MARXIST LENINIST PARTY OF INDIA (RED FLAG)
Central Committee 2024 June 7 Cochin
ON THE RESULTS OF THE LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2024
The results of the elections to the 18th Lok Sabha have reflected the people's discontent. The BJP fell short of a simple majority with 240 seats. The NDA coalition got 293 seats; far lower than their much trumpeted claim of more than 400 wins. Even their present tally is an outcome of a slender margin of votes in a good number of seats.
This result is mainly due to livelihood issues such as price rise, inflation and unemployment. In states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra these burning questions have really had an impact on elections. Hence, the BJP and the ruling NDA alliance became minority in these states. In Tamil Nadu they drew a blank. In West Bengal too they crashed. In Haryana, Telangana and Goa the NDA and INDIA were 50-50. Thus, the class struggle that sharpened due to livelihood issues have turned the tide of popular anger against the fascists in such states.
Building Ram temple and offering another Sita Temple to be built could not lure the people to the snare of communal divide and make them forget the burning livelihood issues. The caste-equation-game-plans also could not deviate the people from their focus. Even at Faizabad, where the new Ram temple is built, the BJP was defeated. So, the communal polarisation trickery of Hindutva fascists could not work this time with the earlier fluency.
It is commendable that the India block could achieve remarkable advancement in various states as stated above. In Rajasthan it could redeem itself from the defeat in the state-legislative elections; though could not cover the halfway mark.
Still,The India block, though could reflect the popular anger, was not sufficient to overthrow the fascists in all spheres. This was because it was lacking a solid alternative as its minimum programme.
That is, for successful ends in parliamentary and extra parliamentary struggles, every theatre of class struggle needs to be led by the essential point of measure of the ideological and political conscientization, necessary level of programmatic advancement and apt concrete tactical application in the fight against hindutva fascism. This shortly is called ‘the Minimum Programme’. Such a ‘Minimum Programme’ was necessary for a solid alternative to be felt and pursued by the fighting masses. It was very essential to enthuse vacillating sections and polarise them. Mainly, after the high tide of the peasant struggle, though the government had accepted the demands of the peasants, it betrayed them after the peasants withdrew the struggle. So, the peasants reopened the struggle path. Though the parties in the India block were sympathetic to the peasants, the block as such did not put forth a solid alternative programme capable of enthusing and catching the imagination of the peasantry as a whole. The block could not represent a clear counter offensive against the push by the Oligarchic bourgeoisie and the fascist government to appropriate market, means and eventually the land of the peasantry. Because of this, the peasantry could not be rallied as a united and compact force in the electoral struggle in all the states. This caused mixed response and varying degrees of peasant reciprocation to the BJP and the NDA constituents.
Even though the regime may continue with the advantage of the tally that the NDA coalition has got. The economic, social and political scenario of the country, especially the disastrous situation that the producing and toiling classes face, are about to grow to Frankenstein proportions and the hot reciprocation from the workers, peasants and the toiling masses are about to grow into a huge struggle movement the popular discontent is going to widen and get deep rooted among the whole people. The Worker-Peasant Alliance with articulate economic content will propel this force gathering greater momentum. Similarly, the democratic and secular forces are going to intensify their resistance.
To lead this people’s movement to success, the essential measure of ideological and political conscientization, necessary programmatic advancement and concrete tactical application, shortly ‘the Minimum programme’, have become the need of the hour; so that a solid alternative can be felt and pursued by the fighting masses. The political vanguard must be wise and vigilant to keep a steadfast pursuit to attain the said alternative. It must achieve broader unity of antifascist forces, pivoted on to the determined compact force of the country-wide united left.
M S Jayakuar GENERAL SECRETARY
