India: Socialists call for people’s resistance, left resurgence

In a sign of solidarity with the struggle by the peasants of Nandigram against the West Bengal state government’s attempt to seize their land for a Special Economic Zone, the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist), publisher of Liberation magazine, held its 8^th congress in Kolkata, the state’s capital, December 11-16.

Addressing the congress, CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya described a situation of unrest in rural and urban areas all over India, commenting: “When people are facing this onslaught there will be protests. Left forces are supposed to be the leaders of the movement.”

But Bhattacharya noted that while “there is a visible presence of the left in national politics with more than 60 MPs, the last few years have shown that the opportunist lefts can’t lead. There is a crisis of the left.” Bhattacharya explained that the two largest left parties, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), have failed to use their MPs to challenge the pro-US, neoliberal policies of the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance government.

The CPI (M) state governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura have been implementing draconian neoliberal policies. The West Bengal government’s massacre of peasants at Nandigram has particularly discredited the left.

Bhattacharya explained that some have responded to the actions of the West Bengal government by claiming “this is the death of the left, whereas others say that you can’t criticise the CPI (M) because only the right wing will benefit”. Instead, Bhattacharya called for a “realignment” and “resurgence” of the left in India. “The CPI (ML) is becoming the leading voice of the left in India”, he said.

The day before the congress, the CPI (ML) organised a mass public convention that denounced imperialism as an assault on democracy and development. Speakers included a range of prominent critics of neoliberal and imperialist policies, including Indian writer Arundhati Roy.

Around 1200 delegates attended the congress from all over India. Two delegates couldn’t attend because they were in jail.

Since its last congress in 2002, the CPI (ML) has experienced considerable growth. It now has 125,000 members, with some groups of former CPI (M) members joining.

The CPI (ML) has its origins in the Naxalbari peasant rebellion in West Bengal that began in the 1960s. The rebellion was led by CPI (M) members, but was brutally suppressed by the CPI (M)-led Left Front government of West Bengal. In response to this betrayal, the CPI (ML) was founded in 1969.

Discussion of all congress documents was lively, with many proposed amendments from delegates being accepted by the leadership. The discussion revealed that the CPI(ML) is deeply involved in all of the key struggles in India today.

A resolution on the international situation noted that the principal contradiction in the world today is between imperialism and the underdeveloped countries, which is reflected by the US drive for world hegemony. However the resolution assessed that this drive was failing, as evidenced by the popular resistance in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine and the rise of left governments in Latin America.

The agrarian crisis in India received a great deal of discussion. The crisis has resulted in a massive suicide rate among farmers with one Indian farmer committing suicide every 30 minutes. Ironically, the farmer suicides are mostly occurring in the states with the most highly developed agriculture, where farmers have to go into debt to money lenders to buy seed, fertilizer and pesticides. The congress called for an increase in work among peasants alongside the work among the rural poor.

During the last five years, the party’s work among agricultural labourers, peasants and workers has expanded. This is reflected by the establishment of the All India Agricultural Labour Association.

The increase in the membership of the CPI (ML)-led All India Central Council of Trade Unions has resulted in it being officially recognized as a central trade union. This is the first radical left trade union centre to win such recognition. As well as expanding its influence among organised workers, the AICCTU has been organising unorganised workers, particularly construction workers.

The report highlighted the need for the All India Women’s Progressive Association to develop its work among working women as well as rural women and challenging the feudal-patriarchal order.

While the congress noted the strengthening of the CPI (ML) and its associated mass organisations, it was noted that the party’s increased influence had not been reflected in an increase in electoral support, with the party losing its only seat in the 2004 federal lower house elections. However, in state assembly elections, the CPI (ML) won seven seats.

The report noted that while elections are an important arena of struggle, they are an extremely unequal battleground for the left.

The success of the CPI (ML)’s 8^th congress and the mass turnout for the December 18 rally sent the message that a resurgent left is possible.

 Mass rally in solidarity with Nandigram peasants

The 8^th congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) ended with a massive 100,000 strong all-India rally in Kolkata on December 18. A key focus of the rally was solidarity with the peasants of Nandigram against attempts to drive them off their land by the West Bengal government in order to establish a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Kolkata,

Many of the rally participants had to fight for their right to attend. Most of the rural poor cannot afford train tickets to get to such actions, so contingents of CPI (ML) supporters have to board trains with their banners and fight off police attempts to evict them. One CPI (ML) member was killed in the battle to attend the rally.

The rally was a demonstration that the genuine left is in solidarity with peasants of Nandigram, at a time when the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-run West Bengal government is repressing them. Some of the mainstream papers acknowledged that the CPI (ML) was the only party that had the capacity to organise such a large national mobilisation.

The rally was also in solidarity with peasants in Singur. In December 2006, the Singur peasants fought but lost the battle against the West Bengal government’s forcible acquisition of their land for an SEZ for the Tatas car company.

When the West Bengal government attempted a similar land grab for an SEZ at Nandigram, the peasants gave full battle. The resistance of the peasants, who had originally won their land through struggle, was so strong that the government was forced to withdraw the SEZ proposal.

This was the first such victory in India.

However, the Nandigram peasants paid a heavy price for their victory. On March 14, police attempted to brutally suppress the revolt, killing at least 14 peasant activists. At least eight primary school-aged children were killed, and many women were sexually assaulted.

The total number of deaths is not known, with bodies still being uncovered in unmarked graves. A second massacre was carried out in November, this time by CPI (M) goons.

On March 16, a general strike in West Bengal was held in protest at the massacre, and the CPI (ML) responded by organising a demonstration of hundreds of thousands in Delhi.