Commemorating Lenin on his 154th Birth Day
Today, 22 April 2024 marks the 154th birthday of Comrade Lenin. As we all know, October Revolution and establishment of Soviet Union, the theory and practice of which were pioneered by Lenin, for the first time had raised socialism to the agenda of world history as the alternative to capitalism.
Further, for Communists the world over, Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution, as it was Lenin who developed Marxism based on a concrete analysis of capitalism’s transformation into imperialism since the late 19th century. And, it was in pursuance of this, that Lenin initiated “Workers and Oppressed Peoples of the World, Unite” as the strategic slogan and clarion call of the Communist International since it’s Second Congress in 1920. It implied that Socialist Revolution in imperialist countries and Peoples Democratic Revolution in countries which are under imperialist oppression are the two streams of World Proletarian Revolution in the epoch of imperialism.
CPI (ML) Red Star observes April 22, Lenin’s birth date, as Party Formation Day since CPI (ML) was founded on April 22, 1969. Of course, the Communist Party of India was founded in Tashkent in 1920 with Mohammad Shafiq as Secretary, and has a glorious history of many valiant struggles against British colonialism and Indian exploiters. However, on account of its failure to recognise the historically determined integral link between India’s inhuman caste system and class formation, the Communist could not carry forward the task of revolution. And though CPM was formed in 1964 following the inner-party struggle against revisionism of CPI leadership, the former also could not make a break from revisionist positions. As a result, the ideological -political struggle against CPM’s neo-revisionism led to the Naxalbari Uprising in May 1967 leading to the formation of CPI (ML) on April 22, 1969.
Today, when we are observing Lenin’s birth day/Party Formation Day, together with imperialism’s neoliberal oppression and super-exploitation, propped up by the most reactionary elements of imperialist finance capital, world people are passing through the horrors of neofascism too. India is a typical example of this neofascism. In addition to the neoliberal-neocolonial oppression over India, Indian people are under the vicious grip neofascism led by RSS, the biggest and longest-running fascist organisation in history. As part of RSS’ majoritarian Hindurashatra agenda, the religious minorities, especially Muslims, are targeted and wantonly attacked, even as efforts are in full swing to deny citizenship right to Muslims by altering the secular character of Constitution through CAA. Since Manusmriti, the ideological basis of RSS, treats Dalits and women as subhuman, they are also stigmatised and even being denied the minimum demcratic rights enshrined in the Constitution for them. And RSS that controls both State power and street power, micro and macro spaces, and the entire civil and military spheres of India today, is also engaged in dismantling the present Constitution and replacing it with Manusmriti, it’s long-cherished demand since the adoption of the Constitution during the 1949-50 period.
Meanwhile, as we know, due to the influence of sectarian and adventurist positions, the CPI (ML) that formed in 1969 and the Party Program adopted at the 8th Congress in 1970 failed to make an objective evaluation of the postwar neocolonial phase of imperialism and it’s concrete manifestations in India. This erroneous evaluation coupled with left adventurist practice that was effectively used by the Indian regime for repression led to a disintegration of the of CPI (ML) formed in 1969. However, after the revocation of Emergency, many efforts were taken up rejecting the sectarian approach on the one hand, and evaluation of the neocolonial transformation at a global level and in India. It was this long drawn-out initiative at the level of ideological-political struggle as well as efforts at reorganization of the revolutionary movement totally abandoning the sectarian line that culminated in the formulation of a Program and Path of Revolution in line with People’s Democratic Revolution in India and convening of the 9th Party Congress of CPI (ML) Red Star in 2011.
The 12th Party Congress conducted in September 2022, after taking into consideration the neoliberal-neofascist offensive by imperialism together with the horrific manifestions of mounting RSS fascism in India has updated the Party Documents so as to carry forward the Party’s strategic tasks as laid down in the Program and Path of Revolution and the tactical or immediate task of defeating RSS fascism as laid down in the Political Resolution.
In this context, the All India Anti-fascist Peoples Convention convened by CPI (ML) Red Star in Nagpur on 10 March 2024 has adopted the Nagpur Declaration which has appealed to the people of India to rise up and move forward to save the country from the stranglehold of RSS-Corporate Fascism by resolutely resisting and defeating BJP, the political tool of RSS in the ongoing 18th parliament election. While appealing to people to tactically use their voting power with this perspective, the Party has called for people to rise up against Islamophobia in all its forms, uncompromisingly strive for annihilation of the most inhuman Caste system and work together to build-up a People’s Alternative to neoliberal corporatisation.
While taking up these domestic tasks, the Party upholds its solemn task of achieving ideological clarity on the working of imperialism according to the concrete situation today, especially in the neofascist global context. Since imperialism continues as the principal enemy of the world people, it is our task to go for prolonged ideological- political offensive against world imperialism that also requires overthrowing of the reactionary ruling system. Let’s commemorate Lenin’s birth day/ Party Formation Day with this solemn spirit.
P J James
General Secretary
CPI (ML) Red Star
New Delhi
22nd April 2024
