The 71st Party Foundation Day was observed throughout the country by different state committees through a variety of programmes. Prime importance was naturally on addresses by the Party leaders, as available, from the Polit Bureau, Central Committee or Staff member or speakers deputed centrally from the Party headquarters, in the meetings attended by party comrades–supporters-sympathisers and common people. The programmes were initiated paying floral tributes to the portrait of the great leader Comrade Shibdas Ghosh by the main speaker and other leaders, along with the rendering of the song on Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, the founder General Secretary of the Party, while the Communist Internationale marked the end. At several places KOMSOMOL unit of the Party paid Guard of Honour to the great leader Comrade Shibdas Ghosh.
Below we publish the relevant reports with slight and necessary editing.
71st Party Foundation Day observedwith revolutionary conviction
The whole country is passing through a dark phase. Ruling capitalism and its servitors are resorting to all kinds of vile measures to make life unbearable for the common people. It is a stifling condition in every sphere –economic-political-social-cultural. The toiling millions are reeling under abjectly opportunistic totally unprincipled vote-politics, coupled with the BJP- RSS combine, in power at the Centre and many states, trying thousand and one means, particularly their Hindutvawadi religious fundamentalism, casteism going to the extent of anti-Dalit campaign to drive cleavage among people and leave them emasculated. Criminals, debauch and lumpens are wreaking havoc with atrocities on women and children mounting high. Not only the bourgeois parties, even the pseudo-Marxists driven by the lure of pelf and power and having no other objective except reaping electoral benefits, have reduced politics to sheer opportunism and a corrupt practice of making career. Oppressed people have been frantically seeking emancipation, even bursting forth in sporadic protests but are soon plunged in frustration and despair as their struggles are fizzling out in absence of proper leadership, guidance and correct ideology. Amidst this all-out gloom, it is the SUCI(C), as the revolutionary Party built up by Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, one of the fore- ranking Marxist thinkers of the present days, which is upholding the banner of politics based firmly upon Marxist-Leninist principles and ideology and lofty proletarian culture. Toiling people already under severe capitalist exploitation are feeling the pang of this situation helplessly, yet keenly observing and wherever possible extending support to the Party and its activities.
The 71st Foundation Day of the Party has been observed throughout the country on this background. Party comrades –supporters-sympathisers along with masses of onlookers from the common people organized different kinds of programmes, in most cases ending in mass meetings addressed by the leaders deputed centrally from the Party headquarters, as usual. The observances were marked by rendering of mass songs as well as the songs on 24 April, on Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, the founder General Secretary of the Party, at the beginning and the Communist Internationale at the end.
In Kolkata the 70th Foundation Anniversary was initiated at the Party Central Office on 24 April morning with hoisting of the Red Flag by Comrade Provash Ghosh, the Party General Secretary and with paying floral tributes to the portrait of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, the founder General Secretary of the Party and one of the fore-ranking Marxist thinkers of the days by Comrade Provash Ghosh and veteran Polit Bureau member Comrade Ranjit Dhar along with other leaders. Comrade Provash Ghosh made a brief speech in Bengali to the comrades assembled there. Its English translation is given below. Responsibility of translation error, if any, lies with the Editorial Board, Proletarian Era, .
Stand firmly imbued with
Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought
Comrade Provash Ghosh’s call on the
71st Party Foundation Day on 24 April
Comrades
All comrades know the importance and historical significance of 24 April. You are also aware how Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, great teacher and Marxist thinker and worthy continuer of great Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-Mao Zedong had founded SUCI(C) through an arduous uncompromising struggle against too many odds and obstacles. Carrying in his heart the tears, pains and sorrows of the oppressed millions he founded our party SUCI (Communist) with the dream to accomplish anti-capitalist socialist revolution in India and thereby strengthen the international revolutionary movement.
Decadent moribund capitalism devastating every walk of life
What is the situation we are faced with today? People of the world including our country, rather the whole human civilisation is faced with a grave crisis. Great Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-Mao Zedong had foretold about the advent of such an all-round crisis in this era of dying capitalism. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh could himself witness some of these. A social system does pass through the stages of adolescence, youth, maturity, old age and infirmity. Capitalism-imperialism today is like a stinking corpse on death pyre. But a social system does not die automatically in a natural course like animals. Role of consciousness is crucially important in accelerating the process of change of human society. In a class-divided society conflicts exist between the reactionary thoughts of the ruling class and the progressive thoughts of the oppressed class seeking emancipation. So long as the oppressed class yearning for emancipation does not find and accept the revolutionary ideology and revolutionary culture and build up revolutionary organization, the decrepit society does not die ipso facto howsoever is the extent of degeneration and decay. This is the law of history. Capitalism, either in the world or in our country, has nothing to offer further in the economic-political-social-cultural spheres other than more destruction and decadence. We are faced with such a grim situation. On the one hand, there is extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, while on the other there is extremely increasing poverty, hunger, starvation and death. On the one hand, there is maximization of profit while on the other there is maximization of unemployment and retrenchment. This severe crisis has gripped all the imperialist-capitalist countries starting from USA, the chieftain, to India and other countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Ridden with severe market crisis, the imperialist-capitalist economy is sunk upto its neck. Just a few years back, USA, the ring-leader of the imperialist-capitalist world, was the chief proponent of the globalization of trade with a view to grabbing world market. Today, it finds that because of the same scheme, most of its home market has been swallowed by the imperialists-capitalists of other countries. This has put the US industries in crisis. Unemployment and retrenchment is soaring. So, the US rulers are now raising complaint against globalization which they themselves had once advocated so strongly. They are now raising protective tariff walls to prevent entry of foreign goods in order to protect own home market. As against globalization, they are now opting for protectionism. In retaliation other imperialist-capitalist countries are also doing the same. Thus, a trade war has ensued in the world. Who knows in the next round there may be armed clashes or wars also? Imperialism-capitalism does mean scrambling and conflict over loot and plunder of markets. Lenin, on the eve of the First World War, had shown that capitalism has entered its moribund stage. Today, the same capitalism is a carcass spreading bad smell. It is destroying everything in the economic-political-social-cultural-moral lives of the people.
The ruling bourgeoisie is destroying human values, human essence, ethics and morality
In the 20th century, even in that era of decaying capitalism, the banner of humanism was held aloft by Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Einstein and other luminaries. Later Russell, Sartre and others stood up. On the other side, Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-Mao Zedong and Comrade Shibdas Ghosh held aloft the flag of communism. In our country, humanist movement started with Rammohan, Vidyasagar, Jotiba Phule and such other doyens. Then came Rabindranath, Saratchandra, Nazrul, Premchand, Subramania Bharati, Jyotiprosad and in the political sphere the revolutionaries like Netaji Subhas, Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad. Today, not only in India but in the entire world, there is no semblance of humanist values in social life. Most of the bourgeois statesmen are found to be hypocrites, cheats and liars. Even some of them are nothing but debauches. Everyday a new case of sexual scandal involving the US President is coming to the fore. The statesmen in our country are also rank liars and hypocrites. They are deceiving and defrauding the people, indulging in palpable falsehood. Democracy is only for name’s sake. There is attack on human essence. What distinguishes a man from an animal is his power of thinking. Civilization is endowment of this thinking faculty of men. The supreme contribution of civilization has been evolution of human values, concept of ethics and morality and sense of responsibility. Right from the dawn of civilization, these human values and essence have been most precious in every society. Today, capitalism-imperialism is destroying all human values. In all spheres of social life and activities there is dire absence of sense of morality and sense of values. The pioneers of renaissance movement and the leaders of our freedom movement did not see this crisis of total degeneration. The rulers are annihilating love, affection, tender feelings, sense of duty, fraternity—everything. Every day, several number of rape cases are reported. Starting from a 70-year old lady to a 7 month infant, no one is spared. Daughter is complaining of being raped by father. The greatmen of earlier period had not witnessed such bestiality. Now, we are witness to this barbarity almost daily. These all are the fallout of decadent moribund capitalism. Capitalism today is stripping human beings of human essence. It is giving birth to a new species which are humans in physical appearance but bereft of any human essence. Such species could not be found even in the medieval or barbaric age, not even in the world of beasts. Capitalism is killing not only rational thinking but even the very faculty of thinking. All sense of obligation, duty, responsibility and judgement are simply wiped off. Stripped of human essence, human beings are being turned into beasts, mindless and heartless creatures. Thus, the very mind to protest against wrong and injustice is destroyed. In order to sustain this exploitative capitalist society, the ruling bourgeoisie and its servitors are leading the youth to astray in every respect; dumping them in the dungeon of sex-perversion and criminal activities. This is the reality we are face to face with.
People’s movements are fizzling out in absence of correct leadership
We all are students of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. We are all firm in our resolve to spread his thoughts. We have voluntarily joined the Party. We all are aware that Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had not only developed Marxism-Leninism by way of concretely applying it in the concrete situation of this country, he had also provided answer to all the questions in the realm of philosophy and science that arose in the post-Lenin period. How to develop a proletarian revolutionary party in today’s context, what is proletarian democracy, what is proletarian culture, what are the problems emerging within the communist movement, what are the reasons behind rise of revisionism within socialism and how is that helping capitalism to surface and stage a comeback—all these questions were duly answered by him based on the methodology of analysis provided by the science of Marxism-Leninism. In that process, he had further enriched the treasurehouse of Marxism-Leninism.
The oppressed people today are bursting into agitations-movements in various countries. There are repeated tides of surging movements but only to be followed by ebbs. The mass struggles are losing steam and subsiding in no time. Because, there is no correct leadership to guide these struggles to logical culmination. The aggrieved agitating millions are not aware of the correct course of conducting the struggles. Neither the world socialist camp nor the world communist movement is in existence today. There is no proper communist leadership in different countries. There are only some stray attempts to develop communist movement in certain countries. But we know, no genuine communist party can be developed today without being guided by Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought which is the higher understanding of Marxism-Leninism. So, it is incumbent on us to spread Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought in various countries as well. For that we need to increase the strength of our Party far more. With the present strength, we shall not be able to perform that task. So long as we do not achieve that, there would be recurrent surge of sporadic movements, ‘Occupy Wall Street’ and ‘Arab Spring’ type of movements would come and go, spate of strikes would sweep Europe. But, capitalism-imperialism would stay and crises would multiply.
Abandonment of path of struggle by CPI (M), CPI paved way for surge of communal BJP
In our country also, agitations, movements are surging forth sporadically giving vent to the accumulated grievances of the suffering people. It is true that our Party is growing. But we still lack the strength by which we could transform these sporadic movements into powerful organized sustained mass struggles. It is true that the present BJP rule has assumed a naked fascistic form. At the same time it is not correct that the BJP is the first to bring fascism in our country. Pioneer in this regard has been the National Congress. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh said this long back. Today, fascism has been a general feature of the rule in all capitalist countries, advanced or backward. What is fascism, what are its economic features, political features, socio-cultural aspects—all these were explained by Comrade Shibdas Ghosh to the toiling masses of the world. It is the Congress which during the freedom movement created the ground for this menacing rise of the RSS-BJP. In serving the class interest of the bourgeoisie, the Congress had not only opposed the revolutionist ideology of Subhaschandra, Bhagat Singh-Kshudiram in the political field, it also opposed the line of struggle against spiritualism-obscurantism spearheaded by Vidyasagar-Saratchandra-Bhagat Singh. Since the freedom movement the National Congress had compromised with religion and spiritualism. We have seen the poisonous effect of this compromise in the form of ugly outburst of communal riot followed by partition of the country. It is because of this compromising attitude of the National Congress that spiritualist thoughts, religious hatred and caste discrimination could find in this soil a fertile ground to grow and thrive. On the other hand, the so-called communist party meaning undivided CPI which did not grow as a Marxist party did never fight against spiritualism, religious blindness and communalism. It grew and increased its strength only by usurping the glory of the international communist movement and the credibility of the struggle of Subhaschandra-Bhagat Singh-Surya Sen. Neither they did cultivate Marxism nor higher proletarian culture. It has no history or tradition of struggle against spiritualism and communalism. Otherwise, the BJP could never make a dent into West Bengal, once a citadel of leftism. How could those who were once the leaders and workers of the CPI (M) now join the BJP if there was an iota of leftism in them? In fact, to the CPI, CPI (M) leftism was only a slogan to voice but not an ideology and culture to be cultivated or practised. Else, the BJP could have never come to such a position. Not only that. When did the BJP raise its strength in the country? As against the Syndicate Congress of Morarji Desai, the CPI (M) branded Indira Congress as progressive in 1967-69. Those who are now aged and saw that period in West Bengal are aware of this history. Later, when a massive movement at the call and initiative of Jayprakash Narayan surged forth throughout the Hindi speaking belt against the misrule of the Congress, then our Party under the leadership of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh urged the left parties to join the movement to provide leadership. CPI was then having an alliance with Indira Congress. The CPI (M) was maintaining friendly relations with Indira Gandhi. So, both of them refused to join that movement. As a result, usurping the entire credit of that movement, RSS-Jan Sangh increased their strength. But for that, it would have never been possible for RSS-Jana Sangh (now BJP) to come to the centre-stage of Indian politics. You ought to remember this. I want to remind you another aspect. On the eve of the parliamentary election of 1977, Jan Sangh and other rightist forces combined to form the Janata Party. The CPI (M) supported the Janata Party for reaping electoral benefit. While Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister, Jyoti Basu assumed the chair of Chief minister in West Bengal. They held each other’s hand. Vajpayee and Advani, then the front-ranking leaders of Jan Sangh, were inducted in the ministry of Morarji Desai government which the CPI (M) called a ‘friendly’ government. This is the history. I want to recall further that when V P Singh government was formed in 1989 following a split in the then ruling Congress, it was supported by both the BJP and the CPI (M). The CPI (M) and the BJP held a joint meeting at Kolkata Maidan which was addressed by Jyoti Basu and Atal Behari Vajpayee. So, the contribution of the CPI (M) is no less in enabling the BJP to gain strength and to increase its social acceptance. The 34-yearlong rule of the CPI (M)-led front in West Bengal has caused immense harm to the leftist tradition of West Bengal and turned the people against leftism. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had warned long back that the way the CPI (M) was causing serious harm to leftism would pave the way for Jan Sangh (now BJP) to raise its head. Exactly that has happened. The terror let loose by the ruling TMC today is also a replica of what the CPI (M) did while in power. So, the public has been saying that once it was the CPI (M), now it is the TMC. Rather, a comparison is being made as to who would score over whom in spreading terror and indulging in wrongdoing and injustice. Now, the CPI (M) is uniting with the Congress in the name of opposing the BJP. It is sheer opportunism. Is the Congress secular? Never has it been secular. The very meaning of secularism is that there would be no place for spiritualism in the realm of philosophy. The material world would be the sole reality. Vidyasagar, Saratchandra, Bhagat Singh were the exponents of true secularism. Secularism means that religion would have no role to play in the arena of politics, economy, social relations and culture. Religion would only remain as a matter of personal belief. Subhaschandra also advocated the same thing. The Congress had never practised secular politics. On several occasions, the Congress engineered communal riots. The latest was the anti-Sikh riot of Delhi in 1984. What is the Congress doing today for securing vote? It is competing with the BJP by offering prayers in the temples, mosques and churches. It is said that the Congress is peddling ‘soft Hindutva’. This very Congress is being branded as ‘secular’ by the CPI (M). Some of the regionalist-casteist-chauvinist parties like the SP, BSP, RJD, DMK, etc., who have no connection with secularism but have only their eye on the seat of power are being christened as ‘secular democratic forces’. But, there was a great opportunity today for promoting an alternative leftist line. Now, internal antagonism and conflicts within the monopoly houses and corporate sector are intensified. One group is backing the BJP while the other the Congress. The contradiction between the national capital and regional capital is glaringly manifest in the sphere of politics. So, when the ruling class and its servitor parties are engulfed in serious contradictions and conflicts among them, the correct leftist line would have been to intensify class and mass struggles by appropriately using the internal contradictions within the enemy camp. But the CPI (M) has given up that path. Instead, solely guided by electoral politics it is uniting with the Congress and all other regionalist-casteist-chauvinist parties in the name of fighting the BJP. This is no leftism but sheer pursuit of opportunist bourgeois parliamentar-ism. In such a situation, our Party is boldly holding aloft the banner of Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought and true leftism. An important responsibility has been bestowed on us in both national and international spheres.
Essential to fight menace of individualism
In this connection, I would like to say a few more words for our comrades. All our comrades are highly respectful to Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. I know that our comrades would go on recalling his teachings till their last breadth. They are all pledge-bound to serve the interest of the Party. But there are questions which need to be pondered over. Many of our leaders and workers are yet to give up their personal properties. Again, though quite a number of leaders and cadres have been able to give up private properties, they have not been able to free themselves from private-property mental complex. It indeed is a matter of hard struggle. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh was the first to point out this in the Marxist movement that in order to acquire proletarian culture, one must be freed from individualism and private-property mental complex. He showed that individualism which came in the wake of advent of secular humanism in the days of rising capitalism was progressive in the then context. But today, in the era of extreme decadence of capitalism, the same very individualism has given birth to worst form of selfishness, self-centredness and menacingly contributing towards fast degeneration of ethical-moral standard. We are all living in such a polluted environment where individualism works in us and pollutes us. In politics, we, in the main, understand the teachings of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh and cultivate them. But, most of our leaders and workers are not aware and alert of the fact that bourgeois individualism continues to subtly influence our habits and conduct, our daily life, our inter-personal relations in every moment.
Grasp of Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought—Imperative to acquire higher communist character
We all think and contemplate. Each of us think that this is right, this is wrong; this is to be done, this is not to be done; this is not good; that is not to my likes; this person is like this, that person is like that and so forth. But is this process of thinking in keeping with Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought? How many of us are engaged in the struggle for acquiring the thought process of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh? The conventional thoughts which we inherited from the society in our childhood were all born out of bourgeois outlook and bourgeois process of thinking. These are all ingrained in our blood, are latently operative in us. A ceaseless struggle is needed to free ourselves from the grip of bourgeois thoughts, habits and conduct. For that, we need to grasp the philosophy of Marxism-Leninism or Dialectical Materialism. This dynamic world is changing at every moment. What are the laws governing such changes? What are the internal contradictions? What are the external contradictions? Which are the respective principal contradictions in the internal and external domains? Which one is a quantitative change? Which one is a qualitative change? Which is undergoing negation to create a new entity? All these laws which are governing the nature are equally operative in the society, in a family, inside a person, inside one comrade, inside a leader. So, while examining or analysing any phenomenon, evaluating or assessing any person or comrade, this Marxist approach needs to be adopted. The analysis or appraisal should be done dispassionately, being free from any ill-feeling, personal reaction, subjective reading or pre-conceived notions. Most of our leaders and workers have not been able to acquire this ability till date. In order to acquire this ability, one has to simultaneously conduct theoretical and practical struggle and by acquiring higher culture has to dialectically integrate the lessons of both the struggles. Otherwise, dialectical relation would not develop within the Party. In place of dialectical relationship, there would only be some discussions, some activities, some exchange of opinions and debates. But the dialectical relationship would not grow in the Party. Dialectical relationship develops only through due dialectical process of attaining higher ideological-cultural standard by conducting ceaseless all-embracing struggle. And if that dialectical relationship does not grow, democratic centralism would not be operative in a proper way. In that event, there will be either blind allegiance or blind opposition to the leadership. The leadership would turn bureaucratic. These tendencies would be at work at various levels. Tendency to acquire name and fame, egoistic mentality, exhibitionism, jealousy, hatred, bitterness—all these vices would be manifest in various forms. There ought to be a relentless struggle against all these anti-revolutionary trends and tendencies. None of us would be able to elevate ourselves to the standard of a good communist unless we acquire the proletarian outlook needed to guide our approach towards love relationship, marital life and children. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had taught us that once bourgeois humanism was progressive. Based on that, noble characters emerged during the period of renaissance and bourgeois democratic revolution. The renaissance personalities and the leaders of freedom movement of our country also reflected that high humanist standard. But today, we, who aspire to be communists, have not begun our journey even from that high humanist standard. That is why, Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had repeatedly said to us “study the life and struggle of the great men, learn from them”, “Read Saratchandra’s works and learn from the characters he depicted in his works.” From these, first acquire the humanist character and values, the essence of which is to subordinate personal interest to the interest of the Party and revolution. The next higher stage is that the interest of revolution is my interest; the interest of the party is my interest. At that level, there would be nothing left as personal interest i.e.one is identified with the revolution and party interest. In order to attain this standard, we shall have to first attain the highest standard of bourgeois humanism. This struggle is of utmost importance. Only emotion towards the Party and Comrade Shibdas Ghosh would not save us. In course of protecting our body from the vagaries of nature, we are to struggle against environment at every moment. Each moment, so many body cells get destroyed while new cells grow. Similarly, the traits of old character are to be destroyed and elements of a new higher character have to grow within us. The contradiction between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, between a revolutionary character and a non-revolutionary character are continuously operating within us in every sphere. If we do not conduct the struggle for attaining higher and higher revolutionary character consciously and relentlessly, we shall not be able to prevent our degeneration and become worthy student of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, no matter howso-ever high a post of responsibility we might occupy in the Party.
Lastly, I would say that Comrade Shibdas Ghosh was initiated into the revolutionary movement out of profound love and affection for the oppressed millions. If there is no deep affection for the toiling masses, the work of going to the masses becomes a mere routine one. First there ought to be love for the oppressed people, the downtrodden and have-nots. It will drive me to the task of establishing mass contacts. This is the need. Every leader and cadre of the Party irrespective of where they work and whatever be their assigned responsibilities must develop themselves as exemplary communist characters. Within the Party, every leader should be an ideal before the cadres. Teach others by your own conduct. The leaders should educate the cadres with their own characters, by way of their lives, not merely by delivering lectures. In one’s locality, one should be endearing to all by dint of one’s sense of responsibility, love and affection for others, decent conduct and unassuming nature, firm stand against injustice and ever readiness to help others in their need and difficulties. This is how our comrades should develop mass contacts. In this way they should become beloved members of every family of their localities. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh wanted whether the leadership assigns any job or not, each Party worker should try to build up organization through his or her own creative initiative. Let them develop clubs, libraries and cultural organizations in various localities and through those carry to the masses higher thoughts, acquaint them with the lives of great men and help them acquire higher human qualities and values. And if there is any injustice, any wrong committed against anyone, our comrades must immediately protest. Even if one is alone, one should protest courageously. This is communist character. When we organize any protest agitation, it is not just a routine programme. Our repugnance of and protest against the injustice or crime, against the culprits are expressed in such protest agitations, at the same time is manifested our empathy with and deep fellow-feeling for the oppressed and repressed. Otherwise, it becomes a ritualistic programme. Our Party is growing. It would continue to grow further. But mere number would not serve the purpose. What is needed is quality, character. Let the leaders assign responsibility to the workers, particularly the young comrades. Help the young and new comrades to develop. The conduct of the leaders should not create any bureaucratic impediment. The workers must feel ease of mind in placing their views before the leaders and even criticize the leaders with an open mind. The leaders should think that if there is hesitation or inability on the part of any comrade to open their minds to them, it means the leaders do not command respect. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had embodied such leadership in him and created such a free environment within the Party. We must also do that.
SUCI(C) would develop class and mass struggles with all might
In the country, we shall try to develop united movement with other left parties whenever, wherever and to whatever extent they come forward for that. But we know that they have abandoned the path of struggle. If they come in movement, they would do so purely from electoral exigency. Apart from vote, they do not think of anything else. Just like other bourgeois parties, they also have become totally election-oriented. So, we need to develop organization among all sections of the toiling people—workers-peasants-students-youth-women. In course of development of the movements as well as through various social and cultural activities coupled with conduction of intensive ideological struggle and debates-discussions, we shall have to fight religious blindness and communalism. Lenin had said that an honest priest is more dangerous than a dishonest priest. Why did he say so? Because, preaching of religion by an honest priest causes more harm since people are misled by his honesty. But if the priest is dishonest, he would not be able to create that much confusion among the people. Today the RSS-BJP have become dishonest, corrupt and power-greedy. They are abetting to all sorts of injustice and impropriety. They would not be much successful in confusing the people wearing the cloak of religious honesty. On the other hand, like the way the BJP won elections by capitalizing anti-Congress feelings, the Congress in alliance with others might dislodge the BJP from power in the next election. But the way the RSS-BJP are destroying thinking faculty, rationality and scientific bent of mind and inflaming the country by spreading communal-caste hatred and religious bigotry, it would have a far-reaching pernicious effect. Only we as genuine proletarian revolutionary party can thwart this danger if we firmly stand up on the basis of Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought, develop the class and mass struggles, build up the mass fronts and thus correctly discharge our responsibility. With the hope that our comrades would prove themselves equal to the task, I came to say these few words on this occasion.
Long live Revolution!
Long Live SUCI(Communist)
Red salute to Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, the great leader of the proletariat!
Kerala
On 24 April 2018 the 71st Party Foundation Day was scheduled at in Chengannur, Kerala by the Kerala State Committee to be presided over by Comrade C K Lukose, Member, Central Committee and Kerala State Secretary, SUCI (C), Kerala. As Comrade Lukose could not attend the meeting owing to the physical ailments he has been suffering from, he sent his speech in writing which was read out as a message by Comrade V. Venugopal, Member Kerala State Secretariat who presided over the meeting. The English translation of the Malayalam speech of Comrade Lukose is given below. However, the meeting had to be stopped for inclement weather soon after Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya, Polit Bureau member of our party, started his address.
Comrade C K Lukose on 71st Party Foundation Day
Comrade V Venugopal, President of the meeting, and Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya, Member, Polit Bureau of the party, who will deliver the main speech and other leaders on the dais,
Comrades,
It was the result of an unprecedented, unique and intense struggle of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh and a few compatriots that the genuine proletarian revolutionary party of India came into being on April 24, 1948. What made their intense struggle unique is that their effort did not confine to political – economic sphere alone but incorporated all spheres of life. As a result, the country received a genuine communist party, while the international communist movement earned a noble Marxist philosopher. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought has become the highest understanding of Marxism–Leninism today.
Marxism is a scientific approach to the world. For the first time, it was through Marx and Engels that humanity acquired this outlook. This is very relevant to all spheres in the world including aspects of our private life. One cannot become a communist unless one breaks one’s old notions and imbibes Marxism which upholds scientific concepts in life. This requires a collective philosophical struggle. A communist party attains its form only when there is a collective of revolutionaries created through a unity in aim, approach and thought process and through the principle of democratic centralism, leading to the formation of collective leadership. Through historical analysis, Marx pointed out that it is the working class which is the revolutionary class of this historical age, because the foundation of proletarian culture is collectivism. Capitalism based on individualism has become outdated. Today, even those who desire a social change but have not yet assimilated proletarian culture cannot become revolutionaries. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought is rooted in a struggle based on higher ethics and morality.
The situation today is deplorable. All the Marxist authorities have given enough precautions in this regard. Degradation of capitalist culture has reached extreme depths. Lenin, by pointing out that imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism, said that this is the era of decadent and moribund capitalism, that is the imperialism, war and proletarian revolution. He also made it clear that bourgeois democracy is extremely fraudulent and deceptive. Today, the condition is worse than ever before. Firstly, the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union is shattered as a result of deception of revisionists from within the camp. The stunted capitalism, casting aside even the act of democracy, is promulgating anti- people policies one after the other. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had pointed out much earlier that, fascism can be executed even under the false garb of parliamentary democracy and elections. Not only this, Comrade Shibdas Ghosh also pointed out that fascism has already become a form of governance in big and small capitalist countries alike. He has given a comprehensive analysis regarding fascism. Fascism, in the simplest term, is a counter revolution conspired to prevent the inevitable proletarian revolution that is so dreaded by the crisis-ridden capitalism-imperialism. If fascism completely manifests itself in the cultural sphere, there will be no one left befitting the name ‘human’. The gruesome scenes happening in India and other countries at present prove how true the analysis has been.
The incident in Kathua, where an eight year old girl has been raped and brutally murdered, shows that there does not remain even a scintilla of human essence. Communal bigotry has led to people being slaughtered in public. The fundamental right to place a dissident opinion in democracy is vanishing. People who voice an opinion different from the rulers are being killed. The very idea of permanent jobs have been replaced through a bill advocating all jobs to be temporary thereby trampling the very concept of security in life for the working class. Ours was a land where contract jobs were unseen in the permanent job sector. The impunity the ruling class has shown in throwing all cautions to the wind!
We can only put an end to this dangerous condition by developing democratic movements beyond all considerations of caste – religion and other narrow-minded differences. SUCI (Communist) is the only genuine party which strives to reach such an end. This has become the landmark of democratic movement everywhere. Our party leads the movements against the denial of the rights of workers, against the policies which force the peasants to take their lives, against the malpractices which have plagued CBSE examinations, and for protecting the rights of education across the country.
We are in such a battlefield in Kerala too. We are leading movements against the National Highway policy which forces people to hand over their land to BOT private owners, whereby they will be allowed to establish toll booths everywhere for throwing the people into untold misery, against the liquor policy of government, and against the atrocities committed against women and children. We are leading these movements everywhere with firm conviction of Shibdas Ghosh Thought. Despite the many crises of the modern world we are moving forward ideologically and organizationally. It is the responsibility of the masses, who believe in democracy, to strengthen the party.
Lal Salam Comrade Shibdas Ghosh
Telangana
The Party Foundation Day meeting at Khairatabad Library, in Hyderabad, Telangana, was presided over by Comrade Ch. Murahari, Telangana State Secretary Telangana and was also addressed by Comrade K Sridhar, Staff member. Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya, Polit bureau member, in his speech as main speaker pointed out that observing Party Foundation Day was not a ritual for us, but a day to take pledge to rededicate ourselves to the cause of revolution. Drawing attention to the dangers cropping up with the communal politics of the BJP- RSS combine, as also from the pro-monopoly, pro-capitalist policies pursued by them Comrade Bhattacharyya added that some of the gravest attacks today were coming on the hard-earned democratic rights of people as well as minimum trade union rights of the working class. The situation thus urgently demanded emergence of real left movement, as it had been there during the independence movement under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Today the so-called left parties like CPI, CPI (M) are working totally in the interest of the ruling class and that is why wherever they are in power the arch communal and fascist forces are gaining ground and even coming to governmental power also. Even in their recently held party congresses their main issue of discussion was on whether to align with the Congress or not, only to fetch some more seats in the next elections. In conclusion Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya made fervent appeal to comrades and people to study and understand the Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought, the highest understanding of Marxism-Leninism in today’s changed conditions and strengthen SUCI(C) for re-emergence of the leftist movement. Along with that he called upon people to develop mighty democratic mass movements which alone can pave the path for successful anti-capitalist socialist revolution.
Referring to killings and ghastly incidents that are taking place particularly involving atrocities on girl children and women, Comrade Sridhar, Staff member, expressed the hope that people will not keep quiet but step out firmly to develop movements, as it happened in cases of Nirbhaya and Asifa.
Assam
Party Foundation Day meeting in Assam was held on 30 April at Lakhiram Barua Sadan in Guwahati. Comrade Chandralekha Das, Assam state Secretary, presided over while Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya was the main speaker. The gathering at the meeting was very impressive, The speech of Comrade Bhattacharyya will be published later.
Odisha
Party Foundation Day meeting was organized by the Odisha State Committee at Shaheed Bhavan, Cuttack, Odisha on 24 April. It was presided over by Comrade Dhurjati Das, Odisha State Secretary and was addressed by Comrade Saumen Basu, Central Committee Member and West Bengal State Secretary as the main speaker. Comrade Basu dealt elaborately on the present international and national situations and emphasized the historic necessity of strengthening the SUCI (C) for accomplishing the task of anti-capitalist socialist revolution in our country. For this, he said, we will have to arm ourselves with the scientific teachings of Marxism- Leninism- Shibdas Ghosh thoughts. He also called upon the party comrades to lead mass life in order to organize powerful mass movements on each and every burning issue of people’s life, as may be possible.
Delhi and Haryana
The Party Foundation Day meeting was held at Chhoturam Park in Rohtak, Haryana on 24 April and in Delhi on 25 April. Both were addressed by Comrade Sankar Saha, Member, Central Committee and General Secretary AIUTUC as the main speaker. Comrade Satyawan, Member, Central Committee and Haryana State Secretary was the President in the Rohtak meeting and Comrade Pran Kumar Sharma, Delhi State Secretary, presided over in Delhi. Rohtak meeting was also addressed by Comrades Anup Singh, Comrades Rajender Singh and Ramphal, all State Committee members.
Analysing the situation today Comrade Saha held that capitalism is using the technical aspects of science to reap maximum profit and in the process the people’s life is fraught with problems of unemployment, price-rise, poverty, communal strife, oppression and assault. Human values, democracy and secularism are being destroyed and fascism is being established. The ruling party is curtailing the labour rights and terribly oppressing the workers-employees. Agricultural and forest lands are being handed over to the capitalists and corporates. A powerful united peoples’ movement is the only way to the solution of these problems, which can also protect from divisive forces. With that task ahead, Comrade Saha gave the call to pledge ourselves to strengthen our Party on the basis of the revolutionary ideology of Marxism-Leninism- Shibdas Ghosh Thoughts and lofty culture with the arduous life-struggle of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh as beacon to us.
Karnataka and Tamilnadu
At Bangalore the Party Foundation Day was observed in a meeting with Comrade K Radhakrishna, Member, Central Committee and Karnataka State Secretary addressing it as the main speaker. Comrade K Radhakrishna also addressed the Party Foundation Day meeting at Tana Street in Purasaiwakkam, Chennai, Tamilnadu, held on 27 April. Comrade A Rengasamy, Secretary Tamilnadu Organizing Committee presided over and Comrade A Anavarathan translated the address of Comrade Radhakrishna into Tamil. Comrade Radhakrishna dealt on the prevailing critical situation in the country, all-pervading cultural degeneration including incessant atrocities on children and women and called for building up powerful united left movement.
Bihar and Gujarat
The Party Foundation Day meetings were organized in Patna, Bihar on 25 April and in Vadodara, Gujarat on 29 April. Both the meetings were addressed by Comrade Satyawan, Member, Central Committee and Haryana State Secretary as the main speaker. In Patna, Comrade Arun Kumar Singh, Bihar State Secretary, was the President. In his speech, Comrade Arun Kumar Singh pointed out that the Bihar NDA government of JDU-BJP combine speaks loud of social justice and good governance and in practice follows the anti-people pro-monopolists policies of the BJP-led Union government.
In Vadodara, Gujarat State Organising Committee Members Comrade Tapan Dasgupta, presented the introductory welcome speech while Comrade Meenakshi Joshi, talked about the plight of the women in the country in the backdrop of the recent incidents of Kathua, Unnao, Surat, Naliya, Vadodara and other places of the country. Comrade Dwarikanath Rath, Gujarat State Secretary and President of the meeting thanked all for participating and expressing deep concern over the growing fascist menace and reiterated the resolve to build up a strong people’s movement.
In his two addresses, Comrade Satyawan, elaborately outlined the situation of the entire country. None of the governments since independence, he said, did go for making people free from exploitation. Rather plight of the common people, workers, peasants, women, youths, students is increasing day by day. Massive unemployment, anti-worker anti-people pro-monopolist policies of the governments are plaguing people’s life. The hard earned rights of the workers and common people are being snatched away on one or the other pretext. Education is not only commercialized, but is moulded in a manner to create such a breed of generation which cannot raise the voice of protest against anti- people policies of the system rather fall victim to rampant cultural degeneration. An atmosphere of rape-epidemic is created in the entire country. Administration is continually consolidating power tending towards fascism. Recalling the life-long arduous struggle of the great leader Comrade Shibdas Ghosh for building up SUCI(C) as a genuine communist party on the Indian soil, Comrade Satyawan called upon all the participants to carry forward the teachings of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh to every nook and corner of the country, build up people’s movement on people’s day to day problems and culminate them towards anti capitalist socialist revolution. This is the call of the hour.
Rajasthan
Party Foundation Day meeting was organized on 29 April, at Luniawas, Jaipur, Rajasthan. After Comrade Rajmal Sharma, Member, Rajasthan State Organizing Committee gave the welcome speech, Comrade Gopal Kundu, Member, Central Committee of the Party and the main speaker emphasized the need for initiating a cultural revolution in India to combat the vitiating cultural degeneration being fomented by the ruling class. Comrade Kundu also discussed on the failure of BJP-led Rajasthan government and appealed to build up SUCI (C) on the strength of Marxism- Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought. Comrade Prativa Nayak, General Secretary of AIDYO, was also present.
Tripura
On 24 April, the 71st Foundation Day meeting of SUCI(Communist) was held at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhawan, Agartala, Tripura. State Komsomol paid Guard of Honour. In his brief speech, Comrade Arun Bhaumik, Tripura State Secretary, dwelt on the backdrop in which the anti-left, pro-capitalist, corrupt, sectarian politics of the CPI (M) frustrated people and made room for the arch communal BJP to form government in the state. Comrade Chhaya Mukherjee, Member Central Committee, and the main speaker elaborately discussed the arduous struggle Comrade Shibdas Ghosh had conducted to build up SUCI (C) as the genuine communist party based on Leninist model and in the process developed and enriched Marxism-Leninism. Comrade Mukherjee explained how the RSS-BJP, subservient to bourgeois class interest, besides adopting a slew of anti-people policies, is on a spree to spread unscientific obscurantist thoughts and beliefs among the people to blunt the thinking process. She exposed how instead of building necessary left movement to prevent the onslaught from the BJP, the pseudo-Marxist CPI and CPI(M) have been making frantic effort to tie up with the Congress, another trusted political representative of the monopoly houses, for deriving petty electoral benefits. She appealed to the comrades and supporters to come forward to strengthen SUCI(C) for intensifying class and mass struggles conducive to anti-capitalist socialist revolution, which alone can bring about cherished emancipation.
Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh
Jharkhand State Organizing Committee, SUCI(C) observed the Party Foundation Day through a public meeting at Buddha Smriti Bhawan in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 24 April. Comrade Arun Kumar Singh, Bihar State Secretary, was the main speaker. In his address he pointed out how in capitalist rule, irrespective of whether Congress or BJP or Jharkhand Mukti Morcha saddled in the government, condition of the toiling people of Jharkhand state has worsened in every respect. All these parties serve the ruling bourgeoisie and hence can bring no solution to the burning problems of the people stemming from rotten capitalism. It is only through overthrow of capitalism that a solution can be brought about. He called upon all left and democratic forces to unite and develop united movement against the anti-people policies and measures of the government which in due course would pave way for accomplishing anti-capitalist socialist revolution. Comrade Rabin Samajpati, Jharkhand State Secretary, presided over the meeting. Comrade Arun Singh also addressed the Party Foundation Day meeting in Lucknow, UP on 29 April which was presided over by Comrade Pushpendra Vishwakarma, UP State Secretary.
Madhya Pradesh
In Bhopal, MP, the Party Foundation Day was observed on 27 April with Comrade Rabin Samajpati, Jharkhand State Secretary as the main speaker, Comrade Lokesh Sharma presiding over. Comrade Pratap Samal, MP State Secretary also addressed. The speakers brought out the present vicious attacks brought down by the ruling RSS-BJP at the behest of and to serve the interest of the ruling monopolists. They called for developing a powerful united left movement to thwart these monstrous attacks.
West Bengal
In West Bengal, the Party Foundation Day was observed in a decentralized manner at district level in view of the Panchayat election. The Kolkata District Committee organized a meeting at the Ashutosh Memorial Hall, Kolkata. It was presided over by Comrade Rabi Bose, Member, West Bengal State committee while Comrade Amitava Chatterjee, WB State Secretariat member and Kolkata District Secretary addressed as the main speaker. In his speech, Comrade Chatterjee elaborately dealt with the present socio-political scenario and showed why it is imperative to follow Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought in order to bring about emancipation from the yoke of capitalist oppression.
Alipore Central Jail unit of the Party also organized a meeting within Jail premises in Kolkata on 24 April to observe Party Foundation Day. Comrade Yusuf Gayen presided over and Comrades Banshi Gayen and Anirudhha Haldar spoke on the occasion.
Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry
Comrade K Sridhar Staff Member addressed Foundation Day meeting in Puducherry held on 24 April. Comrade Lenindurai, Secretary, State Preparatory Committee presided over the meeting. Comrades U Muthu and J Mohamed Bilal, both members of the Preparatory Committee, also addressed the gathering.
Comrade K Sridhar condemned the cruel onslaughts of the imperialists headed by the US imperialists throughout the world, the latest being he missile attack on Syria. In our country too, a hate politics coupled with planned criminal attacks on minority community people, dalits, children and women have become the order of the day aided and abetted by the ruling BJP-RSS combine in their bid to divide people. Even in the Cauvery issue, instead of forming a board for solution, the ruling class and the central government irrespective of the party in power, are dragging the matter causing mistrust and disunity among people. People of the four states involved in the issue must fight united for a just solution. Against the economic-political- social- cultural attacks including spewing of communal virus, a mighty united people’s movement along correct track and based on correct ideology is necessary. He also appealed to strengthen SUCI (Communist) in Puducherry. Comrade Anavarathan, Member Tamilnadu State Organizing Committee, translated the speech of Comrade Sridhar in Tamil. The meeting was preceded by a cultural programme by Jayamoorthy musical team which included progressive songs on people’s life. It being a new venture, people of Puducherry were impressed with the decoration with flags, banners and posters in many important junctions of the city.
Comrade Sridhar also addressed the Party Foundation Day meeting on 30 April in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, where Comrade S Govindrajalu, Member, AP state Organizing Committee, presided over and Comrade BS Amarnath, A P State Secretary also spoke.
Mumbai
Party Foundation Day meeting was held in Mumbai at Mahatma Phule Vyayamshala Hall Chinch-pokhali West Mumbai with Comrade Anil Tyagi, Secretary, Mumbai Orga-nizing Committee, as the President and Comrade Dwarikanath Rath, Gujarat State Secretary as the main speaker. While dwelling on the present political situation, Comrade Rath pointed out how the ruling RSS-BJP and Sangh Parivar stood so low to support the rapists of Kathua and Unnao. Crisis-ridden capitalist system needs cultural degradation of society for holding onto its mutilated existence. He appealed to strengthen SUCI (C) so that people could be organized to make anti-capitalist socialist revolution victorious. Comrades Jayram Vishwakarma and Yogendra Kumar Kulshrestha, both members of Mumbai Organizing Committee, also spoke.
Punjab
71st foundation day of SUCI(C)) was solemnly observed on 29 April at Pravat-Parvana Trade Union Centre, Patiala, Punjab. Comrade Aminderpal Singh, In-charge, Punjab State Unit of SUCI(C) presided over the meeting and Comrade Partap Samal, MP State Secretary, SUCI(C), addre-ssed it as the main speaker. Comrade Samal observed that the burning problems of people’s life with their roots in the capitalist system cannot be solved without the anti-capitalist socialist revolution. He also stressed the need for strengthening SUCI(C), the only genuine communist party on the soil of India. Comrade Aminder-pal Singh explained the differences between SUCI(C) and other so-called Marxist and left parties.
