational tasks set out by the Kolkata Plenum should be fully implemented. The 22nd Congress decided that during the coming six months, all state committees should make a thorough review of the implementation of the tasks set out by the state Plenums.  On this basis, the Central Committee and the state committees must work out the future tasks to be implemented in a time-bound manner. 

The objective is to accomplish the goals set-out by the Plenum on Organisation to “Build a strong CPI(M) with an all-India mass base” and “A revolutionary party with a mass line”.

INTENSIFY POPULAR STRUGGLES

The last three years have seen the growth of popular struggles with the working class calling for two all-India industrial strikes and a massive sit-in before the parliament – Mahapadav – with the participation of lakhs of workers.  The peasantry has been on the war path of struggles against the deepening agrarian distress. The recent long march to Mumbai was the highlight of these struggles.  The strong assertion of protests and revolts from the socially oppressed sections, particularly amongst the SC, ST and OBCs, is forging new links with the Left-led movements.  The murderous attacks against the dalits and Muslims unleashed by this RSS/BJP combine are being challenged by the strengthened popular united mobilisations.   The widespread discontent and protest amongst intellectuals and well-meaning people across the country against the atmosphere of growing intolerance as seen in the murders of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh is strengthening.  The forces of RSS-sponsored `moral policing’, who are dictating how people should live their lives and choose their friends is being fiercely resisted.  These struggles and other popular mobilisations must be further consolidated and intensified.

The 22nd Congress of the CPI(M) gave a clarion call to the entire Party rank and file to rise as one person to meet and defeat these challenges before India and its people.  It gave the call to further strengthen the CPI(M); consolidate Left unity; and forge the unity of Left and democratic forces and offer a policy alternative as the basis to sharpen the powerful people’s mobilisations and struggles in the days ahead.