This is the text of the speech delivered by Comrade Krishna Chakraborty, Member, Polit Bureau, SUCI(C), at the 68th Party Foundation Day meeting in Kottayam, Kerala, on 28 April, 2015.
Comrade President, comrade Chairman of the Left United Front (LUF), members of the state committee on the dais, comrades and friends,
When we are observing the 67th anniversary of our beloved party, there are had been a great calamity in Nepal and some states of our country which took away lives of not less than 4 to 5 thousand people in Nepal and no less than hundred people in India. Thousands of people died helplessly. There was a time when people could not control natural forces. Sometimes there would be flood, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc., people used to feel helpless. That was long before. Thousands of years back. Man struggled against natural forces. And with the development of modern sciences man started controlling nature and natural forces. Nowadays if the government really wants it can control floods. Yes, it is true that some such forces are there even today in face of which man is still helpless. As for example, the Tsunami that took away lives of lakhs of people. So, also the super cyclone of Odisha. But with the help of science man can surely predict it long before it happens; can take measures to evacuate people from the affected areas and save lives provided the government is pro-people.
If science is given a scope to develop freely, or if unhampered development of sciences is ensured many such natural calamities, if not controlled at least can be predicted long before and lives of the people could be saved. But today science is not developing, although the possibility of its development is very high. But even today if really science is freed from the greed of capitalist exploiters it can do miracles. We have witnessed this. You have seen how the sickest nation of Europe, i.e., Russia, which was economically and even technologically very backward before revolution, in the second world war period it turned into one of the most advanced states of those days, if not the most; much more than America also. England and France were very powerful in those days. France was defeated in a month by Germany. England was threatened and America was shivering from far away when Germany attacked Russia. Under the great leadership of Stalin, and because of socialist culture, socialist science, socialist organization, Russia gave crushing defeat to Germany- Italy-Japan axis. It was possible because science was freed under socialism while in capitalism science is not freely allowed to be developed as it could be. Once capitalism itself brought in and promoted modern sciences fighting against feudalism. In those days bourgeoisie encouraged development of modern sciences. Science started developing since the days of Copernicus, then Galileo, then Newton, then so many other scientists. Capitalism wanted development of industries. In those days capitalism was revolutionary, progressive. It had no crisis. The whole world market was open to them. So they could develop sciences and technologies. But capitalism because of its own inherent law – law of exploitation, has created its own crisis, market crisis. If there is unobstructed development of technology, production will become very high. So the capitalists have started controlling sciences. They will promote research in those areas which they require for their profit. But only very restricted, very limited, because capitalism has entered into the phase of crisis as Lenin pointed out in the end of nineteenth and beginning of twentieth centuries. By reaching its highest stage imperialism, capitalism has become moribund and reactionary. Capitalism everywhere is in crisis. Crisis, not only in our country but all over the world. America is the topmost victim of crisis. Who can free the society from this crisis? The proletariat – the revolutionary proletariat, not any kind of proletariat; by overthrowing capitalism and by establishing socialism. But to overthrow capitalism and to establish socialism we need a social revolution and Lenin pointed out that to do this we need a party. Without a revolutionary party there will be no revolution anywhere. Wherever today revolution will take place or has taken place it is because of the revolutionary party of the proletariat. In Russia Bolshevik party under the leadership of Lenin afterwards Stalin, in China under the leadership of Comrade Mao Zedong and Communist Party of China, in Vietnam under the leadership of Comrade Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam Communist party, in North Korea it was the Communist Party without which no revolution could take place.
When the capitalist system was not there in history, feudalism existed, kings and monarchs ruled. They had absolute control over the means of production. The means of production mainly was agricultural production. Cultivation was the major occupation. Few handlooms and handicrafts were also there. For the growth of production what was required was technology. And that technology could grow only with the development of sciences. But growth of science is not to be judged only on the basis of development of technology and production. That is of course very important aspect of science but more important is that science means development of a scientific approach, a scientific outlook. With the help of science only you can know the truth of nature; truth of society and truth of everything. Without science you can’t. It is a method. It is an instrument for knowing truth, hidden truths of nature, society and thoughts. The correlated science that Marx brought is called Dialectical Materialism. To know the truth and to develop the correct approach to the world, science and scientific outlook are required. One day capitalists brought about the development of industries, factories, mills etc. But in the process when capitalism became reactionary, because of operation of its own law of maximization of profit, now they are afraid of science. They are propagating so many things against science. BJP excels than any other bourgeois parties. BJP is one of the dependable parties of the bourgeoisie. Congress is also alike. They are talking against science, talking of Vedic mathematics. Thousands and thousands of years back whatever backward thoughts existed that they propagate as advancement of science and technology in ancient India — this has no scientific outlook and scientific view. In the interest of Tata, Birla, Ambani, etc they support these ideas. This we will have to understand. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh pointed out that the proletariat who needs revolution, who urges for emancipation from exploitation, oppression and repression for the whole of society, they need to know the truth. Today it is the proletariat who requires science — to know the truth, to fight out all illusions and all subjective outlook. We are fighting for scientific approach and outlook because we want truth. Communists are those who fight for truth. Why? Without truth you cannot advance the society, you cannot create a new civilization out of the old. Truth is essential for the change of society, change of man and change of civilization. But because of crisis of capitalism – crisis of overproduction – they produce only to sell and earn profit. Profit maximization is the goal of capitalism. Capitalists want more and more profit. Highest possible profit. That can be done by exploiting the working masses. Capitalists do not produce anything. All this wealth is created by labour force, meaning working class. That wealth is usurped by them, while the condition of the working class becomes miserable. Purchasing power of the people is the market. When people’s purchasing power is falling and falling due to capitalist exploitation on the one hand, on the other technology is developing due to competition between the capitalist countries and production is increasing ; naturally market is becoming squeezed. Then in relation to the market, production is appearing as overproduction. It is not overproduction in real sense. Is the cotton textile goods, over production in our country? Our sisters, our parents, our children go half naked in the streets. But they see it as overproduction! Overproduction is in relation to their market. So they stop production and people lose jobs and purchasing power. Further curtailment of purchasing power and market gets squeezed further. Already existing overproduction has become further overproduction, or more overproduction. In this way crisis engulfs capitalism.
But capitalism will not die of its own. In this period of overproduction and crisis of market, capitalists are afraid of higher technology. It does not mean a little of technological development cannot take place here or there. America is fighting Germany or Japan to gain control over the market or with France or England. So she requires some development of technology so that she can produce materials with lower cost and better quality, so that the US can capture more market. To that extent they require technological development; but not uninterrupted development of science and technology through which production will become abundant and whole of humanity can get freed from hunger and starvation and hence man can become really free. This is what the proletariat needs today. Proletariat is fighting for development of sciences. Science alone can give correct understanding of life, because it tells only the truth. Without truth you cannot have a greater understanding of life. On that, bourgeoisie wants to confuse you. Bourgeoisie wants you to forget about sciences. They say that science cannot give you peace and solace of mind. They say you go for pooja and get satisfaction. Just reverse is true. Man can get real satisfaction and peace of mind only by knowing truth. And truth can be known only by means of science and by no other means. By liking and disliking, by predictions of some great babas (godmen) truth cannot be known. So the calamities what you saw can be fought out or at least controlled by man if science and technology develops, not by poojas or anything. Seismic activities can be studied and can be predicted long before and man can be evacuated from those areas where Earthquake is supposed to strike. Man can do it if science is free. This is the responsibility of the proletariat.
Proletariat has to understand it very deeply. They will have to free the society from capitalist exploitation and thereby free science from the grips and tentacle of capitalist rule, not only to control the natural forces but also to know and change the world. That means to create higher civilization by overthrowing capitalism and bringing in socialism – social ownership over means of production as against individual ownership as in capitalism and freeing production from the motive force of profit making but to meet the growing need of the society. That is the actual meaning of revolution. Revolution is noble and great. Why? It frees man, and then develops higher civilization, higher culture and higher concept of life.
Science is very important for the revolutionary movement. Science of all sciences is dialectical materialism. That we must deeply know, study and understand. To free people is to free science from the tentacles of the capitalist exploitation as well. There is no separate movement. When we talk of the emancipation of the working class we talk about emancipation of the science also. And that can be done only by the revolutionary party of the proletariat. That revolutionary party of our country is Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist). It has been now proved. See the character of CPI and CPI (M) and other fractions of these parties. Either practising opportunism combining with any force for parliamentary gains or slipping into adventurism. In between they do not know any path. It cannot be otherwise. Unless you follow the path of Marxism- Leninism and correctly analyse the condition of the country you can never analyze that ours is a capitalist state. Here the national bourgeoisie is in power. If they are in power you have to overthrow them from power. That is anti capitalist socialist revolution. It is neither against imperialism nor feudalism. Where you see feudalism now? Even if you search in the jungle using a telescope you won’t find feudalism. So by saying that the fight is against feudalism you are betraying the revolution. Opportunism and adventurism is not great.
Revolution is the struggle to overthrow the national bourgeoisie from power by the proletariat along with the semi proletarian masses. The proletariat should have progressive alliance with the poor peasants who have got so small land by cultivating which they can not maintain their livelihood; so they need to work as labourers in the lands of others, to that extent they are proletariat. That’s why we call them as semi proletarian masses. Closest alliance with them and then winning over the middle class for the revolution and isolating the hardly ten percent of the national bourgeoisie – then only condition for revolution gets created. This is the analysis Comrade Shibdas Ghosh made and that gives the actual explanation and shows the reality of India. None of these parties accept this. So they can neither see the basic problems nor can solve them.
Until the revolutionary condition is prepared we require united movement of the left and democratic parties to organize and conduct united democratic movements. Lenin showed this – proletarian revolutionary party should strive to shape up left democratic front – to unite with those who are ready to develop united working class movement. Whether they are revolutionary or not is not the point here. But from the point of democratic movement if they are ready to protect the interest of the working class we are ready to unite with them. This we have been practicing from the beginning of our party, we were all through in the united front. But CPI (M) did not like our presence because we discussed ideological questions to establish our line to the people. They are afraid of it. Why they are afraid of it? You are a big party. Let there be ideological political discussions among people that uplifts people’s political consciousness. That does not divide people. Then what is the principle of the united movement? Principle of the united movement as Lenin showed is Unity-Struggle-Unity. We unite with all the forces who consider this enemy to be the common enemy. Say today’s government, BJP government or any other time Congress government is the common enemy. We like to unite with the left democratic parties and forces. That unity we maintain and fight. Their basic line is different from ours. We believe in anti capitalist socialist revolution. In many questions there will be differences. Let there be open polemics. If your line is correct it will be accepted by the people and if our line is correct it will be accepted. Why you are afraid? We are not afraid though you are a big party. So this is the problem. When unity is there united action, united line and whatever will be taken in the united front you have to follow. If you believe in revolution you should have to fight for it. Ideological struggle is a necessity in the united movement. With these we formed the united front.
Now people dislike CPI (M). While in power in West Bengal instead of organizing people’s movement they suppressed people’s movement in Nandigram and Singur. Just like Congress they suppressed all democratic movements in Bengal. They never care for the people. People handed them a miserable defeat. Now they came to us. We are not unwilling. What has now developed not only in west Bengal but at all India level is unity only, not a united front. We are jointly organizing some movements. Our Party, CPI, CPI (M), RSP, Forward Bloc and Liberation group of CPI (ML). These six parties are jointly developing some people’s movement on some burning issues. If it develops into a united front, then it is good. We have no objection. But that should come in its real course. Following this principle, united movement can be there on the basis of common minimum agreed programme. Maximum programme of anti capitalist socialist revolution is ours and yours is people’s democratic revolution. That cannot be common. So common minimum agreed programme is the democratic demands of the masses. But in Kerala there is a different situation you know. In Kerala we have no objection if they come. We have already formed front with two other parties. According to them they are small parties. But these parties are sincere in fighting for the people. That we mind. Big party, but no care for the people’s demands then how will we unite with them? We want unity but for movement. We want unity but for protecting the interests of the people.
People’s life is miserable today. What is the condition of India today? This government has come defeating the Congress. There was no strong wave in favour of BJP or Modi. Our Party has analyzed after election that it was not the pro-BJP wave or pro-Modi wave. Actually throughout the country during parliament election there was anti congress wave. If that was pro-BJP or pro-Modi, in Kerala there should have been its reflection in the result. Not a single seat they could get from Kerala. In Tamil Nadu AIADMK, Jayalalithaa swept the polls. BJP could not do anything. In Andhra Pradesh TDP, Chandrababu Naidu swept the polls. In Telangana, TRS swept the polls. In West Bengal Mamata Banerjee swept the same. Even in Odisha BJP could not do anything. Where is BJP? The propaganda was the creation of the monopoly houses to bring Narendra Modi. Where they won, you see. They won in Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Why they won? Because they had to fight the Congress only and the people themselves wanted to defeat the Congress, what is the astonishing thing in this, what is BJP’s credit in it. And our analysis is people wanted to defeat the Congress. Last assembly elections in Delhi confirm our study very clearly. Aam Aadmi Party is nothing actually. What is that? AAP defeated BJP like anything. Crushed it! Three seats BJP got! In that very Delhi in the last parliamentary elections they got all the seven seats. In the last assembly elections BJP got 32 seats AAP got 28 seats Congress 8 seats. But in this election BJP got 3 seats only. How? 12 central cabinet ministers campaigned for BJP, 3 chief ministers of other states campaigned for BJP, and lastly Narendra Modi himself campaigned! Still got shattered, why? It shows people were searching for an alternative. They were searching for a real party that they did not get. Why they vote for BJP? It is because there was no party to defeat the Congress. So they defeated Congress. BJP came into governmental power. At once railway fare was hiked by 14%. And now you enter into railway platform you have to shell out Rs.10. No service. You go and come back. For that you have to pay Rs.10. Ache din ayega…Ache din means good days. Narendra Modi’s slogan. How Ache? Prices are now higher than those during the period of Manmohan Singh. All labour laws are going to be ‘reformed’ in the interest of the capitalists. Rights of the workers will be taken away. Not one industrial dispute act, all Acts will be changed in favour of the rulers. Inspection in the factories and industries would be completely stopped. Whatever way the management likes to run their factories and industries – there shall not be inspections, capitalist owner will issue self certificate that I am perfect and performing well! That is how things are going to be. Vijayaraje Scindia, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan BJP government has already reformed eleven laws. Previously, in factories where there were below 100 workers they could go for lay off without sanction from the government. Now, they have reformed the Act like factories Act which permits factories having labourers up to 300 to lay off workers without seeking any sanction from the government. Now the central government is bringing these laws. See, this is a total attack on the working class. Brutal attack I can say.
Then there is the Land Acquisition Ordinance with the help of which they will take away land from the people without their consent, and you can not stop it. And many farmers during Narendra Modi’s one year rule have committed suicide already. There is a barbaric attack on education. Dinanath Batra, a BJP intellectual has proposed for imparting knowledge of no less than three thousand years back. Such nonsense! So this is a total attack on the people from all sides. They talk of culture but it has nothing to do with culture, it’s nothing other than Hindu fanaticism. What happened in Gujarat?
Now coming to governmental power Modi is trying to get freed from charges he was facing. Who did riots in Gujarat? So please understand – the situation is very very serious. But this is not the only picture. This is one side of the picture. There is another side of the picture too. There is real urge in people for movement. There is real cry for movement. We have to be respond to the cry of the people. We have to develop movements. We have to mobilize people in those states where the crisis is tremendous. That will influence other states also. In whole country there should be movements. And it has already started. Movement is very important. Rolling stone gathers no mass! Stagnant water gets polluted! The motion, movement is the law of nature. Man also develops in motion, in movement. Where there is no movement there is stagnation. In thinking, in culture, there will be deviations. Our Party is trying to develop movements in the country. Comrade Shibdas Ghosh always called upon the comrades to go to the masses, organize the masses, know their problems, educate them and develop movements. But not only movements, we have to simultaneously build up the instruments of struggle viz., people’s struggle committees.
That is very important. We develop movement. It was the nature of joint movement in Bengal. Giving a call for strike and violating law, people would go to jail; people get beating and beating. If demands are not achieved, even then leaders are not worried, because they know that people’s anger will convert into votes in their favour. And if victory is there, then there is all round benefit, votes are sure to come. This way the movements were conducted!
But beyond this, people get scattered. Without any instrument of struggle how people will fight? The revolutionary party is therefore to organize people and build up political power of the people. These struggle committees are having political power of the people as in Russia where soviets were the committees for people’s struggle. What name will be there in our country is a different thing. But we will have to organize people and build up peoples committees. Real political power of the people is required. When that will be strengthened and matured politically and culturally that is with socialist culture, revolution will come. So comrades as there is dark situation in the country, the fascist force is trying to confuse the masses and there by trying to develop fascist conditions, equally there is possibility of powerful movements. Marxism says there is nothing absolute; where there is darkness there is light. We must have the power to see it. Even in fascist condition there also remains resistance, opposition of the people. You have to see it and strengthen it and overthrow fascist forces from power which Stalin did. As Stalin did in the Second World War, we have to learn from it. Today is the 70th year of the defeat of fascism and victory of socialism.
We have to learn from it. So comrades, today on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of our party I will only tell you comrades that now we are not very small. But in relation to revolution we are very small that we have to admit very humbly. But in relation to strength of other left political parties we are not small. We are working in 20-21 states. Wherever we are working and wherever Comrade Ghosh’s thought is taken to the people, they are responding exceptionally. In all the states our Party is growing very fast. We have to speed up that struggle. We have to strengthen our Party by organizing movements of the people and by organizing peoples committees for struggle. If we can do this we will bring about revolution. When will revolution come, when we prepare for it. It is a fact. Revolution requires most importantly — revolutionary party and revolutionary theory. The revolutionary theory which Comrade Ghosh has shown is not a simple political theory it is a complete understanding of life as such or the communist concept of life and the struggle including the political line also. As Lenin said that without a revolutionary theory there will be no revolution so also, without a revolutionary party there will be no revolution. We have both, now what we require is strength of the party. Lenin has proved it by conducting a successful revolution in Russia for the first time in the world. He has shown that capitalism has become old, moribund, dying. No system can be overthrown unless it is old and moribund; and when a new society is emerging from its womb then revolution takes place. It has to be overthrown. Who will overthrow? The conscious proletariat. The Communists are the conscious proletariats.
So comrades, I appeal again and again — understand the situation. Now every passing day I find so many hopeful things. When all parties are disintegrating, our Party is growing constantly. continuously without showing any sign of disintegration. Believe in it. Organize yourselves. Educate yourselves as Comrade Ghosh has taught. Marx himself told that workers will change the world, historically the workers or the proletariat will change the world, but to change the world they will have to change themselves first. On this occasion of our Party foundation day we will take such an oath and make it real. With this hope and belief I conclude paying revolutionary respect to our great leader Comrade Shibdas Ghosh.
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