Deputed by Comrade Provash Ghosh, General secretary, SUCI(C), Comrade K Radhakrishna, Polit Bureau member, SUCI(C), attended the 4th party congress of Marxist Communist Party of India (united)-MCPIU- held in Ernakulam, Kerala, on 15 February 2019 and delivered a brief speech.
Conveying his hearty greetings to the MCPIU congress and its delegates, Comrade Radhakrishna, at the outset, expressed hope that this congress would strengthen scope for building mighty movement of all left and democratic parties and forces in the country against our common enemy capitalism -imperialism. He then pointed out that all the left forces are aware what anti-people policies are pursued by capitalists-imperialists led by the USA globally. They are out to exploit and oppress the working people of the world. They have subjugated so many countries in the recent past. Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and now Venezuela are a few of these. Though movements after movements are breaking out in Europe and America, on account of lack of proper leadership these movements are dying out.
Nationally, said Comrade Radhakrishna, the ruling Indian bourgeoisie has been pursuing the policies of liberalization-privatization-globalization on account of which a handful of monopolists are becoming multi-billionaires while vast majority of the working people are getting increasingly pauperized. Unemploy-ment is growing rapidly. All these could happen because the left forces are not united. The great teacher of the working class Comrade Lenin had given the clear cut guideline that though there might be differences among the left parties, they should unite on the basis of a minimum agreed common programme and a code of conduct to launch united movement on legitimate people’s issues. He urged that while the left forces should be united against the common enemy, their differences should be thrashed out in public through an open ideological struggle so that not only the working people but also the leftist cadres get educated and derive necessary political consciousness to understand what is correct and what is incorrect. The relationship among the united left parties should be based on the principle of ‘unity-struggle- unity’ and a code of conduct. Through this process, correct political line will emerge victorious.
He then briefly narrated how the CPI (M) and CPI had abandoned path of struggling leftism and instead combined either with the BJP or the Congress for narrow sectarian electoral interest. Referring to the teachings of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, he said that if any legitimate people’s movement surges forth, a genuine revolutionary force should also join the same and establish its hegemony over the movement by isolating the reactionary forces. In this way, revolutionary movement would get a fillip. But CPI (M) and CPI did not follow this teaching of Lenin and stayed away from the JP movement in the 1970s allowing rightist forces to control it. However, when there was an urge among the left forces to develop such a mighty movement in West Bengal, our Party took a position that since this was a leftist bastion, left parties could themselves unitedly lead the movement here and there was no need for any outside personality. But disregarding our suggestion, the CPI (M) went ahead and invited Shri P C Sen, former Congress Chief Minister of West Bengal to guide and lead the movement. We, Comrade Radhakrishna said, disassociated from that combination because P C Sen was a thoroughly discredited person and was responsible for firing upon common people during democratic movements when he was the chief minister and thus killed a good number of common people. We criticized that line of the CPI (M) openly. We wanted a healthy debate on such a critical issue on the basis of the great teaching of great Comrade Lenin. But the CPI (M) objected to our criticism and said it was impermissible in united movements. Since then, they chose not to be associated with our Party in united movements.
Today, our Party and a few other parties hold that the task before the left and democratic parties is to forge unity and develop united movements against the brazenly pro-monopoly, pro-MNC and anti-people policies of both the Congress and the BJP. But CPI (M) and CPI, in the name of fighting fascist danger held out by the BJP, are now busy in striking deal with the Congress to somehow secure some seats at the hustings. Fact is that they are not at all interested in launching ideological battle against the BJP and in building united movements against anti-people policies of the BJP government. They are only after netting electoral gains, he pointed out. He hoped that this MCPIU congress would chalk out programme to build up united left and democratic movement.
