People's Democracy

Dear Comrades,

The Communist Party of Britain sends its warmest greetings to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on the occasion of its 18th congress.

The work of the CPI(M) provides hope and inspiration to communists around the world.

Over the past three years, your Party has successfully carried through all three main tasks set at your 17th congress:

• The defeat of the BJP alliance

• The formation of a secular government at the centre

• The strengthening of the representation of the Party and the Left in the Lok Sabha

Your leadership of democratic and secularist forces was instrumental in limiting and driving back the influence of communalism and fundamentalism. In doing so, you have provided a vital example to those fighting racism and national chauvinism elsewhere – including Britain.

A key part of this struggle was your role as a Party in raising the wider issues of class exploitation and oppression in mass struggles and being able to unite, across caste and religion, those facing the brunt of rural impoverishment and urban unemployment.

Today the strengthened position of the Left in both the Lok Sabha and in mass support across the country is critical in the fight to defend the Common Minimum Programme and to resist the policies of liberalisation and privatisation being pursued by the UPA government.

Your work internationally has also been much appreciated by communists in Britain. Your Party has been instrumental in broadening the fight against the imperialist policies of the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank and the IMF in imposing penal trade terms involving the systematic dismantling of economic and social protection. Your interventions in the World Social Forum were critical in raising the class issues of imperialism. In face of imperialist aggression in Iraq, your stand of consistent opposition was very important in determining the balance of world forces against the illegal war and occupation.

Today your fight for a third alternative in India, rejecting both liberalisation and communalism, holds lessons for all communists working for full democratisation and for an economy based on people’s needs.

Dear Comrades,

Communists in Britain remember with pride our historic links with communists in India, the role of Indian communists in the ending of British colonialism and the contributions of Dutt and Saklatvala, among many others, to the world communist movement.

We look forward to strengthening the links between our two parties and wish you every success in the work of your congress and the future struggles of your Party.

With warmest international greetings,