(Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya, veteran Polit Bureau member, SUCI(C), delivered an inspiring and educative speech in Assamese in Guwahati on 26 April last on the occasion of observance of the 74th Party Foundation Day. The original speech in Assamese and its Bengali translation were published in instalments in Ganamukti and Ganadabi, our Assamese and Bengali organs respectively. It has been felt necessary to publish its English translation in Proletarian Era in instalments. The first, second, third and fourth instalments were published in the previous four issues i.e., Vol. 56 No. 5 dated 15 October and Vol. 56 No. 6 dated 1 November 2022 and Vol 56 no7 dated 15 November 2022 and Vol 56 no8 dated 1st December 2022 respectively. This is the fifth and final instalment. Responsibility of translation error and inadequacy of expression, if any, lies with the Editorial Board of Proletarian Era.)
But the parties claiming themselves to be leftists, like the CPI(M) and allied parties too are much the same. While posing as opposition, they have been behaving in the same way as the other bourgeois parties do. There is hardly any difference between their politics and conduct. Yet it is necessary today to glaringly expose the extremely anti-people steps taken by the ruling party and prove that they are enemies of the people. But there is no such attempt by these opposition parties, whether the bourgeois parties or the pseudo-communists. Rather the amity between the ruling BJP and the opposition is only surfacing. Not only that the pseudo-Marxists are entering into opportunist alliance with other bourgeois parties on this or that pretext with the sole objective of winning seats in the elections by hook or crook. Such politics is clearly against the interest of the people. Of late, the opposition parties have adopted another hypocritic approach. They do not build up extra-parliamentary movements against the out and out anti-people policies, legislations and measures of the government to uphold people’s demands. But often by raising some slogans to play to the gallery, they do not allow the legislatures to function. Sometimes, they stage walk-outs on a regular basis. When they leave the House like this, it comes to the advantage of the government. The government often takes the ordinance route to promulgate anti-people legislations and then absence of opposition in the House facilitates safe passage of those legislations. Simply from electoral interest and to curry favour with the ruling bourgeoisie, these parties in opposition are taking up this suicidal path. How can the truth about capitalist exploitation-oppression, the extremely undemocratic fascistic activities of the ruling dispensation be exposed before the people in this manner? Once or twice, this kind of walk-out from or boycott of Parliament might be of some value. But if the deadlock goes on for days together, how can the revolutionary duty to unmask the character of the ruling party be discharged? On the other hand, it helps the ruling party to give the opposition a bad name. The ruling party then gets the opportunity to impress upon the people that the opposition is irresponsible because being elected by popular vote, they have been creating stalemate situation. In whose interest the opposition is doing so? On top of it, how can the hollowness of bourgeois vote politics be proved to the people?
In reality, there are only two contending forces in politics
In this connection, I would like to remind you of a very valuable analysis of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. By observing this opportunistic conduct of the opposition, he had sensed that a yet more opportunist politics was in the offing. So he pointed out that although outwardly there appear to be many opposing forces in this capitalist system, but in reality, there are only two contending forces. One force comprises all the bourgeois parties and forces while the other is represented by the real opposition, the revolutionary party. You would find how this analysis of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh is proving to be correct with every passing day. There is no need to elaborate how the opportunist power-monger bourgeois leaders are frequently changing party-from the BJP to the Congress and vice versa, from the BJP to the TMC and vice versa and so forth. There is virtually a wave of opportunist defections. These turncoats in bourgeois politics is ultimately helping the BJP who is in power both at the Centre and in many states. More the position of the RSS-BJP is strengthened with the backing of the ruling class, more ruthless is the capitalist oppression-repression.
The impact of bourgeois thought is on all sections of the toiling masses irrespective of caste, creed, religion, region or ethnicity. In order to ensure that united movement against this crass communal force like the RSS-BJP, the government using administration is skillfully spreading severe anti-Muslim hatred throughout the country. In absence of security, the Muslim populace is spending sleepless nights. Is it by any means helping the Hindus? Did any of the great preachers of Hinduism advise to spread hatred, violence against any other religion? Did they recommend killing of people of different religious faith? Did any of the luminaries or great freedom fighters ask to embroil the Hindu and Muslim communities in internecine killings? Can you find a great man who preached for such carnage and bloodbath? The Indian national bourgeoise and the British imperialists only triggered heinous communal thoughts and divisiveness. They did so to destroy the freedom movement, make people victim of oppression-repression and thus partitioned the country entailing disaster for the working class and common people.
By defeating BJP in election, communal politics cannot be thwarted
Today the grievances of exploited and oppressed masses, be they Hindus or Muslims, are about to explode. To foil this, the RSS-BJP, the most loyal force of the capitalist class, are spewing worst form of anti-Muslim venom. Certainly, by this noxious act, they are trying to resist surge of united struggle of the poor exploited Hindu and Muslim people. At any cost, this malevolent communal force will have to be defeated. The extremely harmful impact of communal RSS-BJP on the common people has to be effaced by conducting intense ideological- theoretical struggle. Mere inflicting an electoral defeat would not abolish the RSS-BJP. It cannot be overlooked that there is a justified ground for the Hindu masses to nurture grievance against the extremely harmful acts of Muslim fundamental forces. It is by using these grievances to dishonest end, BJP-RSS have, through a vile campaign, been to some extent successful in arousing hatred among a good number of Hindu people against the innocent, toiling, exploited and oppressed Muslim masses. This hatred cannot be removed by anyhow defeating the BJP in election. The essential task is to unite all exploited people, regardless of whether they are Hindus or Muslims, irrespective of their caste, language or religion, and organize them fearlessly in protracted and uncompromising mighty movements based on higher ethics, morality and values against the burning problems of their life. The new morals and values that this united movement would give birth to would be the real powerful weapon and effective deterrent to the sinister murderous communal politics of the RSS-BJP. Being involved in this higher movement for a common cause and against a common enemy, oppressed people belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities would easily be able to ride above all sorts of communal divisive thoughts. While conducting such a powerful united extra-parliamentary movement, if any election comes up, then all those parties and forces fighting shoulder to shoulder would participate in the election as part of that ongoing movement. This united force of movement would alone ensure defeat of the BJP in election.
Here I would like to point out that though the correct process of inflicting crushing defeat on the RSS-BJP is known to us, there are immense hurdle before rolling it out. The anti-BJP bourgeois parties of different hues can in no way be brought out of the confines of vote-politics. On the other hand, the position of the pseudo-communists like the CPI (M), CPI is no different. They are not at all interested to build up united people’s movement. On the contrary, they are very much eager to join hands with the Congress and other bourgeois outfits with a view to gaining electoral mileage by raising anti-BJP slogan and thus exploiting the strong sentiment among the democratic-minded people of the country against communal politics of the RSS-BJP. As a result, the BJP is getting license to exacerbate anti-Muslim hate campaign.
The Congress and other bourgeois parties in opposition, continue to be silent spectators of such fascistic attack on the life and livelihood and religious beliefs of the people. They are in no mood of resisting this. By peddling so called soft-Hindutva, they are, in fact, helping the BJP. Keeping in mind the next Lok Sabha election in 2024, the BJP is taking full advantage of the situation to further divide the parties opposed to it in the arena of parliamentary politics.
SUCI(C) is a revolutionary party armed by the teachings of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. There is no other weapon, no other ideology in the hands of the people other than Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought for being emancipated from the yoke of capitalist exploitation. The bourgeois parties like the BJP, Congress are arch enemies of the people. At the same time, it is also true that the pseudo-communists like the CPI (M), CPI are helping the rightist politics by abandoning the path of movement. It is also being seen that the ruling bourgeoisie is also encouraging this ‘‘leftism’’ of the CPI (M), CPI. By chewing the cud of leftism, the CPI (M) and its allies had served the capitalist class during their 34 years of uninterrupted rule in West Bengal.
This was nothing but outright betrayal to the people. We ought to understand that Hindu fanaticism cannot be fought by Islamic fanaticism. Rather, it would cause immense harm. Communist ideology is the only deterrent to communalism-fundamentalism. So, the Hindus, Muslims and other sections of the toiling masses irrespective of caste, creed and language, will have to be united under the banner of communism. All communal conspiracies will have to be foiled by all the oppressed people by unitedly participating in the movement for ushering in communism.
The twin struggles against communalism based on democratic values and for overthrowing capitalism by revolution can alone resist communal forces in various parts of the country. You need to take that initiative. I want to say firmly that there is no reason to be frustrated. 90% Indians are poor working people. If they cement their struggling unity, the RSS-BJP would be dislodged from the socio-political arena. I have said in many meetings that when the freedom movement was being conducted mainly along leftist line under the leadership of Netaji Subhash, the people of undivided Bengal did not allow Shyama Prasad Mukherjee of Hindu Mahasabha to find any footing. Such a current of powerful movement has to be released based on Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought.
We need to conduct relentless struggle with the objective of accomplishing anti-capitalist socialist revolution. Militant class and mass struggles are to be developed. In course of that, we shall be more and more educated by the illumining revolutionary teachings of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh. Please bear in mind that an unjust system does not persist for long. People of West Bengal have ended the 34 year long rule of the CPI (M). People of India also drove the 51 long years of autocratic regime of the Congress to its downfall. Likewise, the BJP would also have to go. No one can survive long based on injustice. The struggling people imbued with genuine leftist thought would bring to an end this anti-Muslim hatred and attacks on the Muslim people by the RSS-BJP.
This united struggle will be based on democratic values. Aggressive communalism of one community cannot be the antidote of aggressive communalism of another community. Only revival of powerful militant united leftist movement can alone extricate communalism. The danger of communalism which is virulently rearing its ugly head can be countered only by building up a democratic platform of uniting all oppressed people and unleashing struggle based on that. (Concluded)
