Socialism in India - Revision history

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			{{short description\|Role and influence of socialism in India}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}
	{{Socialism sidebar\|History by country}}		{{Socialism sidebar\|History by country}}
	{{Communism in India}}		{{Communism in India}}
	'''Socialism in India''' is a [[political movement]] founded early in the 20th century, as a part of the broader movement to gain [[Indian independence movement\|Indian independence]] from [[British Raj\|colonial rule]]. The movement grew quickly in popularity as it espoused the causes of India's farmers and labourers against the ''[[zamindars]]'', princely class and [[landed gentry]]. Socialism shaped the principal economic and social policies of the Indian government but mostly followed [[Dirigisme~~\|Dirigism~~]]<ref name=":12">{{Citation\|last=Chandrasekhar\|first=C. P.\|title=From Dirigisme to Neoliberalism: Aspects of the Political Economy of the Transition in India\|date=2012\|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29360/1/10731455.pdf\|work=Developmental Politics in Transition: The Neoliberal Era and Beyond\|pages=140–165\|editor-last=Kyung-Sup\|editor-first=Chang\|series=International Political Economy Series\|place=London\|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK\|language=en\|doi=10.1057/9781137028303_8\|isbn=978-1-137-02830-3\|access-date=2020-09-04\|editor2-last=Fine\|editor2-first=Ben\|editor3-last=Weiss\|editor3-first=Linda}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web\|last=Mazumdar\|first=Surajit\|date=2012\|title=Industrialization, Dirigisme and Capitalists: Indian Big Business from Independence to Liberalization\|url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/93158/\|access-date=2020-09-04\|website=mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de\|language=en}}</ref> after independence until the early 1990s, when India moved towards a more [[market economy\|market-based economy]]. However, it remains a potent influence on Indian politics, with many national and regional political parties espousing [[democratic socialism]].		'''Socialism in India''' is a [[political movement]] founded early in the 20th century, as a part of the broader movement to gain [[Indian independence movement\|Indian independence]] from [[British Raj\|colonial rule]]. The movement grew quickly in popularity as it espoused the causes of India's farmers and labourers against the ''[[zamindars]]'', princely class and [[landed gentry]]. Socialism shaped the principal economic and social policies of the Indian government but mostly followed [[Dirigisme]]<ref name=":12">{{Citation\|last=Chandrasekhar\|first=C. P.\|title=From Dirigisme to Neoliberalism: Aspects of the Political Economy of the Transition in India\|date=2012\|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29360/1/10731455.pdf\|work=Developmental Politics in Transition: The Neoliberal Era and Beyond\|pages=140–165\|editor-last=Kyung-Sup\|editor-first=Chang\|series=International Political Economy Series\|place=London\|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK\|language=en\|doi=10.1057/9781137028303_8\|isbn=978-1-137-02830-3\|access-date=2020-09-04\|editor2-last=Fine\|editor2-first=Ben\|editor3-last=Weiss\|editor3-first=Linda}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web\|last=Mazumdar\|first=Surajit\|date=2012\|title=Industrialization, Dirigisme and Capitalists: Indian Big Business from Independence to Liberalization\|url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/93158/\|access-date=2020-09-04\|website=mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de\|language=en}}</ref> after independence until the early 1990s, when India moved towards a more [[market economy\|market-based economy]]. However, it remains a potent influence on Indian politics, with many national and regional political parties espousing [[democratic socialism]].

	Small socialist revolutionary groups arose in India in the aftermath of the [[Russian Revolution]]. The [[Communist Party of India]] was established in 1925, but socialism as an ideology gained a nationwide appeal after it was endorsed by leaders such as [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Socialists were amongst the first to call for outright Indian independence from colonial rule. Under Nehru, the [[Indian National Congress]], India's largest political party, adopted socialism as an ideology for socio-economic policies in 1936. Socialists and communists also engineered the [[Tebhaga movement]] of farmers in [[Bengal]] against the landed gentry. However, mainstream Indian socialism connected itself with [[Gandhism]] and adopted peaceful struggle instead of [[class conflict\|class warfare]].{{Citation needed\|date=December 2020}}		Small socialist revolutionary groups arose in India in the aftermath of the [[Russian Revolution]]. The [[Communist Party of India]] was established in 1925, but socialism as an ideology gained a nationwide appeal after it was endorsed by leaders such as [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Socialists were amongst the first to call for outright Indian independence from colonial rule. Under Nehru, the [[Indian National Congress]], India's largest political party, adopted socialism as an ideology for socio-economic policies in 1936. Socialists and communists also engineered the [[Tebhaga movement]] of farmers in [[Bengal]] against the landed gentry. However, mainstream Indian socialism connected itself with [[Gandhism]] and adopted peaceful struggle instead of [[class conflict\|class warfare]]. {{Citation needed\|date=December 2020}}

	After India's independence in 1947, the Indian government under prime ministers Nehru and [[Indira Gandhi]] oversaw land reform and the ~~nationalisation~~ of major industries and the banking sector. Independently, activists [[Vinoba Bhave]] and [[Jayaprakash Narayan]] worked for peaceful land redistribution under the [[Sarvodaya]] movement, where landlords granted land to ~~farm workers~~ out of their own free will. In the 1960s, the Communist Party of India formed India's first democratically elected communist government when it won elections in the states of [[Kerala]] and later [[West Bengal]]. However, when a [[Early 1980s recession\|global recession]] began in the late 1970s, economic stagnation, chronic shortages and state inefficiency left many disillusioned with state socialism. In the late 1980s and 1990s, India's government began to systematically liberalise the Indian economy by pursuing privatisation, aiming to attract foreign investment.		After India's independence in 1947, the Indian government under prime ministers Nehru and [[Indira Gandhi]] oversaw land reform and the nationalization of major industries and the banking sector. Independently, activists [[Vinoba Bhave]] and [[Jayaprakash Narayan]] worked for peaceful land redistribution under the [[Sarvodaya]] movement, where landlords granted land to farmworkers out of their own free will. In the 1960s, the Communist Party of India formed India's first democratically elected communist government when it won elections in the states of [[Kerala]] and later [[West Bengal]]. However, when a [[Early 1980s recession\|global recession]] began in the late 1970s, economic stagnation, chronic shortages and state inefficiency left many disillusioned with state socialism. In the late 1980s and 1990s, India's government began to systematically liberalise the Indian economy by pursuing privatisation, aiming to attract foreign investment.

	==History==		==History==
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	Marxism made a major impact in Indian media at the time of the [[Russian Revolution (1917)\|Russian Revolution]].{{citation needed\|date=May 2013}} Of particular interest to many Indian papers and magazines was the Bolshevik policy of right to self-determination of all nations. [[Bipin Chandra Pal]] and [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] were amongst the prominent Indians who expressed their admiration of [[Lenin]] and the new rulers in Russia. [[Abdul Sattar Khairi]] and [[Abdul Zabbar Khairi]] went to Moscow, immediately on hearing about the revolution. In Moscow, they met Lenin and conveyed their greetings to him. The Russian Revolution also affected émigré Indian revolutionaries, such as the [[Ghadar Party]] in North America.<ref name="rao82"/>		Marxism made a major impact in Indian media at the time of the [[Russian Revolution (1917)\|Russian Revolution]].{{citation needed\|date=May 2013}} Of particular interest to many Indian papers and magazines was the Bolshevik policy of right to self-determination of all nations. [[Bipin Chandra Pal]] and [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] were amongst the prominent Indians who expressed their admiration of [[Lenin]] and the new rulers in Russia. [[Abdul Sattar Khairi]] and [[Abdul Zabbar Khairi]] went to Moscow, immediately on hearing about the revolution. In Moscow, they met Lenin and conveyed their greetings to him. The Russian Revolution also affected émigré Indian revolutionaries, such as the [[Ghadar Party]] in North America.<ref name="rao82"/>

	The [[Khilafat movement]] contributed to the emergence of early Indian communism. Many Indian Muslims left India to join the ~~defence~~ of the Caliphate. Several of them became communists whilst visiting Soviet territory. Some Hindus also joined the Muslim muhajirs in ~~the~~ travels to the Soviet areas.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India\|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 83</ref>		The [[Khilafat movement]] contributed to the emergence of early Indian communism. Many Indian Muslims left India to join the defense of the Caliphate. Several of them became communists whilst visiting Soviet territory. Some Hindus also joined the Muslim muhajirs in their travels to the Soviet areas.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India\|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 83</ref>

	The colonial authorities were clearly disturbed by the growing influence of [[Bolshevik]] sympathies in India. A first counter-move was the issuing of a [[fatwa]], urging Muslims to reject communism. The Home Department established a special branch to monitor the communist influence. Customs ~~were~~ ordered to check the imports of [[Marxist]] literature to India. A great number of [[anticommunism\|anti-communist]] [[propaganda]] publications were published.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in [[Kerala]] and [[West Bengal]]''. [[Hyderabad, India\|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82-83</ref>		The colonial authorities were clearly disturbed by the growing influence of [[Bolshevik]] sympathies in India. A first counter-move was the issuing of a [[fatwa]], urging Muslims to reject communism. The Home Department established a special branch to monitor the communist influence. Customs was ordered to check the imports of [[Marxist]] literature to India. A great number of [[anticommunism\|anti-communist]] [[propaganda]] publications were published.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in [[Kerala]] and [[West Bengal]]''. [[Hyderabad, India\|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82-83</ref>

	The [[World War I#Indian support for the Allies\|First World War]] was accompanied ~~with~~ a rapid increase of industries in [[India]], resulting in a growth of an industrial proletariat. At the same time prices of essential commodities increased. These were factors that contributed to the buildup of the Indian trade union movement. Unions were formed in the urban ~~centres~~ across India, and strikes were ~~organised~~. In 1920, the [[All India Trade Union Congress]] was founded.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India\|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 83-84</ref>		The [[World War I#Indian support for the Allies\|First World War]] was accompanied by a rapid increase of industries in [[India]], resulting in a growth of an industrial proletariat. At the same time prices of essential commodities increased. These were factors that contributed to the buildup of the Indian trade union movement. Unions were formed in the urban centers across India, and strikes were organized. In 1920, the [[All India Trade Union Congress]] was founded.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India\|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 83-84</ref>

	One Indian impressed with developments in Russia was [[S. A. Dange]] in [[Bombay]]. In 1921, he published a pamphlet titled ''Gandhi Vs. Lenin'', a comparative study of the approaches of both the leaders with Lenin coming out as better of the two. Together with Ranchoddas Bhavan Lotvala, a local mill-owner, a library of Marxist Literature was set up and publishing of translations of Marxist classics began.<ref>Riepe, Dale. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Um04zTdisEC&pg=PA41 Marxism in India]'' in Parsons, Howard Lee and Sommerville, John (ed.) ''Marxism, Revolution and Peace''. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1977. p. 41.</ref> In 1922, with Lotvala's help, Dange launched the English weekly, ''Socialist'', the first Indian Marxist journal.<ref>Sen, Mohit. ''The Dange Centenary'' in Banerjee, Gopal (ed.) ''S.A. Dange – A Fruitful Life''. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers, 2002. p. 43.</ref>		One Indian impressed with developments in Russia was [[S. A. Dange]] in [[Bombay]]. In 1921, he published a pamphlet titled ''Gandhi Vs. Lenin'', a comparative study of the approaches of both the leaders with Lenin coming out as better of the two. Together with Ranchoddas Bhavan Lotvala, a local mill-owner, a library of Marxist Literature was set up and publishing of translations of Marxist classics began.<ref>Riepe, Dale. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Um04zTdisEC&pg=PA41 Marxism in India]'' in Parsons, Howard Lee and Sommerville, John (ed.) ''Marxism, Revolution and Peace''. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1977. p. 41.</ref> In 1922, with Lotvala's help, Dange launched the English weekly, ''Socialist'', the first Indian Marxist journal.<ref>Sen, Mohit. ''The Dange Centenary'' in Banerjee, Gopal (ed.) ''S.A. Dange – A Fruitful Life''. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers, 2002. p. 43.</ref>
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	*[[Politics of India]]		*[[Politics of India]]
	*[[Secularism in India]]		*[[Secularism in India]]
			*[[Licence Raj]]
			*[[List of communist parties in India]]

	==Further reading==		==Further reading==

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Socialism sidebar|History by country}}
{{Communism in India}}
'''Socialism in India''' is a [[political movement]] founded early in the 20th century, as a part of the broader movement to gain [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence]] from [[British Raj|colonial rule]]. The movement grew quickly in popularity as it espoused the causes of India's farmers and labourers against the ''[[zamindars]]'', princely class and [[landed gentry]]. Socialism shaped the principal economic and social policies of the Indian government but mostly followed [[Dirigisme|Dirigism]]<ref name=":12">{{Citation|last=Chandrasekhar|first=C. P.|title=From Dirigisme to Neoliberalism: Aspects of the Political Economy of the Transition in India|date=2012|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29360/1/10731455.pdf|work=Developmental Politics in Transition: The Neoliberal Era and Beyond|pages=140–165|editor-last=Kyung-Sup|editor-first=Chang|series=International Political Economy Series|place=London|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|language=en|doi=10.1057/9781137028303_8|isbn=978-1-137-02830-3|access-date=2020-09-04|editor2-last=Fine|editor2-first=Ben|editor3-last=Weiss|editor3-first=Linda}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web|last=Mazumdar|first=Surajit|date=2012|title=Industrialization, Dirigisme and Capitalists: Indian Big Business from Independence to Liberalization|url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/93158/|access-date=2020-09-04|website=mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de|language=en}}</ref> after independence until the early 1990s, when India moved towards a more [[market economy|market-based economy]]. However, it remains a potent influence on Indian politics, with many national and regional political parties espousing [[democratic socialism]].

Small socialist revolutionary groups arose in India in the aftermath of the [[Russian Revolution]]. The [[Communist Party of India]] was established in 1925, but socialism as an ideology gained a nationwide appeal after it was endorsed by leaders such as [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Socialists were amongst the first to call for outright Indian independence from colonial rule. Under Nehru, the [[Indian National Congress]], India's largest political party, adopted socialism as an ideology for socio-economic policies in 1936. Socialists and communists also engineered the [[Tebhaga movement]] of farmers in [[Bengal]] against the landed gentry. However, mainstream Indian socialism connected itself with [[Gandhism]] and adopted peaceful struggle instead of [[class conflict|class warfare]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

After India's independence in 1947, the Indian government under prime ministers Nehru and [[Indira Gandhi]] oversaw land reform and the nationalisation of major industries and the banking sector. Independently, activists [[Vinoba Bhave]] and [[Jayaprakash Narayan]] worked for peaceful land redistribution under the [[Sarvodaya]] movement, where landlords granted land to farm workers out of their own free will. In the 1960s, the Communist Party of India formed India's first democratically elected communist government when it won elections in the states of [[Kerala]] and later [[West Bengal]]. However, when a [[Early 1980s recession|global recession]] began in the late 1970s, economic stagnation, chronic shortages and state inefficiency left many disillusioned with state socialism. In the late 1980s and 1990s, India's government began to systematically liberalise the Indian economy by pursuing privatisation, aiming to attract foreign investment.

==History==
In 1871 a group in [[Calcutta]] had contacted [[Karl Marx]] with the purpose of organizing an Indian section of the [[First International]].<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in [[Kerala]] and [[West Bengal]]''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 103</ref> The first article in an Indian publication (in English) that mentions the names of Marx & Engels printed in the ''[[Modern Review (Calcutta)|Modern Review]]'' in March 1912. The short biographical article titled ''Karl Marx – a modern Rishi'' was written by the German-based Indian revolutionary Lala Har Dayal.<ref name="rao82">M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82, 103</ref> The first biography of Karl Marx in an Indian language was written by R. Rama Krishna Pillai in 1914.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82</ref>

Marxism made a major impact in Indian media at the time of the [[Russian Revolution (1917)|Russian Revolution]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} Of particular interest to many Indian papers and magazines was the Bolshevik policy of right to self-determination of all nations. [[Bipin Chandra Pal]] and [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] were amongst the prominent Indians who expressed their admiration of [[Lenin]] and the new rulers in Russia. [[Abdul Sattar Khairi]] and [[Abdul Zabbar Khairi]] went to Moscow, immediately on hearing about the revolution. In Moscow, they met Lenin and conveyed their greetings to him. The Russian Revolution also affected émigré Indian revolutionaries, such as the [[Ghadar Party]] in North America.<ref name="rao82"/>

The [[Khilafat movement]] contributed to the emergence of early Indian communism. Many Indian Muslims left India to join the defence of the Caliphate. Several of them became communists whilst visiting Soviet territory. Some Hindus also joined the Muslim muhajirs in the travels to the Soviet areas.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 83</ref>

The colonial authorities were clearly disturbed by the growing influence of [[Bolshevik]] sympathies in India. A first counter-move was the issuing of a [[fatwa]], urging Muslims to reject communism. The Home Department established a special branch to monitor the communist influence. Customs were ordered to check the imports of [[Marxist]] literature to India. A great number of [[anticommunism|anti-communist]] [[propaganda]] publications were published.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in [[Kerala]] and [[West Bengal]]''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82-83</ref>

The [[World War I#Indian support for the Allies|First World War]] was accompanied with a rapid increase of industries in [[India]], resulting in a growth of an industrial proletariat. At the same time prices of essential commodities increased. These were factors that contributed to the buildup of the Indian trade union movement. Unions were formed in the urban centres across India, and strikes were organised. In 1920, the [[All India Trade Union Congress]] was founded.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 83-84</ref>

One Indian impressed with developments in Russia was [[S. A. Dange]] in [[Bombay]]. In 1921, he published a pamphlet titled ''Gandhi Vs. Lenin'', a comparative study of the approaches of both the leaders with Lenin coming out as better of the two. Together with Ranchoddas Bhavan Lotvala, a local mill-owner, a library of Marxist Literature was set up and publishing of translations of Marxist classics began.<ref>Riepe, Dale. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Um04zTdisEC&pg=PA41 Marxism in India]'' in Parsons, Howard Lee and Sommerville, John (ed.) ''Marxism, Revolution and Peace''. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1977. p. 41.</ref> In 1922, with Lotvala's help, Dange launched the English weekly, ''Socialist'', the first Indian Marxist journal.<ref>Sen, Mohit. ''The Dange Centenary'' in Banerjee, Gopal (ed.) ''S.A. Dange – A Fruitful Life''. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers, 2002. p. 43.</ref>

Regarding the political situation in the colonised world, the 1920 second congress of the [[Communist International]] insisted that a united front should be formed between the proletariat, peasantry and national bourgeoisie in the colonised countries. Among the twenty-one conditions drafted by Lenin ahead of the congress was the 11th thesis, which stipulated that all communist parties must support the bourgeois-democratic liberation movements in the colonies. Some of the delegates opposed the idea of alliance with the bourgeoisie, and preferred support to communist movements of these countries instead. Their criticism was shared by the Indian revolutionary [[M.N. Roy]], who attended as a delegate of the [[Communist Party of Mexico]]. The congress removed the term 'bourgeois-democratic' in what became the 8th condition.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 48, 84–85</ref>

A Communist Group was founded in [[Tashkent]] on 17 October 1920, soon after the Second Congress of the [[Communist International]] by [[M.N. Roy]]. Roy made contacts with [[Anushilan]] and [[Jugantar]] groups in [[Bengal]]. Small communist groups were formed in Bengal (led by [[Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)|Muzaffar Ahmed]]), [[Bombay]] (led by [[S.A. Dange]]), [[Madras]] (led by [[Singaravelu Chettiar]]), [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]] (led by [[Shaukat Usmani]]) and [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]] (led by [[Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah|Ghulam Hussain]]).<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 89</ref>

On 1 May 1923 the [[Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan]] was founded in [[Madras]], by [[Singaravelu Chettiar]]. The LKPH organised the first May Day celebration in India, and this was also the first time the [[red flag (politics)|red flag]] was used in India.<ref>[http://www.singaravelar.com/achievements.htm :: Singaravelar – Achievements ::] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421062618/http://www.singaravelar.com/achievements.htm|date=21 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="rao1">M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 110</ref><ref>Report of May Day Celebrations 1923, and Formation of a New Party (''The Hindu'' quoted in Murugesan, K., Subramanyam, C. S. ''Singaravelu, First Communist in South India''. New Delhi: People's Publishing House, 1975. p.169</ref>

On 25 December 1925, the [[Communist Party of India]] formed at the [[1925 Kanpur Communist Conference|first Party Conference]] in [[Kanpur]], then ''Cawnpore''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article9916.html|title=Foundation of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1925: Product of (...) - Mainstream}}</ref>
[[Sachchidanand Vishnu Ghate|S.V. Ghate]] was the first General Secretary of CPI. The conference held on 1925 December 25 to 28. Colonial authorities estimated that 500 persons took part in the conference. The conference was convened by a man called [[Satya Bhakta|Satyabhakta]], of whom little is known. Satyabhakta is said to have argued for a ‘national communism’ and against subordination under Comintern. Being outvoted by the other delegates, Satyabhakta left both the conference venue in protest.<ref> Satyabhakta then formed a party called National Communist Party, which lasted until 1927.</ref> The conference adopted the name ‘Communist Party of India’. Groups such as LKPH dissolved into the unified CPI.<ref>M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 92-93</ref> The émigré CPI, which probably had little organic character anyway, was effectively substituted by the organisation now operating inside India.

[[File:Indian Marxist graffiti 2004.jpg|left|thumb|Communist electoral mural in [[Jadavpur]].]]
Currently, Marxism is especially prevalent in [[Kerala]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Tripura]]. The two largest Communist parties in Indian politics are the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] and the [[Communist Party of India]]. The [[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]] and [[All India Forward Bloc]] support them in some states. These four parties constitute the Left Democratic Front.

There are many smaller Marxist parties, including the [[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, Mazdoor Mukti (Workers' Emancipation) and [[Party of Democratic Socialism (India)|Party of Democratic Socialism]] in West Bengal, [[Janganotantrik Morcha]] in Tripura, the [[Lok Sangharsh Morcha|Ram Pasla group]] in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], and the [[Orissa Communist Party]] in Orissa.

==Political parties==
At the 1931 Karachi session of the [[Indian National Congress]], socialist pattern of development was set as the goal for India. Through the 1955 Avadi Resolution of the Indian National Congress, a socialistic pattern of development was presented as the goal of the party. A year later, the Indian parliament adopted 'socialistic pattern of development' as official policy, a policy that came to include land reforms and regulations of industries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cid.harvard.edu/hiid/662.pdf|title=The Role of Law and Legal Institutions in Asian Economic Development: The Case of India : Patterns of Change in the Legal System and Socio-Economy|website=Cid.harvard.edu|access-date=2016-07-28}}</ref> The word [[Socialsm|socialist]] was added to the Preamble of the [[Indian Constitution]] by the [[Forty-second Amendment of the Constitution of India|42nd amendment]] act of 1976, during [[The Emergency (India)|the Emergency]]. It implies social and economic equality. Social equality in this context means the absence of discrimination on the grounds only of [[caste]], colour, [[creed]], sex, religion, or [[language]]. Under social equality, everyone has equal status and opportunities. Economic equality in this context means that the [[Government of India|government]] will endeavour to make the distribution of wealth more equal and provide a decent standard of living for all.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend42.htm |title=The Constitution (Amendment) |website=Indiacode.nic.in |access-date=2016-07-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328040620/http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend42.htm |archive-date=28 March 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Following independence, the Indian government officially adopted a policy of non-alignment, although it had an affinity with the USSR. The party's commitment to socialism has waned in recent years, particularly following the assassination of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi. Elected in 1991, the government of [[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Narasimha Rao]] introduced economic liberalisation with the support of finance minister [[Manmohan Singh]], who later on became the prime minister of India (2004-2014).

Communists were also active in the Indian independence movement and have played a significant role in India's political life, although they are fragmented into a multitude of different parties. Communist parties represented in parliament are: (statistics from 2019 General Elections) [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] (3 seats in the [[Lok Sabha]]), the [[Communist Party of India]] (2 seats), the [[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]] (1 seat). <ref>{{Cite web|title=Members : Lok Sabha|url=https://loksabha.nic.in/members/PartyWiseStatisticalList.aspx|access-date=2021-06-11|website=loksabha.nic.in}}</ref>The former speaker of the Lok Sabha, [[Somnath Chatterjee]], is a member of the CPI(M). [[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]] parties remain an independent faction in the parliament critical of the policies of both the government and that of the mainstream opposition parties.

Aside from the Congress and the Left Front, there are other socialist parties active in India, notably the [[Samajwadi Party]], which emerged from the [[Janata Dal]], formed by [[Mulayam Singh Yadav]], former Chief Minister of [[Uttar Pradesh]] and Union Defence Minister and now led by his son [[Akhilesh Yadav]], also a former Chief Minister of [[Uttar Pradesh]]. It has 5 seats in the 16th [[Lok Sabha]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eciresults.nic.in/ |title=ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA : GENERAL ELECTION TO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY TRENDS & RESULT 2016 |website=Eciresults.nic.in |access-date=2016-07-28}}</ref>

Noted Indian socialists include the founding leader of the All India Forward Bloc and the [[Indian National Army]] [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] and the country's first prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]].

==See also==
*[[Communism in Kerala]]
*[[Fabian Society]]
*[[List of political parties in India]]
*[[Marxist historiography]]
*[[Politics of India]]
*[[Secularism in India]]

==Further reading==
;Communism in India
*M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal. Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003.
*Goel, S. R. (1955). Netaji and the CPI. Calcutta: Society for Defence of Freedom in Asia.
*Goel, S. R. (1953). CPI conspires for civil-war: Analysis of a secret document. Calcutta: Society for Defence of Freedom in Asia.
*Shourie, Arun (1991). "The Only fatherland": Communists, "Quit India", and the Soviet Union. New Delhi: ASA Publications.
*Shourie, Arun (2013). Self-deception: India's China policies : origins, premises, lessons. Noida: HarperCollins Publishers India.
*Swarup, Ram (1954). Communism and peasantry: Implications of collectivist agriculture for Asian countries. Calcutta: Prachi Prakashan.
*Swarup, Ram (1955). Gandhism and communism: Principles and technique. New Delhi: J. Prakashan.
*Spratt, P. (1955). Blowing up India: Reminiscences and reflections of a former Comintern emissary. Calcutta: Prachi Prakashan.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[[commons:Image:Where We Stand by Mazdoor Mukti (6 November 2006).pdf#filelinks/|'''Where We Stand''', by '''Mazdoor Mukti''']]

{{Socialism by state}}
{{Bengal Renaissance}}
{{Indian independence movement}}
{{Indian Revolutionary Movement}}
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[[Category:Socialism in India| ]]
[[Category:History of socialism]]
[[Category:Political history of India]]
[[Category:Communism in India]]
[[Category:Socialist movements by country|India]]