People's Democracy

18TH CONGRESS ADOPTS POLITICAL RESOLUTION

Intensify Struggle Against Communalism And Neo-Liberal Policies

Rajendra Sharma

WITH reference to the national situation, Prakash Karat while introducing the political resolution recalled that the 17th congress of the Party had taken place in the wake of the Gujarat genocide of 2002, at which it was decided that the removal of the NDA alliance and the isolation of the BJP was the first priority of the Party. Our Party has been very clear in its understanding that the BJP is not just another political party, and its being in control of the government is not just a matter of losing an election to one or other Party. The BJP is part of the RSS-led sangh parivar which has a definite political agenda, which is that of destroying the secular fabric of this country and transforming India into a Hindu Rashtra. Our Party also recognises that the RSS is a fascist organisation. The Party had fulfilled its task of contributing to the defeat of the NDA alliance and the formation of a non-BJP secular government at the Centre. The Party had also achieved its third aim of increasing the strength of the Left in Parliament. The BJP led alliance was roundly defeated for its pro-Imperialist, pro- US and communal policies.

He reminded delegates of the pro imperialist policies of the BJP government. L K Advani, as home minister had helped in the establishment of a FBI office in Delhi. In defence matters the government was ready to enter into alliances with the US and with Israel, to overturn the progressive policies of secular India to favour the US. All the mass fronts of the Party had fought against its policies, and promoted the creation of anti-BJP alternative fronts in all state elections and in the national elections. The Party had come forward in the eyes of the people as a Party firmly opposed to communalism, and to the anti-people policies pursued by the BJP government. It has also been able to build its reputation as the Party committed to anti-imperialism. People have recognised this distinction between us and the bourgeois political parties. This is what accounts for the record representation of the in the Lok Sabha. Of the unprecedented 61 seats, the CPI(M) holds 44. The Party now faces the challenge of advancing upon the gains made in these elections.

Soon after the elections the Party decided that it will aid in the formation of a secular government headed by the Congress, because it had the majority members but fell short of numbers to enable it to form a government with its alliance partners. But it also decided that the Party will not join the government and be part of it, because we were aware that the Congress is not going to reverse the anti-people economic policies. Joining the government would have meant getting identified with these policies of the government, which would be detrimental for our political image. Of the 44 MPs our Party has in parliament, 41 have reached there defeating Congress candidates. He also explained that our Party cannot leave the opposition field unattended, because who else will oppose the anti-people policies of the government? The Party wanted to be free, as it now is, to oppose the policies it does not agree with and to pressurise the government on such matters as it wants to. He gave the example of the Patents issue, FDI, communication sector and the power sector.

He underlined the importance of pinning the Congress down to the Common Minimum Programme, which spell out the conditions for support, and which also reflect the popular mandate for the government, and also carrying forward its independent campaigns on issues of popular concern. People are responding to the Left perspective on economic issues as never before, he said, and this is an opportunity for the Party to expand its support base in terms of regions and different sections of people.

Karat stressed on the caste issue and pointed out that this is a big hurdle in the way of advance for democratic alternatives. Caste is not a problem merely in North India. There is a need to take up social issues everywhere, more specifically the issue of oppression of dalits, and to link them with our class struggles. He gave examples of initiatives by Andhra and tamilnadu parties. Class campaigns do not automatically translate into sensitisation on other forms of oppression, he pointed out.

On regional parties, he was emphatic that the Party will not have any truck with those who had shown opportunism in the matter of opposing the communal agenda and had preferred to join the BJP in alliance. This stand of the Party had found appeal among the people, as clearly evident from the clear defeat of Telugu Desam in Andhra. In the formation of a third front the Party may have to talk of alliances with some of them again, but the formation of any third front now would have to take into account the earlier failures, and would have to be based on more than just electoral arithmetic, he said.

The forms of attacks on women are also multiplying in the decades of globalisation, and he referred to the census data on male-female ratio. The Party must take initiative on women related issues, he said.

The issues of interest to adivasis were also stressed by him, and he said that we must be aware that the RSS has been working among them.

The Party will stand by its line of critical support to the secular Congress government at the centre, as the threat of BJP agenda has not declined after its electoral defeat. At the same time the Party will work towards a third front and for the advance of Left unity on all matters he said, and also try to bring within the fold of our campaigns all sections of the independent Left groups who are concerned with issues of secularism and people’s livelihoods. He talked of the successful cooperation and unity of Left forces in West Bengal and Tripura, which provide important lessons, he said. It is important to extract as much immediate relief for the people as possible in the given context, he pointed out.

Thus elaborating on the main issues for discussion in the 18th Party congress he said the Party should concentrate on how to reverse the anti-people policies of the government, and in the event of what is not immediately achievable, the  possible forms of immediate relief that may be campaigned for and on which pressure must be built on the government. The four areas for discussion were outlined as: all round struggle against all forms of communalism; campaigns against anti-people policies of the government and pushing through of alternatives; Building opposition to US imperialism and the interference of imperialism within our country’s affairs; strengthening Left and democratic forces all over the country.

ON SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS

Prakash Kasrat also reported on the amendments suggested to the Political Resolution. He reported that 2835 amendments had been proposed, which is far less than the 4000 plus that came before the 17th congress. He suggested that this signified the approval by members of the Party’s line and assessment of the political situation in the years between the last congress and this congress. Most of the amendments related to elaboration of certain points or to the inclusion of events after the attack on Iraq, which he said would definitely get included. In the international section most amendments were with regard to China: that it has not been playing its role against imperialism, which he did not agree with.  Some proposed amendments, he said, amounted to suggestions to China, which is not our job. He said many of these issues would form the subject matter of the update of our document on ideological issues, but one must remember that the situation is much more difficult today for the existing socialist states since the collapse of Soviet Union. The international balance of political forces has undergone a sea change. In this context the Chinese comrades see their task in the international sphere as primarily one of strengthening socialism in their own country, which can contribute to a favourable balance of forces on a world scale against imperialism. In so far as the internal policies of China, Vietnam or North Korea are concerned, it is obvious that in the changed world situation they will take a different form from that envisaged earlier. He emphasised that the growing strength of China in world affairs will contribute to the strength of anti-imperialist forces all over the world. He said there is a need to emphasise the main contradiction of today in formulating our strategy.

With regard to the proposed amendments in the section on the national situation, he said that they contribute to our understanding of the specific areas to which they pertained, but it is impossible to include these details in the Political Resolution. It is also impossible to add details on the demands to be taken up in the different parts of the country. He left issues of NGOs, funds etc to be taken up in the discussions on policy, and on the issue of attitude to the Naxalites he said that collaboration on issues of popular concern is possible with such groups among them who believe in popular campaigns and the use of the electoral platform for putting forward their line, but at present there is no scope for an alliance with them. The third front cannot be formed in a hurry, and there is a need to carefully study the positions of the various parties on matters of people’s concern, and the main task for us is to link the issues of popular concern with our strategy for a people’s democratic revolution.

REPLY TO DISCUSSION

That the strategy laid down by the seventeenth Congress of the Party still continues came out in  Prakash Karat’s reply to the discussions in the Party congress, in which he emphasised that the Party will have to continue its struggle  against both communalism and neo-liberal economic policies of the government. He said the experiences of struggles in different parts of the country, which the congress viewed during its discussions constitute an important input for the tasks that lie ahead.

In the discussions it came out that some delegates felt that the Resolution had not properly linked up all the major contradictions. Karat did not agree with this view. He felt that an analyses of all the major contradictions is part of the Party’s political understanding, which are not merely stated in the Resolution, but the changes within them are also clearly spelled out.

A lot of questions came up with regard to the role of China in the current political situation, in the context of which he underlined that it is necessary to take stock of the changed international context and recognise that the policies in China and Vietnam are efforts to build and safeguard socialism in this changed context. They have to learn lessons from the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union just as we have. Yet, China is an important political force in the international arena on the side of the democratic, anti imperialist forces, he pointed out.

In the context of a question of supporting the peace process in Sri Lanka, he said that our Party has from the beginning been talking of a peaceful solution to the issue of the legitimate demands of the Tamil speaking population of the country. But India’s role can be only one of facilitation, not of interference or intervention. Similarly, on the politics of the ruling governments in the third world, he said that the Party has always been underlining their compromise with imperialism.

The agrarian situation has been given due importance because of the magnitude of the impact of neo liberal policies on different sections of rural population. The different forms of adversities being faced by them have been adequately taken up in the resolution as well as in the discussions, particularly in the emphasis on dalits and adivasis and the specific forms of their increasing oppression.

On the question of reservation for Muslims, he stressed that we must be aware and fight for equal rights and opportunities for Muslims, who are very discriminated against in all ways in this country, but he felt that a demand for reservation on grounds of religion could be counterproductive because of the kind of communalism it could unleash by communal forces.

On the question of patents, he disagreed that we have not achieved much by way of concessions from the government, or that the distinction between our stand and that of the government is getting narrowed with regard to the thrust of neo-liberal policies.

On the national situation in his reply he reiterated what he had said earlier while presenting the Resolution: that in joining with other parties we must think first of all of increasing the Party’s own influence and mass base, and that the any third front has to be formed on a principled basis of a common programme rather than mere electoral arithmetic. He also countered the line that just because the BJP is not holding the government, therefore, the major contradiction of the Party is now not with BJP. He said that the threat of an onslaught by communal forces has not decreased, their organisations have not weakened, and the situation in the BJP-ruled states sees a continuation of all the policies of the BJP, along with the special threat to Muslims.

He emphasised the twin aspects of our struggle and stressed that today’s political and economic situation have created tremendous opportunities for the Party’s campaigns, which must be fully utilised, and gave assurance that the central committee will play a leading role in initiating these struggles and campaigns.