Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation
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The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (abbreviated: CPI(ML), CPI-ML, CPIML(L), CPI-ML(L), CPI MaLe, or CPIML Liberation) also referred to as the Liberation Group,[3] is a Communist political party in India.
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CPI(ML), CPI-ML, CPIML(L), CPI-ML(L), CPIML Liberation |
| General Secretary | Dipankar Bhattacharya |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Preceded by | Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) |
| Headquarters | Charu Bhawan, U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi-110092 |
| Student wing | All India Students Association |
| Youth wing | Revolutionary Youth Association |
| Women's wing | All India Progressive Women's Association |
| Labour wing |
|
| Peasant's wing | All India Kisan Mahasabha |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| Colours | Red |
| ECI Status | State Party[2] |
| Alliance | Mahagathbandhan (Bihar) (2015–present) Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand) (2019–present) |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 0 / 543 |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 0 / 245 |
| Seats in Bihar Legislative Assembly | 12 / 243 |
| Seats in Jharkhand Legislative Assembly | 1 / 81 |
| Number of states and union territories in government | 2 / 31 |
| Election symbol | |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| cpiml | |
History edit
In 1973 the original Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) split, with one group led by Sharma and another by Mahadev Mukherjee. Vinod Mishra initially belonged to Mukherjee's party, but he and the Burdwan Regional Committee broke with Mukherjee in September 1973. Mishra sought contact with the Sharma group, but the Burdwan Regional Committee was later divided and Mishra denounced the political line of Sharma (a critique, which amongst other things, called for the formation of open mass organizations, a move that almost constituted a heresy in the CPI (ML) movement at the time).[4]
In 1974 Mishra came into contact with Subrata Dutta (Jauhar), a leader of armed struggle in the plain areas of Bihar. On 28 July 1974 (the second death anniversary of Charu Majumdar) a new party Central Committee was formed with Jauhar as General Secretary and Mishra and Swadesh Bhattacharya (Raghu) as members.[4] The reorganized party became known as the 'anti-Lin Biao' group (whilst the faction of Mahadev Mukherjee constituted the 'pro-Lin Biao' group).[5] The anti-Lin Biao group became known as the CPIML Liberation.[6]
Mishra served as West Bengal secretary of the new party organization. Under Mishra's leadership new dalams (guerilla squads) were formed.
In November 1975 Jauhar was killed during Lal Sena activities. Mishra became the new party General Secretary in a reorganized five-member Central Committee. Mishra organized a second party congress, held clandestinely in the rural areas of Gaya district in February 1976. The congress unanimously re-elected Mishra as General Secretary.[4]
Reorientation and rectification edit
Mishra was the political architect of the process of re-orientation of CPIML Liberation.[4] By 1976 the party had adopted a position that armed struggle would be combined with building a broad anti-Congress democratic front movement.[6] The process was further elaborated through an internal rectification process initiated in late 1977. Party study circles and party schools were started from central to the block level of the party structure. The theory of two line tactics started to develop.
In 1981 party tried to unify the other splintered ML factions. The party organised a unity meeting with 13 ML factions to form a unified leading core . But the initiative was a failure.
The IPF edit
In the early 1980s CPIML Liberation began building an open non-party mass movement (in direct to the original policy of CPI (ML)), the Indian People's Front (founded in April 1982). Nagbhushan Patnaik became the president of IPF. The construction of IPF, through which the underground party could develop links to other democratic forces on the basis of a popular, democratic and patriotic programme, was based on interventions by Mishra.[4] However although Mishra broke with the dogmas of the early CPI (ML), he never renounced Charu Majumdar's legacy.[5]
In the third party congress it was decided that IPF will participate in parliamentary elections. In 1989 IPF's Rameshwar Prasad won the loksabha seat from Ara (Bhojpur). In 1990, IPF won 7 seats from Bihar Legislative Assembly. Special initiatives taken for restructuring the party and open up. IPF hold its first rally on 8 October 1990 in Delhi.
The ASDC edit
In 1985, the party launched People's democratic Front (PDF) in Karbi Anglong district of Assam which won a seat in state assembly. In 1987 PDF was transformed to Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC). A sustained mass movement by ASDC help it to sweep district council elections in 1989. In 1981, ASDC's Jayanta Rongpi became an MP in Parliament. In 1996, ASDC was able to send its five-member group in Assam assembly as MLA.
In 1992, after the Fifth party congress (Held in Kolkata), the party comes out in the open from its underground status.[7] Mishra was re-elected General Secretary of the party at the sixth congress of CPIML Liberation in Varanasi in October 1997.[4]
Present edit
The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (Liberation), led by Dipankar Bhattacharya is a surviving faction of the CPI (M-L).[8] Liberation has established legal overground structures (trade unions, student groups, peasant organisations etc.) and participates in elections. In the Lok Sabha elections in 1999 the party won 0.3% of the votes and one seat (the former ASDC-seat from Assam). In the 2004 elections the seat was lost, mainly due to a split within ASDC. As of 2016, the party has been able to send its representatives to the state legislative assemblies of Bihar and Jharkhand as well as the panchayats of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Punjab.
In November 2020, it won 12 seats in Bihar's election.[9]
Publications edit
The English-language publication of the party is Liberation, and thus the party is called CPIML Liberation. Apart from Liberation, the party publishes a central Hindi weekly organ, Samkaleen Lokyuddh. Some state party committees publish their own organs, like the weekly Ajker Deshabrati in West Bengal, Nabasphulinga in Tripura, Teeppori in Tamil Nadu, Telugu Liberation in Andhra Pradesh, Kannada Liberation in Karnataka, Samkali Lok Morcha in Punjab, etc.
Programme edit
General programme of CPIML-L presents a doctrine followed by the party, which consists of:[7]
Working class leadership, which means that the workers have to edit
- unite itself by paying special attention to its biggest contingent in the countryside and the vast unorganised labour scattered in urban areas, fight for improving the living and working conditions facing the working people, resist the attempts of global capital and the Indian big bourgeoisie to transfer the burden of their periodic crises onto the shoulders of the Indian people;
- organise and support revolutionary peasant struggles and build powerful strongholds in the countryside;
- organise and support the whole range of democratic and anti-imperialist struggles of the Indian people;
- organise, support and unite with the movement for women’s liberation;
- organise, support and unite with the struggles for abolition of all sorts of oppression of, and discrimination and prejudice against, dalits and other oppressed groups and for annihilation of the caste system itself;
- organise, support and unite with the struggles of oppressed nationalities for the right of self-determination, of religious minorities for religious and cultural freedom, and of tribal communities and other indigenous people for dignity, equality and justice;
- support and promote the progressive democratic aspirations and initiatives of the intelligentsia;
- support every endeavour to develop a democratic media network vis-a-vis the corporate-dominated reactionary media and broaden the horizons of people’s culture to challenge the dominant mainstream of escapist entertainment;
- support and build solidarity with progressive people’s struggles elsewhere in South Asia
- support and unite with the progressive struggles and initiatives of the Indian diaspora and other people of South Asian origin for their rights and dignity and against racism and imperialism;
- unite with the international working class movement and support the struggles of the people of the world against imperialism and reaction and for freedom, democracy and socialism.
The role of the Party in relation with society and governance edit
- the Party must retain its independent organisational functioning and political initiative at all costs,
- the power enjoyed by the local bodies/governments must be fully utilized to carry out radical democratic reforms and orient popular consciousness towards a new democratic alternative,
- vis-a-vis the next higher authorities up to the central authority, such local bodies/governments must serve as part and parcel of a broader revolutionary opposition, and
- the Party and the local bodies/governments led by it must make sure that the free development of democratic forces, democratic consciousness and democratic movements is not hindered under any circumstances.
Establishment of the "People's Democratic State" edit
- 1.Thorough democratisation of the structure and affairs of the state
- vesting political power at every level with bodies elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage and subjecting the administrative network to people’s supervision and control;
- empowering the people with the right to recall elected representatives as well as civil service officials to ensure accountability and check any abuse of power;
- guaranteeing full individual and collective democratic rights of the people and various democratic parties and organisations;
- eradication of the legacy of state terrorism, police brutalities and army intervention in civil affairs and restructuring the police and armed forces and infusing them with a new spirit of respect for human rights and service to the people and the nation;
- rooting out of criminalisation and corruption in all spheres of political and economic life and introduction of a prompt and progressive justice delivery system.
- 2.Reconstitution of national unity on the basis of a federal, democratic, secular polity
- recognising the nationalities’ right to self-determination in various degrees up to secession while cultivating a sense of belonging, equality and security in all minority groupings;
- effective democratisation of decision-making, devolution of resources and decentralisation of developmental activities to enlist popular participation in nation-building, with due emphasis on backward areas.
- 3. Promotion of rapid self-reliant, sustainable and balanced economic development and eradication of mass poverty
- robust agrarian development based on thoroughgoing land reform and comprehensive state assistance to agriculture;
- protection of agricultural land and nationalisation of all mineral resources and oil and gas;
- comprehensive industrialisation making judicious use of the country’s natural and human resources;
- promotion of small and medium enterprises, assisting them with institutional credit and marketing facilities, promotion of handicrafts and indigenous products, helping them organise into cooperatives;
- meeting the country’s growing energy needs by self-reliant means, reducing dependence on external sources, avoiding dangerous options like nuclear energy and big dams, and promoting alternative and renewable means of energy generation;
- transfer of the reins of national economy from the hands of the monopoly-multinational-mafia-landlord-kulak nexus to the state and various organisations of the people, confiscation of black money and illegal wealth held domestically or abroad;
- creation of a powerful home market by developing the purchasing power of the common people, ensuring massive state procurement of agricultural produce and provision of basic goods and services for all;
- vesting the working people with effective say in policy-making and production and stopping brain drain by creating adequate domestic opportunities for the highly skilled and promoting indigenous R&D;
- re-ordering the present priorities and reorienting the existing policies to suit the needs of self-reliance, public welfare and a dignified life for the working people with a higher standard of living;
- radically improving the condition of the working class by abolishing contractualisation of work, ensuring full trade union rights with secret ballot, protecting collective bargaining and right to strike, fixing and ensuring a living wage for all workers, ensuring social security measures for disabled and retired workers, strictly enforcing the policy of equal pay for equal work, abolishing child labour and effecting progressive reduction of working hour.
- 4. Ensuring comprehensive public amenities and welfare
- putting an end to privatisation and commercialisation of public amenities and ensuring universal right to food, right to free and quality education at all levels, right to work, right to free and quality health care, right to basic amenities like drinking water, housing and sanitation, public transport, and sports and recreation facilities; universal child care; care of the old, disabled and distressed; provision of adequate training and opportunities for all deprived and disadvantaged sections to ensure effective social justice;
- preserving ecological and environmental equilibrium, taking preventive measures against epidemics and infectious diseases and putting in place effective programmes and systems to prevent, minimise and manage natural calamities and the disastrous impact of climate change;
- discarding the dogma of ‘development’ through displacement, ensuring effective rehabilitation and resettlement of refugees of corporate-led ‘development’ strategy, and guaranteeing the traditional forest and livelihood rights of indigenous people and forest-dwellers.
- 5. Effecting a modern democratic cultural transformation of the whole society
- promotion of a democratic and progressive socio-cultural milieu in place of decadent feudal and imperialist culture, encouraging the rich cultural heritages of our people while promoting all modern cultural forms and disciplines;
- creation of adequate sports infrastructure and training facilities to promote the huge untapped potential of the Indian youth and develop India’s performance in the international arena of sports and games;
- abolition of all types of social, economic and sexual exploitation of women and ensuring their equal status and rights in all spheres of life, eradication of caste oppression and discrimination, protection of the rights of indigenous people and various minority communities, helping all weaker sections of the society to catch up in the race of social progress and ensuring their equal status.
- 6. Promotion of a progressive anti-imperialist foreign policy
- abrogation of all unequal treaties and pacts with the imperialists, as well as all unequal treaties imposed by the Indian ruling classes on neighbouring countries;
- developing firm unity with socialist countries and other progressive anti-imperialist regimes and friendly relations with developing countries in general, forging solidarity with peoples struggling for emancipation and against imperialist globalisation, domination and war – whether imperialist war or imperialism-inspired proxy war – with special emphasis on developing South Asian solidarity against imperialism;
- establishing diplomatic relations with all countries on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence.
States edit
Bihar edit
The party has a longstanding conflict with the feudal landlords since the beginning of CPI (ML). Siwan, Bhojpur, Arrah are the strongholds of CPI (ML) movement.[10] The communist movement in Bihar was founded by the comrade Jagdish Mahto, Rameshwar Ahir and Ramnaresh Ram in the Ekwaari village of Bhojpur.[11]
Bihar Legislative Assembly Election edit
CPIML Liberation emerged as the third largest party in Bihar Legislative Assembly Election 2015. The party contested jointly along with CPI, CPI(M), RSP, Forward block, and SUCI(C) as a third alternative to the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar. The party won the seats of Darauli, Balrampur and Tarari) each. The party has a vote percentage of 1.5% in the state. All the left parties together have a vote percentage of 3.59%.
CPI(ML) Liberation contested the 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly election as part of the Mahagathbandhan, an alliance of the UPA and the leftist parties led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal. The party secured 12 seats with a vote percentage of 3.16%, making it the fifth largest party in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.[12][13] However, the Mahagathbandhan lost the election to the rival National Democratic Alliance.[14]
As a result of the election, the CPI(ML)L was recognised as a state party by the Election Commission of India.[2]
Jharkhand edit
Since the separation of Jharkhand from Bihar important places like Ranchi, Dhanbad, Giridih, Koderma, Jamtada and others have been field of work of the party. In Jharkhand the party is the representative of regional adivasis who have conflicts with corporates and government against improper land seizure without proper rehabilitation. The party also has conflicts with the local coal mafias.[15]
2014 state election edit
The party contested in cooperation with state left parties like Marxist Coordination Centre(MCC), CPI, and CPI(M) as an alternative to the BJP and INC led alliances. The party won the Dhanwar seat.
The party got 1.5% of vote in the state. All the left parties together got 2.5% vote in the state.
2019 state election edit
The party gained the legislative assembly seat of Bagodar[16] but lost the previous seat from Dhanwar.
Leadership edit
The current general secretary of CPIML Liberation is Dipankar Bhattacharya. The 10th party congress of CPIML Liberation, held in Mansa, Punjab, 28 th March 2018 elected a Central Committee with 77 members. The Central Committee later elected a 17 numbers of Politburo members Committee.[17]
Politburo members edit
| No. | Name | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dipankar Bhattacharya | West Bengal |
| 2 | Swadesh Bhattacharya | West Bengal |
| 3 | Kartik Paul | West Bengal |
| 4 | Rubul Sharma | Bihar |
| 5 | Ramji Rai | Jharkhand |
| 6 | Amar | Jharkhand |
| 7 | Arindam Sen | West Bengal |
| 8 | Kunal | Bihar |
| 9 | Dhirendra Jha | Bihar |
| 10 | Janardan Prasad | Bihar |
| 11 | Manoj Bhakta | Tamil Nadu |
| 12 | Partha Ghosh | West Bengal |
| 13 | Kavita Krishnan | Delhi |
| 14 | Prabhat Chaudhary | Bihar |
| 15 | Shankar V | Tamilnadu |
| 16 | Rajaram Singh | Punjab |
| 17 | Vinod Singh | Jharkhand |
General Secretary edit
| No. | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Subrata Dutta | 1974–1975 |
| 2nd | Vinod Mishra | 1975–1998 |
| 3rd | Dipankar Bhattacharya | 1998–incumbent |
Mass organizations edit
The main mass organizations of the party are:
- Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA)
- All India Students Association (AISA)
- All India Agricultural and Rural Labour Association (AIARLA)
- All India Peasants' Coordination Committee
- All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU)
- All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA)
- Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC)
- All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c . Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) website. 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Amending Notification regarding Political Parties and their Symbols Dated 01.03.2021". India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ Bose, Sumantra (2013). Transforming India: Challenges to the World's Largest Democracy. Cambridge, Massachusetts & London: Harvard University Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-674-05066-2.
- ^ a b c d e f Sen, Arindam. The Life of Vinod Mishra 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Karat, Prakash. Naxalism Today; At an Ideological Deadend[sic]. The Marxist, Volume: 3, No. 1, January–March 1985
- ^ a b Frontline. The road from Naxalbari 17 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Volume 22 - Issue 21, 8–21 October 2005
- ^ a b . archive.cpiml.org. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ^ . cpiml.net. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Election Commission of India". results.eci.gov.in. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation Library ItemsCommunist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation". cpiml.org. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ Omvedt, Gail (1993). Reinventing Revolution: New Social Movements and the Socialist Tradition in India. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 58–60. ISBN 0765631768. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "CPI (ML)'s show in Bihar an eye-opener for Left parties". thehindu.com. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Bihar Election Result Constituency-wise: RJD emerges single largest party, but NDA in the driver's seat". Deccan herald. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Bihar election: India's BJP coalition wins key state election". BBC News. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ . cpiml.org. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Bagodar Election Results 2019 Live Updates: Vinod Kumar Singh of CPI(ML)(L) Wins". News18. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ . Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
External links edit
- Constitution of the Party[permanent dead link], retrieved at Election Commission of India website
- "The Naxalite Movement in Central Bihar" PDF document[permanent dead link]. By Bela Bhatia. . 9 April 2005 pp 1536 – 1549.