Communist Party of India (Marxist)

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Template:Infobox Indian Political Party The Communist Party of India (Marxist), 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.

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History

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 Naxalites (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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Party Organization

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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)

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Leadership

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:

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The principal mass organizations of CPI(M)

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.

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Party Publications

From the Centre, two weekly newspapers are published, People's Democracy (English) and Lok Lehar (Hindi).

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Daily Newspapers

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Weeklies

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Fortnightlies

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Monthlies

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Ideological Publications

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Publishing Houses

Apart from this, the party indirectly controls commercial television channels in Kerala and West Bengal.

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Splits and offshoots

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.

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Election results

see CPI(M) election results.

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External links

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Articles

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Party related websites

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See also

Template:Commons

es:Partido Comunista de la India-Marxista hi:मार्क्सवादी कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी ja:インド共産党マルクス主義派 ru:Коммунистическая партия Индии (марксистская) sv:Communist Party of India (Marxist) zh-min-nan:Ìn-tō͘ Kiōng-sán-tóng (Marx-chú-gī Phài)

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