Assessing growth and the prospects

The 16th congress of the CPI(M) takes note of the overall advance made by the party but underlines the need for the party to achieve a better level of growth in the Hindi-speaking States.

VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN

THE 16th congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Calcutta concluded on October 11 with a rally, attended by about a million people, at the Brigade Parade Ground. The rally was striking not only for its size but also for the social composition of its participants. Organised by the party's West Bengal unit, with token representation from other States, the rally highlighted the CPI(M)'s heterogeneous mass base in the host State.

While the majority of the gathering undoubtedly belonged to the working class and the peasant community, members of the middle classes were also present in significant numbers. Many CPI(M) activists have made pointed reference to the increased presence of members of the middle class in party functions; they see this as an indicator of the organisation's growth in a new direction. Earlier the party did not have much influence over the urban middle class, but the trend appears to have changed in the last few years. At the same time the party has retained its sway over the rural areas. Almost every third peasant in the State is a member of the Kisan Sabha, the CPI(M)-affiliated farmers' organisation.

The nationwide formal membership of the party increased from 631,171 in 1994, the period prior to the last party congress in Chandigarh, to 717,525 in 1997. The class and mass organisations of workers, peasants, students, agricultural workers, youth and women have together recorded a growth of 49 lakhs - to 372 lakhs.

However, the growth is not uniform across the country. Three major States, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan, registered a downslide in membership since the last party congress. The congress expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of growth of the party in several States, especially the Hindi-speaking States. The lack of pronounced growth in the Hindi-speaking States has for long been a matter of concern for the party. The special plenum on organisational affairs at Salkia in West Bengal in 1978 had dwelt at length on this aspect and suggested some remedial measures. These included inducting cadres to this region from West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, where the party is strong. However, this recommendation has not been implemented.

SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH
An estimated one million people turned up at the rally.

Briefing mediapersons on the proceedings at the congress, CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet said that the delegates were of the view that the "growth of the party was not commensurate with the prestige enjoyed by it in national politics". In the party's assessment, one main reason for this situation is the dominance of bourgeois-landlord ideology in many regions, which is characterised by the large-scale prevalence of superstitious beliefs and social inequities perpetuated in the name of caste.

The political and organisational report presented at the congress also noted that the Hindutva organisations, particularly the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, accentuated the negative aspects of the social situation. The institutions that they run, such as the Saraswati shishu vidyalayas (primary schools) and the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad (a non-governmental welfare organisation) in northern, central and western India have helped spread and sustain retrograde ideologies, according to the report.

It emphasised that the CPI(M) and the Left movement should challenge and defeat the forces that fostered the inequitous social order. There were suggestions at the congress discussions that State-level units endeavour to help cadres overcome limitations and improve their strength in the States where the party is weak. The fight against casteist influences has also been identified as a thrust area. The congress suggested the setting up of special information and training centres at the national and State levels.

THERE has been an increase in membership, ranging from 6,000 to 10,000, in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, since the last congress. The congress noted that small units such as those in Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim have made significant advances despite heavy odds, which include terrorist attacks on party cadre. The membership in Jammu and Kashmir increased from 212 to 515 and that in Sikkim from 74 to 210. The maximum growth has taken place in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, States where the party has a strong base.

Prior to obtaining party membership, every activist goes through a process of orientation for three or four years as a member of a front organisation. The membership of front organisations reflects the party's appeal with the masses. There has been a significant rise in the membership and influence of mass organisations such as the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the Students Federation of India (SFI), the Agricultural Workers Union (AWU) and the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA). The membership of the DYFI has grown by approximately 10 lakhs in the last four years. The corresponding figures for the AWU is two lakhs, the SFI one lakh and the AIDWA 11 lakhs.

In the case of these organisations too, the growth has been concentrated in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. In some States, the expansion of the mass organisations has not been uniform and consistent with the party's development. For instance, the membership in Andhra Pradesh has increased from 30,791 in 1994 to 38,958 in 1997 even though the memberships of the DYFI and the AIDWA have fallen by approximately one lakh and 20,000 respectively. In Bihar, DYFI membership declined by around 20,000. A similar inconsistency was seen even in West Bengal, where SFI membership fell by 4,000 in the last four years.

THE political-organisational report makes it clear that the CPI(M) is not concerned only with quantitative growth. It has highlighted the maladies that afflict the party, such as the deficiency of ideological training, parliamentary opportunism, individualism, bureaucratism and careerist influences. Presenting the report to the congress, Surjeet said: "In the present situation in which the unprecedented liberalisation offensive is fostering consumerism, bourgeois individualism and corrupt practices, the party has to be much more vigilant in ensuring that there is no erosion in the consciousness and commitment of the cadres."

SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH
A procession taken out on the concluding day of the congress.

The report referred to the experience of the Kerala unit and the rectification measures with regard to it taken up by the Central Committee recently. The State CPI(M) registered the highest rate of increase (new members totalling more than 40,000) in membership in the last four years. The report, however, indicated that this did not necessarily reflect qualitative growth. The report said that the party's image had been dented by factionalism and opportunistic tendencies within. Many senior leaders themselves promoted factional tendencies and this had led to the emergence of parallel platforms such as the "Save CPI(M) Forum". The report also said that leaders such as M.M. Lawrence had to be dropped from the Central Committee as part of the rectification measures taken. Even Polit Bureau member and Kerala Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar was criticised for not playing a responsible enough role with regard to developments in the happenings in the State unit.

The message from these references and the subsequent discussions was that the CPI(M) would not brook any deviation from Marxist-Leninist organisational values, whatever the stature of the person committing the offence. Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat said: "The party can go forward and increase its influence among the people only by enhancing mass activities and developing class and mass struggles." Karat added that the gains made had to be sustained through political-ideological work and organisational consolidation. Surjeet said that the new Central Committee, whose members were elected unanimously at the congress, would take up these tasks with increased vigour.

Eleven new members have been elected to the Central Committee. They included the new secretary of the Kerala unit, Pinarayi Vijayan, and parliamentarian Somnath Chatterjee. Nine persons who were members in the earlier committee were dropped, including the octogenarian leader from Andhra Pradesh, L.B. Gangadhar Rao, who was the only leader at the Calcutta session to have attended all the party congresses since the formation of the Communist Party of India. AIDWA general secretary Brinda Karat, a member in the earlier committee, withdrew even though she was elected. Even as she did so, she made the point that the CPI(M) needed to give better representation to women activists in the higher forums of the party. Although the congress authorised the election of a 75-member Central Committee, only 66 members have been elected. Nine vacancies will be filled later.

The congress also postponed the election of a new Polit Bureau. Considerations such as the need to elect leaders who can spend more time at the party headquarters in New Delhi were behind this decision. The filling of the vacancies in the Central Committee and elections to the Polit Bureau are likely to take place after the Assembly elections in November. Surjeet dismissed reports that the Polit Bureau election was postponed owing to personality conflicts in the Central Committee. He said that unlike in the case of bourgeois political organisations, hankering for positions in the party was not characteristic of the CPI(M). He said the party was ready to admit that it had a long way to go before it fulfilled its goal of becoming a party of the masses in every sense of the term that would lead the country to progress and welfare.

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