The , or CPI(M), is a
Political Party in
India . It is strongest in the states of
Kerala ,
West Bengal and
Tripura . In
West Bengal and
Tripura states, as of 2004, it currently holds the government. It split from the
Communist Party Of India in
1964 because of what it describes as the latter's
Revisionism and
Sectarianism . It claims to have 814,408 members as of
2002 .
CPI(M) was formed in 1964, following a split from the
Communist Party Of India . Several issues were at stake during the split, such as the
Sino-Soviet Conflict , relation to the
Indian National Congress and the Indo-China war of 1962. Rapidly CPI(M) outgrew CPI as the major communist party in India. At first, CPI(M) and the CPI were hostile to each other, the first accusing the latter of revisionism, the latter accused former of sectarianism and extremism. Indeed, CPI(M) regarded
Indira Gandhi 's government, and during the Emergency it joined hands with centrist and right-wing parties to defeat her in the 1977 elections.
Initially, CPI(M) had some links to the
Communist Party Of China . Within the party, a
Maoist tendency emerged which accused the party leadership of revisionism and parliamentarism. In 1967 a peasants revolts broke out in
Naxalbari , in northern
West Bengal . The insurgency was led by hardline district level CPI(M) leaders
Charu Majumdar and
Kanu Sanyal . The hardliners saw the Naxalbari uprising as the spark that would ignite the Indian revolution. The Communist Party of China hailed the Naxalbari movement, causing an abrupt break in CPI(M)-CPC relations. The Naxalbari movement was violently repressed by the West Bengal government, of which CPI(M) was a major partner. Within the party, the hardliners rallied around an
All India Coordination Committee Of Communist Revolutionaries . Following the 1968
Burdwan plenum of CPI(M), the AICCCR separated themselves from CPI(M). Likewise, around 50% of the party cadres in Andhra Pradesh, under the leadership of
T. Nagi Reddy , left the party under the party to form the
Andhra Pradesh Coordination Committee Of Communist Revolutionaries . These splits divided the party throughout the country, but with the exeption of T.N. Reddy, the hardliners were not able to gather support within the party leadership. The party and the
Naxalite s (as the rebels were called) were soon to get into a bloody feud, a conflict which continues until today.
During 1970s, Communist Party of India (Marxist) rejected the possibility of a '
Peaceful Coexistence ' of Socialist and Capitalist countries. Emphasising Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy, one of CPI(M) firmest traditions was celebrating
Stalin 's birthday and on this day making conclusions of the 'developments of revisionism' and 'kowtowing to
Imperialism ' by other political organisations.
However, from the middle of 1970s on, CPI(M) began to criticise more openly some aspects of CPC's India policies, such as interventioning in CPI(M) private affairs and calling India's government 'an underling of US imperialism'. This led to another split and forming a new party by a group of CPI(M)
Maoists .
The collapse of the Socialist Bloc 1989-1991 and recent developments throughout the world have not left the Communist Party of India (Marxist) untouched. The political differences between CPI(M) and CPI have decreased over the years, and since 1977 the two parties maintain cooperation.
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CPI(M) got 5.66% of votes polled in last
Parliamentary Election (May 2004) and it has 43 MPs. It won 42.31% on an average in the 69 seats it contested. It supports the new
Indian National Congress -led
United Progressive Alliance government, but without becoming a part of it.
In
West Bengal and
Tripura it participates in the
Left Front . In
Kerala the party is part of the
Left Democratic Front . In
Tamil Nadu it is part of the Progressive Democratic Alliance.
In
Hindi CPI(M) is often called मार्क्सवादी कमयुनिस्त पार्टी (Marksvadi Kamyunist Party, abbreviated MaKaPa). The official party name in Hindi is however ''Bharat ki Kamyunist Party (Marksvadi)''. In
Tamil the party is known as இந்திய கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி (மார்க்சிஸ்ட்) (Intia Kamyunist Katchi (Marxist)). In Malayalam it is written as കമ്യൂണിസ്റ്റ് പാര്ട്ടി ഓഫ് ഇന്ത്യ (മാര്സിസ്റ്റ്)
The current general secretary of CPI(M) is Prakash Karat. The CPI(M) MP Somnath Chatterjee is the speaker of the
Lok Sabha (2004). The 18th party congress of CPI(M), held in
Delhi April 6-11
2005 elected a Central Committee with 85 members. The Central Committee later elected a 17-member
Politburo :
In
Tripura , the
Ganamukti Parishad is a major mass organization.
In Kerala the
Adivasi Kshema Samithi , a tribal organisation is controlled by CPI(M).
This apart, on the cultural front as many as 12 major organisations are led by CPI(M).
There are a few NGOs in which CPI(M) cadres actively participates like
Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad , Sahmat, etc..
Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad is not linked with CPM officially nor unofficially. CPM members, followers, supporters works in hundreds of organizations. KSSP is just one among them. It has very serious ideological difference with CPM too.
From the Centre, two weekly newspapers are published,
People's Democracy (English) and Lok Lehar (Hindi).
Apart from this,
the party indirectly controls commercial television channels in Kerala and West Bengal.
A large number of parties have been formed as a result of splits from the CPI(M), such as
Communist Party Of India (Marxist-Leninist) ,
Marxist Communist Party Of India ,
Marxist Coordination Committee in
Jharkhand ,
Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy ,
Communist Marxist Party and
BTR-EMS-AKG Janakeeya Vedi in
Kerala ,
Party Of Democratic Socialism in
West Bengal ,
Janganotantrik Morcha in
Tripura , the
Ram Pasla Group in
Punjab ,
Orissa Communist Party in
Orissa , etc.
see
CPI(M) Election Results .
- Search For Ways To Keep Marx Alive Opinion on party structure by Sumanta Sen. ''The Telegraph'' Calcutta, India. March 31, 2005. Accessed April 1, 2005.
- Veteran Communists Honoured News article on Party history conference. ''The Hindu''. April 6, 2005. Accessed April 8, 2005.
- All you wanted to know about CPI-M News article on CPI-M. ''Rediff News''. April 8, 2005. Accessed April 8, 2005.
- ''An Upbeat Left'' by Venkitesh Ramakrishnan. Volume 22 - Issue 09, Apr. 23 - May. 06, 2005
- On the repression of Honda workers in Gurgaon, Haryana from the Anti-Caste Information Page
