Communist Party of India: Difference between revisions

{{Primary sources|date=August 2019}}

}}  

{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}

| abbreviation      = CPI

| party_logo        =  

| flag              = [[File:CPI-banner.svg|200px]]

| colorcode        = {{party color|Communist Party of India}}  

| rajyasabha_leader = [[Binoy Viswam]]

| foundation        = {{Start date and years ago|df=yes|p=y|1925|12|26}}   

| headquarters      = Ajoy Bhavan, 15, Indrajit Gupta Marg, [[New Delhi]], [[India]]-110002  

| loksabha_seats    = {{Composition bar|2|543|hex={{party color|Communist Party of India}}}}  

| ideology          = [[Communism]]<ref name="Leninism">{{cite book |last1=Chakrabarty |first1=Bidyut |date= 2014|title=Communism in India: Events, Processes and Ideologies |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]|page= 314 |isbn=978-0-199-97489-4 }}</ref><br/>[[Marxism–Leninism]]<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/a/communistparty.in/cpi/brief-history-of-cpi|title=Brief History of CPI - CPI|access-date=1 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209001241/https://sites.google.com/a/communistparty.in/cpi/brief-history-of-cpi#|archive-date=9 December 2015|url-status = live}}</ref>  

| position          = <!--Do not tamper with the political position of "Left-wing".-->[[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]]<ref name="CPI_1">

{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/31/indias-election-results-were-more-than-modi-wave/ |title=India's election results were more than a 'Modi wave'|work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=31 May 2019}}

{{cite book|editor= Klaus Voll, Doreen Beierlein |title=Rising India - Europe's Partner?: Foreign and Security Policy, Politics, Economics, Human Rights and Social Issues, Media, Civil Society and Intercultural Dimensions |location=[[University of Michigan]] |publisher=Mosaic Books|date=2006 |page=387 |isbn= 978-3-899-98098-1 }}</ref>

| youth            = [[All India Youth Federation]]

| women            = [[National Federation of Indian Women]]

| membership        =

| colours          = {{Color box|{{party color|Communist Party of India}}}} [[Red]]

|state_seats        = {{Composition bar|21|4036|hex={{party color|Communist Party of India}}}} {{small|(Total)}}  

{{hidden

   |style=text-align:center; |

{{Composition bar|17|140|hex={{party color|Communist Party of India}}}} ([[Kerala Legislative Assembly|Kerala]])

| tribal wing      =  

| electoral_symbol  = [[File:Indian Election Symbol Ears of Corn and Sickle.png|130px]]

{{Communist Parties}}  

==History==

===Involvement in independence struggle===

Singaravelu Chettiar was released on account of illness. M.N. Roy was in [[Germany]] and R.C. Sharma in French [[Puducherry (union territory)|Pondichéry]], and therefore could not be arrested. Ghulam Hussain confessed that he had received money from the Russians in [[Kabul]] and was pardoned. Muzaffar Ahmed, Nalini Gupta, Shaukat Usmani and Dange were sentenced for various terms of imprisonment. This case was responsible for actively introducing communism to a larger Indian audience.<ref name="Ralhan, O.P."/> Dange was released from prison in 1927. Rahul Dev Pal was a prominent communist leader

On 25 December 1925 a communist conference was organised in Kanpur.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Moments in Kanpur|url=http://genieforcity.com/kanpur/history-kanpur.html|access-date=14 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821203425/http://genieforcity.com/kanpur/history-kanpur.html#|archive-date=21 August 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> Colonial authorities estimated that 500 persons took part in the conference. The conference was convened by a man called [[Satya Bhakta]]. At the conference Satyabhakta argued for a '[[National communism]]' and against subordination under Comintern. Being outvoted by the other delegates, Satyabhakta left the conference venue in protest.  The conference adopted the name 'Communist Party of India'. Groups such as [[Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan]] (LKPH) dissolved into the 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.

The sixth congress of the Communist International met in 1928. In 1927 the [[Kuomintang]] had turned on the Chinese communists, which led to a review of the policy on forming alliances with the national bourgeoisie in the colonial countries. The Colonial theses of the 6th Comintern congress called upon the Indian communists to combat the 'national-reformist leaders' and to 'unmask the national reformism of the [[Indian National Congress]] and oppose all phrases of the Swarajists, Gandhists, etc. about passive resistance'.<ref name="saha">Saha, Murari Mohan (ed.), ''Documents of the Revolutionary Socialist Party: Volume One 1938–1947''. Agartala: Lokayata Chetana Bikash Society, 2001. p. 21-25</ref> The congress did however differentiate between the character of the Chinese Kuomintang and the Indian [[Swaraj Party|Swarajist Party]], considering the latter as neither a reliable ally nor a direct enemy. The congress called on the Indian communists to utilise the contradictions between the national bourgeoisie and the British imperialists.<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. 47-48</ref> The congress also denounced the WPP. The Tenth Plenum of the Executive Committee of the Communist International, 3 July 1929{{spaced ndash}}19 July 1929, directed the Indian communists to break with WPP. When the communists deserted it, the WPP fell apart.<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. 97-98, 111–112</ref>

[[File:Meerut prisoners outside the jail.jpg|thumb|350px| Portrait of 25 of the [[Meerut]] Prisoners taken outside the jail. Back row (left to right): [[K. N. Sehgal]], [[Sohan Singh Josh|S. S. Josh]], [[Lester Hutchinson|H. L. Hutchinson]], [[Shaukat Usmani]], [[Benjamin Francis Bradley|B. F. Bradley]], [[A. Prasad]], [[Philip Spratt|P. Spratt]], [[G. Adhikari]]. Middle Row: [[Radharaman Mitra]], [[Gopen Chakravarti]], [[Kishori Lal Ghosh]], [[L. R. Kadam]], [[D. R. Thengdi]], [[Goura Shanker]], [[Shibnath Bannerjee|S. Bannerjee]], [[K.N. Joglekar]], [[P. C. Joshi]], [[Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)|Muzaffar Ahmed]]. Front Row: [[M. G. Desai]], [[Dharani Goswami|D. Goswami]], [[R.S. Nimbkar]], [[S.S. Mirajkar]], [[S.A. Dange]], [[S.V. Ghate]], [[Gopal Basak]].]]

On 20 March 1929, arrests against WPP, CPI and other labour leaders were made in several parts of India, in what became known as the Meerut Conspiracy Case. The communist leadership was now put behind bars. The trial proceedings were to last for four years.<ref>Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). ''Encyclopaedia of Political Parties – India – Pakistan – Bangladesh – National -Regional – Local. Vol. 23. Revolutionary Movements (1930–1946)''. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 689-691</ref><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. 96</ref>

In connection with the change of policy of the [[Comintern]] toward [[Popular Front]] politics, the Indian communists changed their relation to the Indian National Congress. The communists joined the Congress Socialist Party, which worked as the left-wing of Congress. Through joining CSP, the CPI accepted the CSP demand for a Constituent Assembly, which it had denounced two years before. The CPI however analysed that the demand for a Constituent Assembly would not be a substitute for [[soviet (council)|soviets]].<ref name="mnroy">Roy, Samaren. ''M.N. Roy: A Political Biography''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Orient Longman, 1998. p. 113, 115</ref>

The latter, Ghate, was a CPI Central Committee member, who had arrived from Madras.<ref>[[E.M.S. Namboodiripad]]. ''The Communist Party in Kerala – Six Decades of Struggle and Advance''. New Delhi: National Book Centre, 1994. p. 6</ref> Contacts between the CSP in Kerala and the CPI had begun in 1935, when P. Sundarayya (CC member of CPI, based in Madras at the time) met with EMS and Krishna Pillai. Sundarayya and Ghate visited Kerala at several times and met with the CSP leaders there. The contacts were facilitated through the national meetings of the Congress, CSP and [[All India Kisan Sabha]].<ref name="ems7"/>

In July 1942, the CPI was legalised, as a result of Britain and the Soviet Union becoming allies against Nazi Germany.<ref>[[Harkishan Singh Surjeet|Surjeet, Harkishan Surjeet]]. ''March of the Communist Movement in India – An Introduction to the Documents of the History of the Communist Movement in India''. [[Calcutta]]: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 55</ref> Communists strengthened their control over the All India Trade Union Congress. At the same time, communists were politically cornered for their opposition to the [[Quit India Movement]].

The Communist Party of India [[opposition to the partition of India|opposed the partition of India]] and did not participate in the [[Independence Day (India)|Independence Day]] celebrations of 15 August 1947 in protest of the division of the country.<ref name="Bandyopadhyay2009">{{cite book |last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Sekhar |title=Decolonization in South Asia: Meanings of Freedom in Post-independence West Bengal, 1947–52 |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-01823-9 |language=en |quote=As a protest against Partition, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Communist Party of India (CPI) did not participate in the celebrations of 15 August.}}</ref>

This model of selflessness for the society worked for the CPI far more than what was expected. This trend was followed by almost all other state units of the party in the Hindi heartland. Communist Party related trade union [[AITUC]] became a prominent force to unite the workers in textile, municipal and unorganised sectors, the first labour union in unorganised sector was also emerged in the leadership of Comrade Guru Radha Kishan during this period in Delhi's Sadar Bazaar area.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} This movement of mass polarisation of workers in the favour of CPI worked effectively in Delhi and paved the way for great success of CPI in the elections in working class dominated areas in Delhi. Comrade [[Gangadhar Adhikari]] and E.M.S. Namboodiripad applauded this brigade of dynamic comrades for their selfless approach and organisational capabilities. This brigade of firebrand communists gained more prominence when Telangana hero [[Chandra Rajeswara Rao]] to be General Secretary of the Communist Party of India.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

''[[Annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli|Liberation of Dadra-Nagar Haveli]]'':

Ideological differences led to the [[1964 split in the Communist Party of India|split in the party in 1964]] when two different party conferences were held, one of CPI and one of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]].{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

In the 1980s, CPI opposed the [[Khalistan movement]] at Punjab.  

On 8 July 2008, the General Secretary of CPI(M), [[Prakash Karat]], announced that the Left was withdrawing its support over the decision by the government to go ahead with the [[United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act]]. The Left parties combination had been a staunch advocate of not proceeding with this deal citing national interests.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200807081550.htm|title=The Hindu News Update Service|date=1 August 2008|access-date=21 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080801185533/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200807081550.htm|archive-date=1 August 2008}}</ref>

==Presence in states==

| style="text-align: center;" |[[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|Tamil Nadu]]  

| style="text-align: center;" |7 May 2021

| style="text-align: center;" |[[M. K. Stalin]]

| bgcolor="{{party color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}}" |

| style="text-align: center;" |[[2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|6 April 2021]]

|}

== List of Members of Parliament ==

{{main|List of Rajya Sabha members}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! style="width:25%;" Style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white" | Name

! style="width:25%;" Style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white" | State

|[[Binoy Viswam]]

|[[Kerala]]

|-

|}

{{main|List of members of the 17th Lok Sabha}}  

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! style="width:45%;" Style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white" | Name

! style="width:45%;" Style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white" | Constituency

*A.A. Khan - Minority Front

   

   

*K. Ramakrishna

*Akkineni Vanaja

   

*[[Munin Mahanta]]

*Kanak Gogoi

   

*[[Ram Naresh Pandey]]

*Nivedita

   

*R.D.C.P. Rao

*Rama Sori

   

*Dhirendra K. Sharma

*Prof. Dinesh Varshney

   

   

*Raj Kumar Singh

*Vijay Shenmare

   

*Dariyao  Singh Kashyap

   

*Shayam Singh Chauhan

   

*[[Bhubneshwar Prasad Mehta|Bhubaneshwar Prasad Mehta]]

*Mahendra Pathak

   

Vacant

   

*P.V. Lokesh

*Saathi Sundaresh

   

*[[Kanam Rajendran]]

*[[N. Rajan]]

   

*[[Moirangthem Nara]]

*L. Sotin Kumar

   

*Samudra Gupta

   

*Tukaram Bhasme

*Prakash Reddy

   

*Arvind Shrivastava

*Haridwar Singh

   

*Dibakar Nayak

*[[Souribandhu Kar]]

   

*A. M. Saleem

*A. Ramamoorthy

   

*Bant Singh Brar

*Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal

*Jagjit Singh Joga

   

*Narendra Acharya

*Tara Singh Sidhu

   

*[[R. Nallakannu|R. Nallakkannu]]

*[[:ta:இரா. முத்தரசன்|R. Mutharasan]]

*C. Mahendran

*P. Sethuraman

   

*[[Chada Venkat Reddy]]

*T. Srinivas Rao

   

*Ranjit Majumdar

   

*Girish Sharma

*Prof. Nisha Rathor

*Ram Chand Saras

   

*Samar Bhandari

   

*Swapan Banerjee  

===Party Programme Commission===

#Pallab Sen Gupta  

#C.R. Bakshi

#[[Moirangthem Nara]]

#Anil Rajimwale

''Sources''<ref name="Leadership"/>

*Assam : [[Munin Mahanta]]

*Bihar : [[Ram Naresh Pandey]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=PTI |title=CPI, CPI(M) to forge electoral tie-up with Grand Alliance in Bihar |url=https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2020/08/26/cpi-cpim-to-forge-electoral-tie-up-with-grand-alliance-in-bihar.html |access-date=7 October 2020 |work=The Week |date=26 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

|[[Bihar Legislative Assembly|Bihar]]

|243

|{{increase}} 2

| 349,489

[[Category:Recognised national political parties in India]]

[[Category:Left-wing politics in India]]