V.S. Achuthanandan::What we did at the Party Congress

CREDITED TO "THE TELEGRAPH"

What we did at the Party Congress

V.S. Achuthanandan Apr 25, 2018

VS Achuthanandan

The recently concluded Hyderabad Congress has made the CPI(M) stronger and confident ideologically and politically. It was undoubtedly a very important Congress in the Party's history, given the quality of debate that took place inside. Such threadbare discussion on political and ideological issues is a Communist practice. Such intense debates make the CPI(M) different from bourgeois parties. What is important is the outcome of these debates.

In 1964, I walked out of the undivided CPI's national council along with 31 others. I can say without doubt that the political will I and my Party gained in 1964 is intact or rather has become stronger even as its 22nd Congress concluded in Hyderabad.

After an intense debate, we have decided unanimously to wage a relentless war against imperialist globalisation, fascistic Sangh Parivar and the communal regime of Narendra Modi at the Centre. Ousting the Narendra Modi government is our tactical aim. Workers and peasants will lead this war from the front. In this war, we will seek the help of all secular forces.

We will reach an understanding with all secular opposition parties, including the Congress in Parliament on agreed issues. Outside Parliament, as our Political Resolution states, we will work for a broad mobilisation of people against communalism. This has to be done without a political alliance with the Congress.

Smokescreen busted

Certain political pundits, however, saw this debate as an indication of a possible split in the CPI(M)! They wasted reels of newspaper pages and online space to "analyse" that the differences over fascism, the fascistic attacks on people by the RSS and the RSS-led government at the Centre have pulled the Party into a major crisis.

But the Party Congress has busted the smokescreen created by these analysts by adopting a scientific and correct political line. Considering the grave threat posed by the fascistic forces, we have underlined that our principal task is to defeat the BJP and its allies by rallying all the secular and democratic forces and to strive for effective pooling of anti-BJP votes to ensure the defeat of BJP candidates in each constituency.

Fascism and Communism

Communists do not need any lesson from others on combating fascism. It was the Third International of the Communist parties that gave the world the concept of a united front against fascism. Georgi Dimitrov, the Bulgarian Communist leader who led the International for several years, framed this theory of united front against fascism.

This framework has helped not only Europe, but also countries like China in its successful course of revolution and, India and other countries to fight imperialism at one hand and fascism on the other. Those who create the smokescreen must understand this.

In the present scenario, global economic crisis is a universal reality and it has led to the growth and advancement of the right-wing and neo-fascist forces around the world. This is becoming evident day by day as the crisis of imperialist globalisation aggravates and in the ways it hits every country including ours. So, the threat of advancement of right-wing and neo-fascist political forces is a dangerous and advancing phenomenon in our country too. However, there is a speciality in our country's case.

A well-organised fascistic organisation is spread out in our country for several decades. It is the RSS. This fascistic organisation makes use of the said international crisis within our country. In this course, the RSS has gone much ahead than any of the neo-fascists abroad.

The RSS was born along with the Italian Fascists and German Nazis and by no means a novice. In that sense, it is not 'neo'-nazi. Its leadership and cadre line are of decades long experience, of a bloodier history of execution of communal carnage, assassinations and are thorough with successful deadly conspiracies against the nation.

It has shown resilience in facing adverse situations. Its leadership is experienced and cadre line is seasoned.

This cold fact was considered by the members of the Party and the delegates in the Congress. We discussed how the global phenomenon of growth and advancement of right-wing political forces and neo-fascism reflects in our country; as part and parcel of the strengthening of global economic crisis and its impact upon our domestic sphere.

So, in the current conjuncture, in our country too, the fascistic RSS and the BJP led by it draw strength from the said kind of crises both at home and at global level.

International and domestic developments working corroboratively become extremely favourable for the RSS to lead its parivar in the fast execution of the said fascist goal. This becomes faster especially amidst extreme political crisis that has struck the other bourgeois political parties gravely, creating a political crisis altogether.

Challenges

Similarly, we discussed the crisis in the agrarian sector. The market is being integrated internationally day by day by finance capital forces and made the lives of our farmers and agriculture workers difficult.

Along with leading peasants for ensuring proper remuneration for what they produce and for loan waivers, we have to shift our focus to forms of social production, including production co-operatives in farming, in corroborative industries that bring out products based on farm crops and marketing co-operatives that dovetail into this system of associated production.

The Party Congress has called for concrete action plan for worker peasant alliance that is essential for the implementation of such measures.

The Party will be in forefront to resist the Hindutva offensive targeting women, Dalits, Adivasis and minority rights. We will champion the issues against caste oppression and caste and racial discriminations, particularly concerning the Dalits, Adivasis and the most backward in the hegemonic structure of the caste system.

We will extend full support to those progressive activities of the Dalit organisations and Adivasi organisations as the progressive activities are aimed at social emancipation of the oppressed people and oriented to attain the goal of caste annihilation.

The Party Congress discussed all the issues that affect the common people of this country in detail. The process has energised millions of working people in the country. To lead them, we have elected a 95-member Central Committee and 17-member Politburo, which will be steered by Sitaram Yechury, our general secretary. The newly adopted Political Resolution entrusts serious responsibilities to the Party.

V.S. Achuthanandan is a founding member of the CPM and a former chief minister of Kerala