Party Constitution Updated in 2022

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Article I

Name:

The name of the Party shall be the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Red Star.

Article II

Emblem:

The emblem of the Party shall be a crossed hammer and sickle in white against a red background, with five white stars forming a quadrant on the left side of the hammer and sickle as symbol of proletarian internationalism.

Article III

Flag:

The Flag of the Party shall be the Red Flag of rectangular shape the ratio of length and breadth being 3:2 with hammer and sickle and the five stars in a quadrant in white inscribed in middle of the top one quarter (near the pole).

Article -IV

Guiding Ideology and General Program

The CPI (ML) Red Star, the vanguard, that is, the advanced detachment, of the Indian proletariat, upholds Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought as its guiding ideology, and seeks to apply it to the concrete conditions of India and to integrate it with the concrete practice of Indian revolution, uncompromisingly struggling against both revisionist and sectarian tendencies of all hues.
It is committed to complete the tasks of People’s Democratic Revolution (PDR) and to establish the People’s Democratic Dictatorship. The task before the Party in the stage of the People’s Democratic Revolution is to overthrow the rule of comprador -bureaucratic bourgeois-landlord classes serving imperialism and replace the present reactionary Indian state with the People’s Democratic State led by the proletariat. The basic Program of the party is to complete the PDR, to advance towards socialist revolution, and to march forward under the guiding principles of dictatorship of the proletariat for the realization of socialism and communism.
The CPI (ML) Red Star upholds proletarian internationalism. Equality and fraternity shall be the principles guiding the relations between all Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations the world over.
The CPI (ML) Red Star strives to build up communist party based on Bolshevik principles, uniting all the Communist Revolutionaries into a single Party.

Article V

Party Membership

Any Indian citizen, eighteen years of age or above, who accepts the Program and Constitution of the Party, agrees to work in one of the Party committees, pays the Party membership fees and levy regularly and carries out decisions of the Party shall be eligible for Party membership.
New members are admitted to the Party on individual application and through Party Branch or other Party committees on the recommendation of two Party members. The Party committees at local or town, taluk or block or area, district, state and central levels also have the power to admit new members to the Party. The Party members who recommend an applicant must furnish the Party committee concerned truthful information about the applicant, from personal knowledge and with due sense of responsibility. All applications for Party membership after their recommendation and approval must be placed before the next higher committee within a month of their presentation and recommendation.
Barring exceptional cases, Party members should be recruited from those who have worked in class/mass organizations and have been tested in some organizational work and class struggle, who have worked in an activist/sympathizers group functioning under a party committee. Special 13 caution must be maintained against careerists, conspirators and double dealers, bad characters and enemy agents from sneaking into the Party.
The meeting of the Party committee concerned where the application is presented shall decide the admission of the new members. If applicant is admitted to the Party, she/he will be regarded as a candidate member. A candidate member will have to undergo a minimum period of candidature of one year. The period of candidature will be two years for those coming from the capitalist, landlord and other exploiting classes.
The Party committee admitting candidate members shall arrange for their elementary education on the Party Program, Party Constitution and the current policies of the Party and observe their development.
By the end of the period of candidature, the Party Committee concerned shall discuss whether the candidate member is qualified to be admitted to full membership. The party committee concerned may admit candidates to full membership or prolong the period of candidature for another term not exceeding six months. If a candidate member is found unfit, the Party committee may cancel her/his candidate membership. A report of recruitment shall be regularly forwarded by the Party Committee concerned to the next higher Party committee.
The higher committee may on scrutiny of the report, alter or modify any such decision after consultation with the Party committee which has submitted the report. The District and State Committees shall exercise supervisory powers over the recruitment of candidate members and over admissions to full membership and have the right to modify or reject the decision of the lower committees in this respect.
The membership fee will be Rs.20/- annually. Levy shall be collected by the committee to which the member belongs after assessing the capacity of the member concerned.
A Party member can transfer her/his membership from one committee to another with the approval of the committee from which transfer is sought and by presenting a letter of introduction from the same to the new committee she/he wishes to join. In case of transfer outside the district or state, approval by the district or the state committee concerned shall be necessary. This shall be subject to the approval of the next higher committee.
Members once expelled from the Party can be readmitted only by the decision of the Party committee which confirmed their expulsion, subject to the approval of the next higher committee.
When a leading member from another political party from local, area, district or state level wants to join the Party, it is necessary to have the sanction of the next higher committee in addition to the sanction of the local, area, district or state committee, before the concerned member is admitted to membership of the Party. In exceptional cases the central committee or the state committee can admit such members to the full membership of the Party. In case of the state committee taking such a decision, it shall obtain previous sanction from the central committee.
Party membership should be subjected to renewal every year. Party members who are failing to take active part in activities decided by the concerned Party committees and higher committees, to carry out the decisions of the Party, to maintain Party discipline, or to pay membership fee or levy for the whole year without any satisfactory reason should be asked to withdraw their membership, and failing which their name shall be removed from the membership roll subject to the approval of the next higher committee.
Every party member shall declare her/his assets at the time of confirmation of membership and shall submit details if any new assets are obtained later during the membership renewal.
While the general principle is to give membership on individual basis, when the merger of a communist revolutionary organization group//section with the party takes place, all the party members and candidate members of it as per the merger document shall be included in the membership /candidate membership register, and they shall be filing renewal forms for membership during the next year’s renewal process.
A Party member elected to the Central Committee shall give up his/her caste surname.

Article –VI

Party Pledge

Every member jointing the Party shall take the Party Pledge. The Pledge shall be: “I accept Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought as the guiding ideology of the Party.

“I accept the Program of the Party and agree to abide by its Constitution and work sincerely to implement the decisions of the Party. I pledge to be loyal and honest in words and deeds to them.

“I shall strive to live up to the ideals of Communism and selflessly serve and fight for the proletarian cause and revolution always placing the interest of the Party, People and Revolution above personal interests and strive to uphold the honor and dignity of the Party.

“I will fight communalism, casteism, revivalism, national chauvinism and gender discrimination in life and society.

“I shall fight against all forms of national chauvinism, adhere to the principle of proletarian internationalism, uphold the spirit of working for world revolution, shall uphold the unity of the working class and the oppressed masses at international level, and stand for the unity of the communist parties at international level”.

Article -VII

Distribution of Party Levy and Membership Fee

Party levy collected from Party members by concerned Party committees shall be distributed as follows: 10 percent for the Central Committee; 40 percent for State Committee and the remaining 50 percent shall be divided among the District committee and the lower committees as decided by the district committee concerned.
All membership and renewal fees shall go to the Central Committee.

Article – VIII

Responsibilities of Party Members

Responsibilities of Party members are as followings:

Strive to develop the understanding of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought and learn to integrate theory with the practice.
Regularly participate in all the activities of the Party committee in which one is a member and faithfully implement the policies, decisions and instructions of the Party.
Read Party paper and publications. Help to regularly bring them out and to actively propagate them.
Follow the Party Constitution and maintain discipline. Live and behave in accordance with the great principles of Communism and in accordance with the spirit of proletarian internationalism.
Subordinate one’s own personal interests to the Party and people interests.
Serve the masses devotedly and strengthen relation with them continuously and always be ready to learn from the masses and participate in the struggle of the people. Report their necessities and opinions to the Party. If not exempted for specific reasons, function in one of the class/mass organizations under the instructions of the Party.
Strengthen comradely relation among members. Constantly develop fraternal relations within the Party.
Regularly carry out criticism and self- criticism for improving one’s own and collective activities and for helping each other.
Never betray the confidence reposed by the Party. Behave with openness and sincerity in the Party.
Protect the unity and strength of the Party; maintain vigilance against the enemies of the proletariat and the people.
Fight consistently against all oppressions and discriminations based on religion, caste, nationality and gender and firmly oppose such disruptive tendencies as communalism, fundamentalism, casteism, provincialism, parochialism and patriarchy.
Be uncompromising towards all deviations from Marxism–Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought as well as from ideological and political line of the party. Fight against all non -proletarian ideas and trends of revisionism, left and right opportunism, liberalism, sectarianism, anarchism and dogmatism.
It is the task of the Party committee to guide the Party members in implementing above mentioned responsibilities and to help them in whichever way possible to implement them.

Article IX

Rights of Party Members

Rights of the Party members are as follows:
a) To elect Party committees and to get elected to them.
b) To participate freely in discussions in order to contribute towards the formulation of Party policy and of the decisions of the Party.
c) To make proposals regarding one’s own work in the party to get work assigned to oneself in accordance with one’s ability and situation in life.
d) To make criticisms about Party committees and Party functionaries at Party meetings.
e) To demand to be heard in person when a Party committee discusses disciplinary action against or evaluates their personal character or work in connection with serious mistakes which she/he is alleged to have committed.
f) When any Party member disagrees with any decision of a Party committee or any organization under the Party leadership, she/he has right to submit her/his opinion to the higher committee, including and up to the Central Committee and the Party Congress. In all such cases the Party member shall, of course, carry out the party decision and the differences shall be sought to be resolved through the test of practice and through comradely discussions;
g) To address any statement, appeal or complaint to any higher Party committee up to and including the Central Committee and the Party Congress, provided that such statement or complaint shall be addressed by each member to her/ his primary committee in the first place. Such primary committee may take a decision on such a statement or complaint. If the member is not satisfied with such a decision, or if no decision is taken thereon for three months, the member concerned shall have the right to appeal to the next higher committee and in the same manner up till and including the Central Committee or the Party Congress.
It shall be the duty of Party committee and Party functionaries to see that these rights are respected.
The candidate members are entitled to all rights of a full-fledged member except the right to vote and to be elected.

Article-X

Organizational Principles of the Party

The structure of the Party is based on, and its internal life is guided by the principles of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism means central leadership based on full inner – Party democracy and inner- Party democracy under the guidance of the centralized leadership. In the sphere of the Party structure, the guiding principles of democratic centralism are:
a) All Party committees from top to bottom shall be elected.
b) The minority shall carry out the decisions of the majority, the lower Party committees shall carry out the decisions and directives of the higher Party committees, the individual shall subordinate herself/himself to the collective. All Party committees shall carry out the decisions and directives of the Party Congress and of the Central Committee.
c) All Party committees shall periodically report on their work to the Party committees immediately below and all lower committees shall likewise report to their immediate higher committees.
d) All Party committees, particularly the leading Party committees shall pay constant heed to the opinion and criticism of the lower Party committees and the rank and file Party members.
e) All Party committees shall function strictly on the principle of collective decisions and checkup, combined with individual responsibility.
f) All questions concerning international affairs, questions of all India character, or questions concerning more than one State or questions requiring uniform decisions for the whole country, shall be decided upon by the Central Committee. All questions of a state or district character shall be ordinarily decided upon by the concerned Party committees. But in no case shall such decisions run counter to the decisions of higher Party committees. When the Central Committee has to take a decision on any issue of major importance concerning a state, it shall do so after consultation with the State Committee concerned. The State Committee shall do likewise in relation to districts.
g) On issues which affect the policy of the Party at all India level, but on which the Party’s stand point is to be expressed for the first time, only the Central Committee of the Party is entitled to make a policy statement. The lower committees can and should send their opinions and suggestions in time for consideration by the Central Committee.
Basing itself upon the experience of the entire Party membership and of the popular movement, in the sphere of the internal life of the Party the following guiding principles of democratic centralism are applied:
a) Free and frank discussion within the Party committee on all questions affecting the Party, its policy and work.
b) Sustained efforts to activate the Party members in popularizing and implementing the Party policies, in raising their ideological political level and improving their general education so that they can effectively participate in the life and work of the Party.
c) When serious differences arise in a Party committee, every effort should be made to arrive at a common understanding. Failing this, the decision should be postponed with a view to resolve the differences through further discussions, unless an immediate decision is called for by the needs of the Party and the mass movement.
d) Encouragement of criticism and self-criticism at all levels, from top to bottom especially criticism from below.
e) Consistent struggle against bureaucratic tendencies at all levels.
f) Impermissibility of factionalism and factional grouping inside the Party in any from.
g) Strengthening of the Party spirit by developing fraternal relations and mutual help, correcting mistakes by treating comrades sympathetically, judging them and their work not on the basis of isolated mistakes or incidents, but by taking into account their whole record of service to the Party.
Differing views should be given representation in the respective committees.
In extraordinary situations, organizing committees may be formed at all levels.
The primary committee will be the link between the Party and people. The opinions of the people and the committees will be carefully studied, summed up, assimilated and used to improve and formulate the party’s policies.
The Central Committee and State Committees shall be constituted of capable and dedicated comrades based on cadre policy. This principle should be followed in the case of lower committees also as far as possible. The Party shall undertake the responsibility to develop the professional revolutionaries.

Article – XI

Criticism and Self-Criticism

Criticism and Self-Criticism is one of the most important principles of Party committee system. It is absolutely essential for the Party in general, the leadership, the committees and party members in particular to conduct it.

Criticism and self – criticism must be based on the Party line and its practice.
Criticism must be made within the Party and the concerned unit, not outside it.
Criticism regarding the higher committees or against their decisions should be sent to the concerned committee.
The unity of the Party is achieved through the principle of unity-struggle–unity, i.e., through the process of criticism and self-criticism.

Article –XII

Party Discipline

Discipline is indispensable for preserving and strengthening the unity of the Party, for enhancing its strength, its fighting ability and its prestige, and for enforcing the principles of democratic centralism. Without strict adherence to the Party discipline, the Party cannot lead the masses in struggle and actions, nor discharge its responsibility towards them.
Discipline is based on conscious acceptance of the aims, Program and policies of the Party. All members of the Party are equally bound by Party discipline irrespective of their status in the Party organization or in public life.
Violation of the Party Constitution and decisions of the Party as well as any other action and behaviour unworthy of a member of the Communist Party shall constitute a breach of Party discipline and are liable to disciplinary actions.
The disciplinary actions are
Warning.
Censure.
Public censure.
Removal from the post held in the Party.
Suspension from full Party membership for any period but not exceeding one year.
Removal from the Party rolls.
Expulsion
If any member of any committee of any committee fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the said committee then that committee shall have the authority to call for an explanation from that member and, after hearing that member on his explanation, if that explanation is not found to be satisfactory, to remove that member from that committee, subject to ratification from the State Committee or the Central Committee, provided that the member so removed shall have the right to appeal to the Control Commission.
Disciplinary action shall normally be taken where other methods, including methods of persuasion, have failed to correct the comrade concerned. But even where disciplinary measures have been taken, the efforts to help the comrade to correct herself/himself shall continue. In cases where the breach of discipline is such that it warrants an immediate disciplinary measure to protect the interests of the Party or its prestige, the disciplinary action shall be taken promptly.
Expulsion from the Party is the severest of all disciplinary measures and this shall be applied with utmost caution, deliberation and judgment.
No disciplinary measure involving expulsion or suspension of a Party member shall come into effect without confirmation by the next higher committee. In case of suspension or expulsion, the penalized Party member shall, however, be removed from the responsible post that she/he may hold pending confirmation.
The comrade against whom a disciplinary measure is proposed shall be fully informed of the allegations, charges and other relevant facts against her/him. She/he shall have the right to he heard in person by the Party committee in which her/his case is discussed.
Party members found to be strike-breakers, habitual drunkards, moral degenerates, betrayers of Party confidence, guilty of financial irregularities or members whose actions are detrimental to the Party and the working classes, shall be dealt with by the Party committees to which they belong and be liable to disciplinary action.
There shall be right of appeal in all cases of disciplinary action.
The State Committee has the right to dissolve or take disciplinary action against a lower committee in cases where a persistent defiance of Party decisions and policy, serious factionalism, or a breach of Party discipline is involved.
A Party member who desires to resign from the Party shall submit her/his resignation to the Party committee concerned, which, by a decision of its committee meeting may accept the same and decide to strike her/his name off the rolls and report the matter to the next higher committee.

Article -XIII

All India Party Congress

The supreme organ of the Party for the whole country shall be the All India Party Congress.
a) The regular Party Congress shall be convened by the Central Committee ordinarily once every three years. However, in no case shall the convening of the Congress be delayed beyond the period of three years by more than one year.
b) The date, venue, agenda and functions of the Party Congress shall be decided by the Central Committee at a meeting specially called for the purpose.
c) The Party Congress shall be composed of delegates elected by the State Conferences as well as by Conferences of party Units directly under the all India Party Centre.
d) The basis of representation at a Party Congress shall be decided by the Central Committee.
e) The members of the Central Committee and of the Central Control Commission shall have the right to participate as full delegates in the Party Congress, whether regular or extraordinary.
f) The number of membership from any State for which the membership fee quota to the Central Committee has been fully paid shall be taken as the basis for calculating the number of delegates from that State at the Party Congress.
Functions and powers of the Party Congress are as follows:
a) To discuss and act on the political and organizational report of the Central Committee.
b) To revise and change the Party Program and the Party Constitution.
c) To determine the Path of Revolution and the policy of the party in the current situation.
d) To elect the Central Committee by secret ballot,
e) To hear and decide on the report of the Central Control Commission as well as on appeals.
f) To hear and decide on the audit report submitted by the Control Commission.
g) To elect Central Control Commission. h) To elect a Presidium and Steering Committee for the conduct of its business.
a) An extra ordinary Party Congress shall be called by the Central Committee at its own discretion or when it is demanded by the State Committees representing not less than one third of the total party membership. When such an extra-ordinary Party Congress is requisitioned it shall be called within six months of receiving the said requisition.
b) The date, venue, functions and agenda of the extra-ordinary Party Congress shall be decided by the Central Committee at a meeting specially called for the purpose.
c) The basis of representation to the extra-ordinary Party Congress shall be decided by the Central Committee at a meeting specially called for the purpose.
d) The members of the Central Committee and of the Central Control Commission shall have the right to participate as full delegates in the extra-ordinary Party Congress.

Article -XIV

Discussions Prior to Party Congress

The Central Committee shall release the draft documents for discussion by all party members/ candidate members three months before the All India Party Congress. It is obligatory on the part of the state committees to render it into respective languages and forward the required number of copies to all committees up to branch committees in the shortest possible time after its release by the Central Committee. Amendments to the resolutions shall be sent directly to the Central Committee which will place its report on them before the All India Party Congress.
From the district committee level, the conferences as part of Party Congress shall take place on the basis of the draft documents of the Central Committee and the reports and resolutions submitted by the respective committees and committees above it up to the state committees.
In the branch, local and area committee level conferences a comrade from the higher committee shall present a report on the documents to be presented to the Party Congress. All the branch, local and area committee members shall be delegates to the district conference.

Article – XV

All India Party Conference

The central Committee may convene All India Party Conference as and when required.

Article- XVI

Party Plenum

When need arises for wider discussion and decision on any important policy matter and organizational question, the Central Committee may convene an All India Plenum.
The Central Committee and Central Control Commission members shall be ex-officio delegates to the Plenum. Other delegates shall be elected by the committees as per the criteria fixed by the Central Committee.
The Central Committee shall decide the agenda of the Plenum.
The Plenum’s decisions shall be binding on the Central Committee.

Article- XVII

Central Committee

a) The Central Committee shall be elected at the Party Congress, the number of members being decided by the Party Congress.
b) The outgoing Central Committee shall propose to the Congress a panel of candidates.
c) The Panel of candidates shall be prepared with a view to creating capable leadership, closely linked with the masses, firm in the revolutionary outlook of the working class and educated in Marxism- Leninism-Mao’s Tung Thought. The panel shall bring together the best talents, experience from the states, from mass fronts and other fields of Party activity.
d) Any delegate can raise objection with regard to any name in the panel proposed as well as propose any new name or names.
e) Anyone whose name has been proposed shall have the right to withdraw.
f) The panel finally proposed, together with the additional nominations by the delegates shall be voted upon by secret ballot.
The Central Committee shall be the highest authority of the Party between two all – India Party Congresses.
It is responsible for enforcing the Party Constitution and carrying out the political line and decisions adopted by the Party Congress.
The Central Committee shall represent the Party as a whole and be responsible for directing the entire work of the Party. The Central Committee shall have the right to take decisions with full authority on any question facing the Party.
The Central Committee shall elect from among its members the General Secretary and a Political Bureau (PB) including the General Secretary. The number of members in the PB shall be decided by the Central Committee. The PB carries on the work of the Central Committee between its two sessions and has the right to take political decisions in between two meetings of the Central Committee. The election of the Party leadership also shall be based on secret ballot.
The Standing Committee of the PB shall carry out its day to day works.
a) The Central committee shall remove any member from itself for gross breach of discipline, misconduct or for anti–Party activity by two-thirds of the members present and voting and in any case by more than half the total strength of the Central Committee voting for such removal.
b) It can fill up any vacancy occurring in its composition through co-option by simple majority of its total members.
c) In case a member or members of the Central Committee are arrested and detained for a long period, the remaining members of the committee by a two-thirds majority can co-opt substitute members and they shall have full rights as the original members. This is applicable to lower level committees also.
The Central Committee shall fill up any vacancy that may occur in the Control Commission by two-thirds of the members present and voting and in any case by more than half the total strength of the Central Committee voting for the candidate.
The time gap between two meetings of the Central Committee shall not exceed four months and it shall meet whenever one third of its total members make a requisition.
The Central Committee shall discuss and decide political and organizational issues and problems of mass movement and guide the State Committees and All India Party Fractions in mass organizations.
The Central Committee shall submit its Political and Organizational Report before the Party Congress, whenever it is convened.
The Central Committee shall appoint Editorial Boards for its organs which shall function under its guidance and control.
The Central Committee shall make arrangements for the building up of the organization that can withstand all eventualities. This method shall be followed from the higher to the lower committees.

Article XVIII

State, District, Area, Local, Branch Committees and Party fractions

The highest organ in the State, District, Area (Taluka, Block), Local (Gram Panchayat, Town Panchayat), or Branch (Ward) shall be the State, District, Area, Local or Branch Conference which elects a State, District, Area, Local or Branch Committee.
a) The organizational structure, the rights and functions of the State, District, Area, Local or Branch committees are similar to those enumerated in the articles concerning the Party structure and functions at the all – India level, their functions being confined to the State, District, Area, Local or Branch levels and their decisions being within the limit of the decisions taken by the next higher Party committee.
b) The State, District, Area, Local or Branch Committee shall elect a Secretary and an executive committee wherever necessary.
c) As a general principle, only if the Gram/town panchayats are having at least three Branch Committees the Local Committee should be formed, only if there are three local committees, the Taluka/Block/Area Committee should be formed, and only if there are at least three Area Committees the District Committee should be formed.
a) The primary organ of the Party is the Branch committee organized on the basis of profession or territory.
b) Party members are to be organized on the basis of their occupation or vocation, when they are working in a factory, an institute or any industry. When such units are organized the members of such units shall be associate members of the Party units in place of their residence or organized as auxiliary units there. The work to be allotted in their place of residence shall not be detrimental to the work allotted to them by their basic committees in the factory or institute or occupation;
c) The number of members in a Branch, its structure and functions and other matters relating to a Branch or unit will be determined by the State Committee. Ensure implementation of decisions regarding building up Party at grass root level with Branch Committees in villages or wards and with Local Committee at Gram/town panchayat level, and with the local committees putting forward an alternative development paradigm based Program and functioning in the Gram/Town panchayat level and fighting for it, by organizing study classes from the grass root level.
State organs and publications shall be in conformity with the political and organizational line of the Central Committee.

Article – XIX

Control Commissions

There shall be a Central Control Commission of three members elected by the Party Congress. It shall elect a convener from among themselves.
The central Committee shall propose a panel of names for the Central Control Commission to the party Congress. In proposing the names for nomination, the party standing of the candidate, which shall not be less than ten years, and his experience in the Party organization and personal integrity shall be taken in to account.
The procedure of election shall be the same as in the case of the Central Committee.
The members of the Central Control Commission shall participate in the meetings of the Central Committee with the right to vote except when the question concerning disciplinary actions are taken up.
The Central Control Commission shall take up: a. Cases referred to it by the Central Committee or Polit Bureau; b. Cases where disciplinary action has been taken by the Central Committee; c. Cases involving expulsion from the party decided upon by the Central Committee against which an appeal has been made by the member concerned; d. All disciplinary measures taken by the Central Committee should be reported to the Central Control Commission.
The central Control Commission shall report its decisions to the central Committee. These decisions shall be ordinarily final and be implemented by the central Committee unless they are set aside by two-thirds majority of the members present and voting and in any case by more than half of the total strength of the Central Committee ( not counting the members of the Control Commission).
Every state conference shall have the right to set up a State Control Commission. The provisions of clauses 2to 7 above shall also apply to the State Control Commission, limited however, to the state. Any reference to “Central committee” or “Polit Bureau” in those clauses shall be construed as a reference to the “State Committee” with respect to the State Control Commission. All disciplinary measures taken by any party body in that state shall be reported to the State Control Commission.
All disciplinary actions by party committees below the level of the state committee may be appealed to the next higher committee till the state committee.
In all cases of disciplinary action, the final decision of the State Committee taken after the decision of the State Control Commission shall be appealable to the Central Committee and the final decision of the Central Committee taken after the decision of the Central Control Commission, shall be appealable to the Party Congress.
The Central Committee and the State Committee may make rules to define the detailed functioning of the Central and State Control Commissions respectively.

Article XIX A

Zonal Coordination Committees

There shall be a Zonal Coordination Committee for each zone, namely eastern, southern, western and northern.
The Central Committee shall constitute respective zonal coordination committees.
The members of the zonal coordination committees shall be as follows:
Central Committee Members from the states included in the zone;
Secretaries of the State Committees or State Organizing Committees representing the states included in the zone; and c. Central Control Commission Member/s from the states included in the zone.
A Polit Bureau member as may be decided by the Central Committee shall be the convener of each Zonal Coordination Committee.
The Zonal Coordination Committee shall meet bi-monthly or in between two Central Committee meetings or as and when required.

Article-XX

Party Members in Elected Public Bodies

Party members elected to different public bodies including Parliament, Assemblies, corporations, municipalities, panchayats etc. shall function under the appropriate Party committee. If there is more than one member, they shall constitute themselves into a party group and function in strict conformity with the line, policies and directives of the Party. They shall always reflect the mass movement, uphold’ and popularize the policy of the party and defend the interest of the people unswervingly. They shall maintain a high standard of personal integrity, lead an unostentatious life and display modesty in all their dealing and contact with the people and place the party above self.
They shall pay regularly and without default a levy on their earnings fixed by the appropriate party committee.
They shall make regular reports of their work to the electors and the people and seek their suggestion and advice.
All nominations of Party candidates for election to Parliament shall be subject to approval by the Central Committee. Nominations of Party candidates to the State Legislatures or the councils of centrally-administered areas shall be finalized and announced by the State Committee concerned. Rules governing the nomination of Party candidates for corporation, municipalities, district boards, local boards and panchayats shall be drawn up by State Committee.

Article-XXI

Inner Party Discussions

To unify the Party and for evolving its mass line inner Party discussion shall be a regular feature of Party life. Such discussion shall be organized on all -India scale or at different levels of the Party organization depending on the nature of the issue.
Inner – Party discussion shall be organized:

(a) On important questions of all India or State importance, where immediate decision is not necessary, by the Central or the State Committees of the party as the case may be, before the decision is taken;

(b) Whenever there is no sufficient majority inside the Central Committee or in the State Committees on an important question of Party policy.

(c) When an inner-Party discussion on an all India scale is demanded by a number of State Committees representing one–third of the total Party membership or at the State level by District committees representing the same proportion of the total membership of the State concerned.

Inner-Party discussion shall be conducted under the guidance of the Central or the State committee which shall formulate the issues under discussion. The Party Committee which guides the discussion shall lay down the manner in which the discussion shall be conducted.
On certain ideological and political issues debates and discussions may be carried on even outside the organization with the knowledge of the Central Committee provided such actions do not cause damage to the unity of the Party and to the cause of Indian Revolution.

Article-XXII

Party members working in mass organizations

Party members working in mass organization and their executives shall organize themselves into fractions or fraction committees and function under the guidance of the appropriate Party committee. They must always strive to strengthen the unity, mass base and fighting capacity of the mass organizations concerned.

Article-XXIII

Finance

The financial resources of the party comprise of membership fees and levies of the Party members, contributions from the masses, mass organizations and individual sympathizers.
In order to run the Party’s central apparatus, the Central Committee shall decide each year, or as the case may be, the quantum of funds each state shall pay to it through Party fund or special Party fund drive.
The Polit Bureau shall submit yearly accounts to the Central Committee for its approval.
At state and district level the secretariat of concerned committees shall submit yearly accounts to the Slate and District Committees for their approval. A copy of the approved accounts should he submitted to the next higher committee.
The Central Committee and the State Committee, as the case may be, may frame rules for accounting procedure ad for other matters.
The yearly audit of accounts of the Central Committee and State Committee shall be audited by any two members of the respective committee and the audit report shall be placed before the Congress and the Conferences for discussion and for taking further action. The accounts of the lower committees shall be audited by a panel of state committee members not less than two.

Article-XXIV

Bye-laws : The Central committee may frame rules and bye-laws under the Party Constitution and in conformity with it. Rules and bye – laws under the Party Constitution and in conformity with it may also be framed by the State Committees subject to confirmation by the Central Committee.

Article-XXV

Amendment:

The Party Constitution shall be amended by the Party Congress only. The notice of proposals for amending the Constitution shall be given two months before the said Party Congress.

Article XXVI

Mandatory Provision as in Section 29A (5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 “The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.”

Party Constitution Updated in 2022

Party Program

Prospects on Democracy of India – Dr. Ambedkar – Voice of America

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