Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 02:19:51 -0600
From: rahul-AT-peaches.ph.utexas.edu (Rahul Mahajan)
Subject: Indian left -- overview


>From the grave, but possibly of interest.

>Louis: By the way, what ever happened to the CP in India, both the
>pro-Moscow and the pro-Peking (Naxalites) parties. These used to be
>massive groups, weren't they? Is there any other left to speak of in
>India besides the CP?

The old CPI split in 1961 over several issues. One group, which took the
name CPI, had more of the intellectuals and took a pro-Soviet line. The
other, which called itself the CPI-M (Communist Party of India -- Marxist),
often abbreviated CPM, had more of the organizational cadre and took a more
or less independent route. In the late 1960's, a small Maoist group
splintered away for the CPI-M to form the CPI-ML, or Naxalites. Since the
bloody suppression of the Telangana uprising (in which large parts of the
realm of the Nizam of Hyderabad were liberated, starting before
independence) in 1949 and 1950 by the nascent Indian state dedicated to the
principles of nonviolence, the main Communist parties had simply followed
the electoral line, with land reform being the most radical action they
ever undertook (land reform is written into the Indian constitution), so
initially the Naxalite movement seemed fairly reasonable. It early took a
rather bloody turn and, though the CPM government in West Bengal often
tried to look the other way, began assassinating prominent CPM
functionaries, following, I suppose the all-too-common "social fascist"
line. When the situation had gotten increasingly dangerous, the center
imposed President's rule and the Congress suppressed the uprising, making
the streets of Calcutta run red with blood. Earlier, a similar uprising
based around Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh had been suppressed even more
violently.

The two main CP's have always had considerable mass support, regularly
polling a combined 15-20% of the electorate. The CPM has also, for quite a
long time, had a lock (though not by much) on the state of West Bengal.
People in India sometimes joke that the state government there will be the
last communist government in the world. This is truly a joke, since both
CP's manage to coexist quite well with capital and with the central
government. They are not even really reformist parties, being only
marginally better than Congress. Land reform was carried out in West
Bengal, and not thwarted as in many other states, but there are still
landlords there. Jyoti Basu, the perennial Chief Minister of West Bengal
and head of the party has recently spoken out in favor of so-called
"economic liberalization," the most common catchword in Indian society for
selling the country to foreign (and some domestic) capital, while the
native elites pocket a handsome commission. The CPI hasn't come out clearly
on the matter, as far as I know, but it has traditionally been a hopelessly
prostituted party. In addition to being rife with corruption, like most
Indian parties, but not like the CPM, its pro-Soviet stance has made it
something of a joke (not that its support has decreased) on the left; on
the orders of their Russian overlords, they even supported Indira Gandhi's
declaration of the Emergency and blatant abuse of the constitution and of
Indian democracy.

There are some other nominally left elements in mainstream politics. The
Janata Dal, which took over for three years after Mrs. Gandhi lost
following the termination of the Emergency, is an eclectic grouping that
runs the gamut from Muslim fundamentalists to socialists like George
Fernandes, who has been one of the strongest voices opposing GATT and
general neoliberal reforms.

There is also a burgeoning grassroots movement, one of the largest in the
world. Incoherent, comletely lacking unity, often led by the middle class,
frequently actuated by reactionary motives or simply the desire of simple
traditional communities to keep their way of life, it is the only real
political force in India today, and one that any putative new left
synthesis must come to terms with.

Rahul




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