BV Kakkilaya Inspired Oration – 2024, titled Split in the CPI- Causes and Consequences, was delivered by Com. Anil Rajimwale, an outstanding Marxist theoretician, member of the National Council of CPI, Secretary of Central Party Education Department and General Secretary of All India Progressive Forum (AIPF), on Sunday, September 29, 2023 at 10am at Bishop Jathanna Auditorium, near Sahodaya, Balmatta, Mangaluru. It was well attended by intellectuals, academics, writers, and the leaders and members of both the PI and CPM. The oration was organised under the aegis of Hosatu Monthly, Bangalore, MS Krishnan Trust, Bangalore, and Samadarshi Vedike, Mangalore.
The annual BV Kakkilaya Inspired Orations are being organised since 2013 as a tribute to the life and work of Sri BV Kakkilaya (1919-2012), and to promote alternative thought and approach to the problems of the suffering masses of our country.
The year 2024 marks 60 years of the split in the Communist Party of India, and next year happens to be the Centenary year of the foundation of the CPI. The topic for this year’s BV Kakkilaya Oration was chosen to revisit those pages of history and to analyse the consequences of that event on the Indian socio-political spheres.
Delivering the oration, Com Rajimwale opined that the split in the communist and revolutionary movements have proved to be utterly harmful to democracy and gave impetus to the right-wing extremism. He lauded the coming together of the communist and democratic forces to form the INDIA alliance as a good development to help fight the fascist forces.
Com. Rajimwale said that disregarding the scientific path to revolution shown by Lenin has been the primary reason for the confusions and crisis in theinternational communist movement. He pointed out the position taken by MN Roy at the 2nd congress of the Communist International (Comintern) in 1920, suggesting to overthrow the leadership of ‘bourgeois’ leaders like Gandhiji and others so as to gain the leadership of the the national liberation (freedom) struggle for the communists, and Lenin’s complete rejection of this position, asserting the need for the Communists everywhere and at all times to participate in the freedom struggles and bourgeois democratic movements, even if they were under the bourgeois leadership, provided they, the Communists, maintained their independent positions. After Lenin, the Stalinist and Maoist paths c4reated diversions, confusions and divisions within the communist parties in many countries, including India.
Com. Anil Rajimwale recounted that following the Quit India movement, Com PC Joshi, the then general secretary of the CPI, gave a new direction to the party, by building mass movements, integrating it with the national liberation struggle. He also developed the cultural wings within the party, such as the IPTA. All these made him and the party very attractive and respectable, so much so that Com. Joshi was considered as tall a leader as Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawharlal Nehru. However, he was opposed within the party and removed, paving the way for the so called BTR Line and Rajeshwar Rao line. The BTR Line sought to impose armed revolution by overthrowing Nehru government and establish ‘socialist’ regime. The call for a general and indefinite railway strike beginning on 9 March 1949, supposedly ‘leading to revolution’, failed completely. ‘Chinese line’ under com C Rajeswara Rao, beginning in May 1950 also failed. Calls for armed struggles against the government of free India not only alienated the people, but also angered the government, which led to the ban on the CPI. Thereafter, under Com Ajoy Ghosh as general secretary, a slow return to mainstream politics began, dominated by open mass struggles and participation in parliamentary struggles. CPI decided to participate in the general elections of 1951-52, in which it became the main opposition. In 1957 elections, CPI won in Kerala and formed a government.
However, some leaders of the party continued to be enamoured by the Chinese cultural revolution and sought to copy the same in India. CPI came to verge of a split in its Vijayawada congress in 1961. Parallel organizations were already being formed by those following the Chinese line, who had their roots in the BTR line of 1948. The aggression by China on the Indian borders in October 1962 was a grave error and destroyed the great ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’ or India-China friendship. People turned anti-Communist and the situation became grim for the CPI. The situation was saved by the unconditional and unambiguous condemnation by the CPI in October-November 1962, which also extended its full support for the defence measures by the Nehru government. The Soviet Communist Party also condemned Chinese aggression.
The CPI overcame these reverses and the first ever ‘March to Parliament’ was held on 13 September 1963, a red letter day in the post-Independence India. Lakhs of people gathered before the Parliament with more than a crore of signature on a People’s Petition. But the party was dealt a severe blow in 1964 when 32 out of 101 NC CPI members walked out of NC meeting in April 1964 in a pre-planned manner. The split was the result of tactical differences rather than personal and egoistic issues.
Com. Anil Rajimwale asserted that the split in teh communist party destroyed the upsurge of youth, workers and peasanta struggles, and led to vertical splits in the Kisan Sabha, trade unions, student-youth organizations, throwing all these into confusion and disarray. This eventually led to the rise of fascist and communal forces who have now captured power, to the detriment of the very fabric of our nation and its great Constitution.
Com. Rajimwale highlighted the fact that India had a very unique position when it was liberated from the imperialist colonialism. Nehru, the first prime minister, was Marxist in his ideology and had a drawn a socilaist roadmap for developing the country, with importance given to the public sector. The Constitution of India, developed with the participation of all sections of the political spectrum, was the most voluminous and the best document of the time, that guaranteed equality and adult franchise for every citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, gender and socio-economic status. Com. Rajimwale asserted that sucha situation and such a Constitution provided a unique opportunity fo rthe Communists to usher in a socialist society through democratic electoral process. Comparing the path taken by Ho Chin Minh in Vietnam, Com. Rajimwale opined that the Communists in India also had a similar opoortunity to integrate nationalism with socilaistic policies in India and that nationalism is not the monopoly of the right wing and it should not be allowed to be so.
Com. Siddanagouda Patil and Com B Shakhar felicitating Com Anil Rajimwale
He blamed some of the wrong decisions taken by the communist leaders for the present condition in the country and the communist parties. Stating that two communist leaders prevented Jyothi Basu from becoming the Prime Minister of the country, he said the country would have progressed in a different direction and there would have been no space for extreme right wing if Basu had become the PM. Stating that the country is going through a very difficult phase, he said the responsibility to improve the situation also lies with communists. “Because of our lack of awareness and lack of scientific analysis of communal forces, it took 10 long years to come to an understanding and form I.N.D.I.A bloc. It’s a good development that left forces and democratic forces are coming together,” he said.
Dr Srinivas Kakkilaya welcomed. Tributes were paid to Com Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPIM, Com. RS Rajaram, the architect of Navakarnataka Publications, and Com. BK Krishnappa, past district secretary of teh CPI, who passed away recently.
Prof. Keshavan Veluthat, Ajay Madhavan, Prof. Jarayaj Amin, Prof. Phaniraj and others actively particiated in the discussions.
Dr Siddanagouda Patil, Editor, Hosatu monthly, stressed the need for left unity and merger of all the streams of the communist movement in India, and expressed hope that such a day will not be far. He also proposed the vote of thanks.
