December 25 marked the 41st anniversary of the founding of the Communist Ghadar Party of India. Party organisations in India as well as abroad held meetings to celebrate this joyous occasion. Meetings were organised in Delhi, Mumbai, Toronto and other places.
There were presentations of the party’s analysis, followed by vigorous discussion. There were cultural performances, songs and dances to celebrate the occasion.
The meetings summed up the experience of the growing struggles of workers and peasants in recent times, their growing unity against the liberalisation and privatisation program.
One key point that was emphasized is that parliamentary democracy is being increasingly exposed as a brutal dictatorship of the capitalist class, headed by Indian and foreign monopolies. The ruling class is organising to prop up the illusion that solutions to people’s problems can be found within the existing system, by electing a better party or coalition to run the government.
The system of capitalist democracy works best when two parties or coalitions, both representing the capitalist class, take turns to run the government. When the party in charge gets exposed amongst the people, then the opposition party takes its place and implements the same agenda, with new attractive slogans. The ruling class has tried to use the kisan andolan to develop a credible alternative to BJP. The aim is to ensure that the majority of people are sucked into the electoral battle between two teams, both of which are fit to run the government on behalf of the Tatas, Ambanis, Birlas, Adanis and other monopoly houses.
A major theme addressed during the discussions was the necessity to build and strengthen the Party, drawing on our rich experience of the past 41 years. Comrades recalled the conditions in which the Party was formed. It was a time when the communist movement was being fragmented under the pressure of the Soviet-US rivalry and the illusion of a parliamentary path to socialism. While objective conditions were favourable for revolution, the working class was deprived of unified communist leadership. In such conditions, we decided to establish a vanguard party of the Indian working class in which all communists would militate, a party that would build the political unity of the working class and oppressed masses of people and open a path for the progress of society. We decided to build a party based on the scientific theory of Marxism-Leninism, in opposition to revisionism and opportunism of all hues.
It was reiterated that the Indian working class is one class with one aim, which is to end all forms of exploitation and oppression, by replacing the rule of the bourgeoisie with the rule of the working class in alliance with the toiling peasantry. To realize this aim, the working class must put forth its own independent program, around which it unites the broad masses of workers, peasants, and all the oppressed.
We have to build unity around the alternative to the capitalist program of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation, and around the alternative to the existing parliamentary system which excludes people from power and tramples on their rights. Our party has been systematically working to arm the working class and kisans with such a program, in the course of organizing them to resist the anti-social offensive of the capitalist class.
Comrades recalled the slogan our party put forth 21 years ago: “One working class, one program, one communist party.” They expressed their firm belief that the unity of Indian communists in one single party will be restored in the course of the struggle to arm the working class with its own independent program. It will be restored in the course of combating the harmful lines in the communist and workers’ movement. In particular, it is essential to expose and smash all illusions about parliamentary democracy, about the existing Indian Union and its Constitution.
Also highlighted in these meetings was the importance of defending the organisational principle of democratic centralism, on the basis of which our party has been built. Comrades spoke about the importance of fighting against all alien manifestations including anarchy, egotism and competition, which weaken the party. They pledged to defend the unity of the party like the apple of their eye.
Comrades recalled the heroic struggle waged by our comrades in India and abroad, which resulted in the founding of the CGPI. They saluted the memory of those comrades who have departed from us. They pledged to work with redoubled energy to organise and lead the working class in the struggle to establish worker-peasant rule in place of capitalist rule, and march on the road to build a socialist India.
It was reiterated that our party is a part of the international communist movement. It supports the struggles of the proletariat and peoples of all countries against imperialism and imperialist war, for revolution, national liberation and socialism.
The atmosphere in these meetings reflected the confidence of all the comrades in the Party and its line. It reflected their determination to take this line far and wide so as to prepare the subjective conditions for the victory of revolution and socialism in our country.
The meetings concluded with the singing of the Internationale, the song of the international working class.