Communist Party of India

The Communist Party of India (CPI), founded on 26 December 1925 in Kanpur, is the oldest communist party in India. Despite this, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) argues that the party’s origins date back to 17 October 1920, leading to some historical contention between the two factions.

The CPI has a notable presence in Indian politics, with two members each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and holds a significant number of legislative positions across various states. It is recognized as a state party in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Manipur. The party has been active in diverse socio-political issues, including resistance to British colonial rule, anti-caste activism, and land reforms.

Historically, CPI faced severe repression, including a ban by the British colonial administration from 1934 to 1946, which pushed the party to operate clandestinely. Despite these challenges, CPI played a critical role in several movements and revolts, such as the peasant revolt in Telangana.

In terms of governance, CPI was a key player in the United Front government (1996-1998) and had significant influence in West Bengal and Tripura, where it led the state governments for several decades. Currently, the CPI is part of the state government in Kerala under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and is aligned with the DMK-led coalition in Tamil Nadu. In Telangana, it maintains an alliance with the Indian National Congress (INC).

Looking ahead, CPI is a member of the INDIA bloc, an alliance aimed at challenging the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 General Elections.

Elections:

Lok Sabha Elections:

Legislative assembly:

In recent state legislative assembly results, the CPI’s performance varied across different states and years. In 2023, the CPI won 1 seat out of 1 contested in Telangana, reflecting a minor increase with 80,336 votes and a 0.34% vote share, although the vote percentage decreased by 0.07%. In Chhattisgarh, the CPI did not win any seats out of 3 contested, with a steady vote share of 0.04% and 6,594 votes. In 2022, the party did not secure any seats in Uttar Pradesh, contesting 35 seats and receiving 0.07% of the votes, a decrease of 0.09% in vote share. Similarly, in Uttarakhand, the CPI contested 4 seats but did not win any, garnering 0.04% of the vote with 2,325 votes.

The party also did not win seats in Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab, with steady or decreasing vote percentages across these states. In 2021, the CPI won 17 out of 23 contested seats in Kerala, despite a decrease of 2 seats from the previous election, receiving 7.58% of the vote. The party won 2 out of 6 contested seats in Tamil Nadu, reflecting an increase of 2 seats with 1.09% of the vote, while losing 1 seat in West Bengal despite receiving 0.20% of the votes. In 2020, the CPI saw an increase in seats in Bihar, securing 2 out of 6 contested seats with 0.83% of the vote. The party maintained steady results in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Odisha. In 2018, the CPI did not win any seats in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, or Tripura, with varying vote percentages and some decreases in vote share.

Origins:

The Communist Party of India (CPI) was officially founded on 26 December 1925 during its first Party Conference in Kanpur, then known as Cawnpore. The founding members included M. N. Roy, his wife Evelyn Trent, Abani Mukherji, and M. P. T. Acharya, with S. V. Ghate serving as its first General Secretary. Various communist groups had previously been established across India with support from foreign sources. These included the Tashkent group, which had contacts with the Anushilan and Jugantar groups in Bengal, as well as smaller groups in Bombay (led by S. A. Dange), Madras (led by Singaravelu), the United Provinces (led by Shaukat Usmani), Punjab, Sindh (led by Ghulam Hussain), and Bengal (led by Muzaffar Ahmed).

However, there is a dispute regarding the exact founding date of the CPI. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), which split from the CPI in 1964, regards 17 October 1920 as the true founding day. On this date, key figures including M. N. Roy, Evelyn Trent-Roy, Abani Mukherji, Rosa Fitingov, Mohd. Ali, Mohd. Shafiq, and M. P. T. Acharya met in Tashkent to initiate the communist movement in India. Despite these early efforts, neither 1920 nor 1925 marked the adoption of a formal “Party Constitution,” which was necessary for Communist International membership. The CPI officially recognizes 1925 as its founding year, while the CPI(M) maintains that 1920 was the inception of the communist movement in India, resulting in a technical disagreement between the two parties.

Pre Independence:

During the 1920s and early 1930s, the Communist Party of India (CPI) faced significant challenges due to its poor organization and the lack of national coordination among various communist groups. The Indian government’s ban on communist activities further complicated efforts to unify the party. During this period, several key conspiracy trials were held, including the Peshawar Conspiracy Cases, the Meerut Conspiracy Case, and the Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case. The most impactful was the Kanpur trial, held on 17 March 1924, where prominent communists like Shripad Amrit Dange, M. N. Roy, Muzaffar Ahmed, and others were charged with attempting to overthrow British rule through violent revolution. The trial drew widespread attention, introducing many Indians to communism and its aims.

Several key figures were not arrested due to their locations, such as M. N. Roy in Germany and R. C. Sharma in French Pondichéry. Ghulam Hussain, who confessed to receiving money from Russians, was pardoned, while others like Muzaffar Ahmed and Dange were sentenced to imprisonment. This trial significantly raised awareness of communism in India. In 1925, a communist conference in Kanpur, led by Satya Bhakta, resulted in the formal establishment of the Communist Party of India, although Bhakta’s advocacy for ‘National Communism’ was outvoted.

The CPI was further reorganized in 1933 after the release of leaders from the Meerut trials, and the party was accepted as the Indian section of the Communist International in 1934. In 1934, the Indian Communists shifted their stance towards the Congress Socialist Party (CSP), joining its left-wing and participating in broader anti-imperialist activities. By the late 1930s, CPI had begun extending its influence to Kerala, where it formally organized on 31 December 1939.

In the 1940 Ramgarh Congress Conference, the CPI called for a revolutionary uprising amid the weakened state of the British Empire due to World War II. This led to the expulsion of communists from the CSP. The CPI was legalized in July 1942, following the alliance between Britain and the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany, though it faced criticism for its opposition to the Quit India Movement. The CPI contested the 1946 Provincial Legislative Assembly elections independently, winning eight seats out of 108 contested, and Somnath Lahiri was elected to the Constituent Assembly. The CPI opposed the partition of India and boycotted the Independence Day celebrations on 15 August 1947 in protest of the division.

Post-Independence:

Following India’s independence in 1947, the Communist Party of India (CPI) faced significant internal turmoil and ideological shifts. In February 1948, at the 2nd Party Congress in Calcutta, B. T. Ranadive (BTR) was elected General Secretary and the party adopted the ‘Programme of Democratic Revolution,’ marking the first time the CPI formally addressed the struggle against caste injustice. The CPI was involved in several regional armed struggles, including in Tripura, Telangana, and Kerala. The Telangana armed struggle, in particular, saw the CPI build a significant militia and control a large area. However, the rebellion was ultimately crushed, leading the CPI to abandon armed struggle and depose BTR, who was criticized as a ‘left adventurist.’

In Manipur, the CPI gained prominence through agrarian struggles led by Jananeta Irawat Singh, who joined the party in 1946. By 1951, the CPI had shifted its main slogan from ‘People’s Democracy’ to ‘National Democracy.’ The party had been active in Bihar since 1939 and achieved considerable success post-independence, particularly through land reform and trade union movements. Notable leaders from Bihar included Sahajanand Saraswati and Bhogendra Jha, who also won parliamentary elections.

In the early 1950s, young communist leaders organized workers in various sectors across North India, with prominent figures such as S. A. Dange and Chandra Rajeswara Rao playing key roles. This period marked the emergence of a leadership closely connected with the masses and labor movements.

In 1952, the CPI became the leading opposition party in the 1st Lok Sabha, while the Indian National Congress was in power. However, the CPI was banned from participating in the 1952 Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election. By 1957, the CPI won state elections in Kerala, marking the first time an opposition party gained control of an Indian state, with E. M. S. Namboodiripad as Chief Minister. This victory drew criticism from the Chinese Communist Party at an international meeting in Moscow.

The CPI was involved in several notable movements, including the liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1954 and the Goa Satyagraha from 1955-56. The Goa Satyagraha, which began on 10 May 1955, saw significant involvement from CPI leaders and was marked by arrests, torture, and deaths of many participants.

Ideological differences within the party led to a split in 1964, creating the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). During the 1970s, the CPI allied with the Congress party, forming the United Front government in Kerala with C. Achutha Menon as Chief Minister. This coalition governed through the Emergency period, implementing stringent measures against political opponents and engaging in class struggle.

In the 1980s, the CPI opposed the Khalistan movement in Punjab, resulting in violent reprisals. Notably, CPI leader Darshan Singh Canadian was assassinated by Sikh extremists in 1986, and around 200 communist leaders, predominantly Sikhs, were killed in Punjab during this period.

Current Position:

The Communist Party of India (CPI) was officially recognized by the Election Commission of India as a ‘National Party.‘ Until 2022, CPI was unique in that it had contested every general election with the same electoral symbol. However, after a significant setback in the 2019 Indian general election, where the party’s representation dwindled to just two MPs, the Election Commission of India requested an explanation for why its national party status should not be revoked. Due to continued poor electoral performance, the Election Commission withdrew CPI’s national party status on 10 April 2023.

At the national level, CPI has supported the Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, though it did not participate directly in the government. When the UPA came to power in May 2004, it adopted a Common Minimum Programme (CMP), which included promises such as halting disinvestment, increasing social sector spending, and pursuing an independent foreign policy. The Left parties, including CPI, supported the UPA based on these commitments.

On 8 July 2008, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat announced that the Left parties were withdrawing their support due to the UPA government’s decision to proceed with the United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act, a move the Left parties opposed on national interest grounds.

Regionally, CPI remains active in various alliances. In West Bengal, it is part of the Left Front, and in Kerala, it is a member of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The party was also involved in the Left Front in Tripura, which governed the state until 2018. In Tamil Nadu, CPI is part of the Secular Progressive Alliance, and in Bihar, it is included in the Mahagathbandhan. CPI participates in the Left Democratic Front in Maharashtra and formed the Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance with Congress in February 2022. The current General Secretary of CPI is D. Raja.