Long live the Party
Sir,
In the speech of Com. Lal Singh delivered on the occasion of the marking of the 37th anniversary of the founding of our beloved party the CGPI, our General Secretary has taken pains to explain why “Ghadar” is present in our name: as an ever present reminder that our call is that of revolution and no effort should be spared until this goal has been reached.
Among main important points, the General Secretary has also given a history of the party and its struggles since the days of its founding and how it stands tall among the comity of communist parties, as the vanguard of revolution in the country and as a torch bearer of the revolutionary spirit. Indeed, the party was founded 1980 at a time when revolution was on the agenda in face of the discrediting of the parliamentary system and at a time when the fascist face was there was everyone to see in the events surrounding the Emergency. That said, it was also at a time when the communist movement had splintered and was unable to provide the leadership to bring the working class to power. But rather, it was at a time when the communist movement itself lined up sections of the working class behind the bourgeoisie, or abandoned the working class under the pretext of organizing the peasantry to surround cities.
Our party was founded at a time when it was necessary to defend Marxism-Leninism and to oppose all kinds of revisionism emanating from the two important centres of revisionism, namely the Soviet Union and China. In the 1980’s the country was beset by problems with the complete fascisation of the polity and with the establishing of state terrorism as the modus operandi of the State to break the unity of the people who were uniting for their survival. Going hand in hand were the communalization of the polity behind which was the hand of the State itself.
Towards the end of this decade, the bourgeoisie realizing that the `socialistic pattern of society’ had run its course, decided to launch communalism by backing the BJP as the alternative to the Congress and to polarize the polity into a secular vs. a communal camp. Rather than to expose the true nature of this, various revolutionaries were asked to line up behind the so-called lesser evil. At the end of this decade came the end of the bipolar division of the world, and the liquidation of the Soviet Union and the profound disequilibrium in the world with the US at the helm of affairs trying to impose its hegemony which persists until today, compounded with the rise of several smaller powers, including India.
Our General Secretary has also taken pains to describe the history of the party and its congresses and the backgrounds against which these took place. Such an exercise is very important in the continuous process of taking stock of our resources. Com. Lal Singh points out that the first Congress took place as the last bastion of Socialism, Albania was also on the verge of capitulation. At this congress, the party had the confidence to state that it had its own resources to carry out its own evaluation of the phenomena that were unfolding, upholding the highest traditions of Marxism-Leninism. By studying the experience of other countries, our party concluded that the road ahead if one that will never compromise with social-democracy, and that the ending of feudal and colonial remnants can only occur with the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and that it is capitalism and in particular monopoly capitalism that is the engine of the Indian economy, and it is the hegemonic rule of this class that operates in the country.
Rather than accept the dictate that there is no alternative to market forces and privatization and liberalization, our party concluded that a Navnirman is necessary that will organize society whose collective produce will be used for the well-being of all, rather than be a profit margin for capitalists. The analysis that would make such a thing possible would require the proletariat to vest sovereignty in the hands of the people. A modern state with modern definitions is the order of the day. Reactionary forces on the other hand, worship old models from the past, and worship anachronistic definitions as if they have fallen out of the sky rather than face the problems of the day. This struggle continues to this day, and the need to fight for this continued in the resolutions of the subsequent Congresses of the party.
The analyses of the earlier Congresses stand vindicated in the years that ensued, as the rule of the monopoly capitalists continues unabated with the treasury and opposition benches being constantly exchanged by the two trusted parties of the bourgeoisie namely the Congress and the BJP. Each of the election seasons is surrounded by blood-baths and terrorism, so that all the real problems of the country and its billion people are forgotten. It is a moot point that the reorientation of the programme of privatization and liberalization and its stages are necessarily accompanied by violence and blood-letting. Following Machiavellian principles the parties in power vie for the chance to please the bourgeoisie, with impunity. That said, today too, like in the days before 1947, when there were only two noteworthy trends, which were that of revolution (Ghadar) on the one hand, and that of transfer of power to exploiters on the other hand, the trends today are for conciliation with the bourgeoisie and social-democracy on the one hand, and revolution and liberation with the working class at its head on the other.
In the speech our General Secretary highlights how the path of revolution is to be followed, how each basic unit is a Communist School and how the youth will be attracted to socialism and how it is our duty to keep the flame of revolution burning. Let us follow the letter and spirit of this speech and work tirelessly to build communist unity as the first step towards revolution and socialism. Let us all celebrate this 37th anniversary of the founding of our glorious party.
Sincerely,
A. Narayan, Bangalore
Denounce the US decision with respect to Jerusalem
I am writing in response to the article entitled `US decides to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital: A grave provocation against the Palestinian and Arab peoples’ carried in the January 1-1, 2018 issue of MEL. I am writing to support the stand of the CGPI which `…condemns the unilateral decision of the US state to shift the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.’ The article has given a balanced and objective historical assessment of how the state of Israel was formed, and how the country was carved out of the territories that belonged to the Ottoman Empire after the First World War, and the subsequent activities that led to its founding. Further, the article points out the history of the city of Jerusalem and that it is with a series of illegal military maneuvers that the situation has come to this pass, where no country in the world except the US plans to have its Embassy in Jerusalem, when Tel Aviv is the internationally recognized capital. It has also been shown in the article that this act of shifting the Embassy is an aggressive, and imperialist driven one, in order to inflame the precarious environment in the middle-east.
The people of Israel also need to know that in the international intrigue and machinations, they may well be the dumped tomorrow if they outlive their use. It may be kept in mind that except for a handful of small countries the condemnation of the US at the UN was universal which also shows the isolation of US imperialism. Rather than accept that they are isolated the reaction of the US leaders has been to vow revenge against those who have voted against them, and also to threaten to cut off funding to the UN. This is no different from children who threaten to carry away the bat and go home if they get out in a game of cricket. Such childishness, rudeness and arrogance are the hallmark of the present government in the US. That said, the present is an opportunity again to highlight the nature of the illegal conquest of the lands that constitute today’s Israel, and all peace loving peoples and those interested in justice must come together to find a lasting solution for the region. Let us all together denounce the US policy of shifting the Embassy to Jerusalem.
Sincerely,
S. Nair, Kochi