There are examples of comrades who have acquired assets and incur expenses disproportionate to their known sources of income

The largest arm of the Communist Party in the country the CPI (Marxist) founded by stalwarts like Pucchalapalli Sundarayya, EMS Namboodiripad, Harkishan Singh Surjit, Pramod Dasgupta, AK Gopalan, BT Ranadive, M Basava Punniah, P Ramamurti and Jyoti Basu could manage to win just three Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections. For the first time since its formation in 1964, the party drew a blank in West Bengal. The CPI(M) which played a pivotal role in government formation at the centre in 1989, 1996 and 2004 is no more a confidant of Government of the day. The failure of the Communists will certainly enhance the influence and authority of right-wing politics and communalism and that is not healthy for the nation. 

After India’s Independence, a series of events like Sino-Soviet split and Sino-Indian war led to the split in the Communist Party of Indiain 1964. The breakaway Communist Party of India (Marxist) emerged stronger both in terms of membership and performance in Indian elections. CPI (M) has a glorious record in conducting class and mass struggles. It is the biggest contingent of the Left. It was once heading Left-led Governments in three States, now cut down to one.

In early 1950s, the united CPI was bitterly divided over the manner in which political power in India should be captured. The militant voices advocated the ‘Chinese path’, or capture of power through violent means and the other group was for the ‘Indian path’ or capture power within the constraints of Indian Constitution. Chandra Rajeswara Rao, who advocated Chinese Path, did not sail with CPI(M) after the split. Makineni BasavaPunniah, who advocated Chinese Path along with Rajeswara Rao, became a politburo member of the CPI(M) after the split in 1964. However, Sundarayya in his letter to the party Polit Bureau and Central Committee in August 1975 offered his resignation as party General Secretary and criticized Basava Punniah for limiting his role in the party.

Pucchalapalli Sundarayya was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a leader of the peasant revolt in the Telangana Rebellion. In 1936, Sundarayya became a member of the Central Committee of the undivided Communist Party of India. He went underground between 1948 and 1952. He was re-elected to the Central Committee in 1952. He was also elected to the Polit Bureau, the highest forum in the Party. When the Party leadership was in favour of supporting the Government at the time of the Sino-Indian War, Sundarayya resigned his positions protesting against the policies of the dominant leadership of the Party. He was arrested and imprisoned during November 1962 at the time of India-China border war. After the split Sundarayya was elected as its General Secretary. He continuously remained Party’s General Secretary till 1976. In that year, which fell during the Emergency, he resigned as General Secretary and Polit Buro member for what he called the "revisionist habits" acquired by the Party.

Sundarayya in his resignation pointed out among others, the Polit Buro’s failure to concretize party’s tactical line, non-seriousness on agrarian resolution in practice, ignoring building of secret part of party’s organization, Polit Bureau not functioning as a collective bodyand so on. Had the Party taken serious note of his anguish, CPI (M) position would have been much, much better than the present humiliating status.

The 19th CPM Party Congress held in 2008 at Coimbatore called for a rectification campaign against wrong trends in the Party. The rectification was meant to unify and strengthen the Party on correct principles. How far the objective could be achieved and how far the campaign percolated down below the cadre in its true spirit is

not known.

There is no doubt that alien values and ideas affected CPI(M) Party leaders and cadres. Along with the concentration of wealth, the creation of business-politician nexus at all levels is intertwining between corporate and business interests and the political system. Even the CPI(M) Central Committee once observed that the role of money power has increased to an unprecedented level in politics, particularly in elections and CPI(M) cadresare no exception to it.With the association with bourgeois parties at various levels,

particularly through electoral understandings and with the rise of the business-political nexus, there is a corresponding rise in use of money and other bourgeois practices. These have corrosive effect on CPI(M) cadres. Its relationship with secular parties was also on the declining mode.

Majority of the Party membership consists of new entrants who are still to acquire the basic outlook of the Party and they are yet to be grounded in the class and mass struggles. Such a situation leads to all sorts of feudal, bourgeois and petty bourgeois trends emerging within the Party. The party top leadership noted that, in the leading committees of the Party only around 30 per cent belong to working class, poor peasants and agricultural workers.  Violation of communist norms have also arisen. Due to parliamentary outlook and electoral opportunism, mass movements, launching struggles and building the Party is being neglected by CPI(M).

Due to distinct increase in parliamentary opportunism among CPI(M)cadre, Increased numbers of individual comrades resorted to revolting when refused party ticket. The use of money, liquor and other corrupt practices has grown in the party. The money used in elections has reached an unprecedented level in states where the party is in existence even for namesake.

The party feels threatened when some leaders and cadres fail to live up to the communist standards and values. The party is no exception to a lavish lifestyle, building posh houses, spending large amounts on weddings, and organizing festivities on a big scale. There are examples of comrades who have acquired assets and incur expenses disproportionate to their known sources of income. There are cases of Party leaders running NGOs with no check or accountability for the funds being used. Real estate promoters, contractors and liquor contractors seek to establish connections with CPM cadre and those in elected positions. The tendency to collect big amounts of money from individuals and affluent sections, instead of mass collection, has increased specially to meet election expenses. Accounts for these are not properly maintained and submitted to the respective committees. Often the Party committees are unable to initiate action due to various reasons such as factional trends, liberalism and reluctance to antagonize an important

Party cadre.

Against this background now it’s time for the CPI (M) to have an introspection and live up to the expectations of the people. It is their essential duty to align with like-minded forces of secular, democratic and socialist forces to counter right-wing politics.Maybe it is time for the party leadership to think in terms of actively supporting the alternate national agenda proposed by Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao so that the rise of the right-wing is checked and democratic forces are strengthened.

(The writer is Chief Public Relations Officer to Chief Minister of Telangana. The views expressed are personal.)