Articles
“We too…..” The CPM in Congress Party
Dt: 6/8/25
“We too…..” The CPM in Congress Party
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
Comrade B V Raghavulu, Member of the polit Bureau, Com. Tammineni Veerabhadram of the Central Committee of the CPM and John Wesley , Secretary of Telangana Unit of the CPM respectively graced the tenth anniversary of the Telugu daily Nava Telangana on Friday, 01-08-2025 in Hyderabad. Sri Revanth Reddy, Chief Minister and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas of Telangana graced the occasion. Sri Revanth Reddy said, “ ideology is yours, struggles and agitations are yours and power is ours ( Congress)” . It was significant that there were no CPI leaders at the function; they already received the gift of one MLA and one MLC from the Congress . It was only the CPI’s comrades that were at the function; they received the exuberant compliments from the Congress Chief Minister. The Congress Chief Minister wished that the CPM’s co-operation with Congress should continue as that of the CPI.
2. During India’s struggle for freedom, socialists joined the Congress party as Congress Socialist Party (CSP) founded in 1934 . Communists joined the CSP and through it , the Congress. The Communists colluded with the British rulers of India during 1942-45 phase of the Second World War and worked against the Quit India movement . In mid- 1945 Congress-men were released from jails. The Nehru-Patel-Pant Committee found communists guilty of anti-national activities. They were expelled from Congress. The communists supported the Muslim League demand for division of India and creation of Pakistan.
3. Under Stalin’s instructions through COMINFORM ( successor to COMINTERN) , the CPI under the leadership of BT Ranadive took to arms during 1948-51 mainly in Telangana, Andhra and West Bengal, to pull down Nehru government characterizing it as a stooge and running dog of Anglo-American imperialism ! The insurrections were put down by Sardar Patel (1947-50) followed by Rajaji ( 1950-51) and Kailashnath Katju ( 1951-55) successive Home Ministers of the Government of India.
4. The CPI split in 1964; CPM was born, the former generally following the Soviet Russia line until its demise in 1991 and the latter following communist China line until the early 1980s when Deng Xio Ping, liberalized China’s economy paving way for private participation, domestic and foreign.
5. The CPM too serially split into many parties. By now there are over ten communist parties in India. Of these, the CPI has been drawing nearer and nearer to Congress after the latter was split by Indira Gandhi in 1969. The CPI supported Indira’s Emergency Rule in 1975-77 and some of its leaders like Com. Mohan Kumara Mangalam joined the Congress .
6. As the CPI’s popular base declined, it survives by the grace of Congress. In Telangana , it begged and received a gift of one MLA an one MLC seat from it in Telangana.
7. Now the CPM too is fawning upon Congress in Telangana in the hope of getting some seats in the imminent elections to local bodies in Telangana. The bon homie between the CPM leaders and the Congress Chief Minister Sri Revanth Reddy at the 10th anniversary of the Telugu daily Nava Telangana on 01-08-2025 seems to be the beginning of CPM too, like the CPI, becoming an ally of Sonia-clan led and owned Congress, in Telangana. The CPI leaders were conspicuously absent at the Nava Telangana function - they may not like to be a savati (co-wife) of CPM. Congress will be happy to have these communist parties as dependent allies as it helps it to have a leftist , socialist image . Like Congress Socialist Party within the Congress in former times, the CPI and CPM may morph into Congress’s Communist Parties. They will justify their new line as for fighting “communal “forces, meaning the BJP.
8. Should these communist parties not introspect ( theory of self-criticism) as to why, although the RSS and CPI were founded in the same year 1925, the former’s child / grandchild, the BJP is flourishing and ruling the Indian Union and many States; the communists are decaying and diminishing and dividing . The reason is obvious – the RSS and BJP are patriots, nationalists. The communists are the progeny of Soviet Russia; Maoist China and now are in the company of an Indo-Italian family led and owned party, the Congress. They may well be called (like the socialists of yore) Congress’s Communist Parties (CCPs).
Tail Piece: The Supreme Court of India observed in regard to Rahu Gandhi, “no Indian would speak as he did during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in regard to the Galwan battle between India and China” ( 15-26 June 2020)
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