Failing to give Indian face in 100 yrs, Indian communists still differ on when party was formed

By Rajiv Shah

I have come across a Communist Party of India poster seeking to begin the party's centenary year celebrations on January 2, with D Raja, the party general secretary, as the chief guest. In Hindi, the poster has been released by the party's Bihar unit, which used to be one of the strongest in India, but like rest of the country, it too appears to have gone phut.

Reproduced on a Facebook page, two things particularly struck me. First of all, at the very top embellish Lenin, Engels and Marx, in that order. No quarrel with that. However, as a former CPI cardholder, I wondered, why even 40 years after I left the party to pursue my journalistic career as a person not attached with any political party, they have not been able to identify even one Indian Communist whose photograph could be put on the poster.

And secondly, ironical though it may seem, while CPI is celebrating its centenary year, the other, bigger Communist party, CPI(Marxist), is not. A visit to the social media of both the parties shows, CPI(M) has no mention of the centenary year, while CPI has several photos of the celebration.

This took me back to my student days. I was somewhat actively associated with the CPI(M) student wing, the Students' Federation of India (SFI), which lasted for five years (1971-75). We were told that the Communist party was formed much earlier. No without reason, it marked the centenary year in 2019-20, coinciding with the formation of the Indian Communist Party (ICP) as an émigré unit in Tashkent by the Second World Congress of the Communist Third International in 1920.

I am left wondering. Why do the two Communist parties even now differ on such trivial a thing. Why is there no celebration by the CPI(M) on the formation of the party in 1925 on the Indian soil? Or is it because CPI, which claims to be the "original party", didn't take part in the CPI(M)'s celebration of the formation of the Indian Communist group in Tashkent in 1920?

Interestingly, yet another Communist party (there are several of them across India!) which can claim to have some mass base, too, CPI (Marxist-Leninist), agrees with CPI that the party was formed in 1925, and not in 1920. Its website carries what is called a presentation by its general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, under the heading, "Centenary of the Communist Movement In India: Achievements, Lessons and Challenges", pointing out at least on the year 1925 he agrees with CPI.

Let me put facts straight. CPI believes that the party was formed on December 26, 1925 at the first Party Conference in Kanpur. SV Ghate was its first general secretary. Meanwhile, several communist groups had already been formed across India, including the one in Bombay (led by SA Dange), Madras (led by Singaravelu), United Provinces (led by Shaukat Usmani), Punjab, Sindh (led by Ghulam Hussain) and Bengal (led by Muzaffar Ahmed).

However, CPI(M), which split from CPI in 1964, disagrees. It considers October 17, 1920 as the founding day of CPI. On this day, MN Roy, Evelyn Trent-Roy, Abani Mukherji, Rosa Fitingov, Mohd Ali, Mohamad Shafiq, and MPT Acharya met in Tashkent to form the communist movement in India, it believes.

Amidst so much talk of Left unity and the alleged fascist onslaught that India is experiencing today, what stops the two or three or even more Communist parties to come together under one umbrella? They talk of "democratic centralism", the term I learned way back in early 1970s on how the party functions from within. Theoretically, all differences are allowed within the party, but you must agree to what the central leadership, "elected" at the party congress every five years or so, has to decide upon.

I have always wondered: doesn't democratic centralism prohibit views and practices relevant for progressive movements to come in from the "outside" world? Or does one have to wait for what the Central leadership has to say in the matter?

Comments

Rajiv Shah said…

I don't deny CPI's contribution, but here I have only dealt with the centenary year celebrations. As for contributions and despite these CPI has become a non-entity, some other time

January 02, 2025

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.

When tourism meets tribal law: The Vanajangi dispute in Andhra Pradesh

By Palla Trinadha Rao A writ petition presently before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh has brought into focus an increasingly important question in the governance of tribal regions: can eco-tourism projects in Scheduled Areas be implemented without the consent of the Gram Sabha? The case concerns the establishment of a Community Based Eco-Tourism centre at Vanajangi village in Paderu Mandal of Alluri Sitarama Raju District, a region located within the Scheduled Areas of Andhra Pradesh.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

Vaccination vs screening: Policy questions raised on cervical cancer strategy

By A Representative A public policy expert has written to Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda raising a series of concerns regarding the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched on February 28 for 14-year-old girls.

The new anti-national certificate: If Arundhati Roy is the benchmark, count me in

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava* Dear MANIT Alumni Network Committee, “Are you anti-national?” I encountered this fascinating—some may say intimidating—question from an elderly woman I barely know, an alumna of Maulana Azad College of Technology (MACT, now Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology - MANIT), Bhopal, and apparently one of the founders of the MACT (now MANIT) Alumni Network. The authority with which she posed the question was striking. “How much anti-national are you? What have you done for the Alumni Network Committee to identify you as anti-national?” When I asked what “anti-national” meant to her and who was busy certifying me as such, the response came in counter-questions.

The ultimate all-time ODI XI: A personal selection of icons across eras

By Harsh Thakor* This is my all-time best XI chosen for ODI (One Day International) cricket: 1. Adam Gilchrist (W) – The absolute master blaster who could create the impact of exploding gunpowder with his electrifying strokeplay. No batsman was more intimidating in his era. Often his knocks decided the fate of games as though the result were premeditated. He escalated batting strike rates to surreal realms.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Minority concerns mount: RTI reveals govt funded Delhi religious meet in December

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* Indian Muslims have expressed deep concern over what they describe as rising hate speech and hostility against their community under the BJP-led government in India. A recent flashpoint was the event organised by Sanatan Sanstha titled “Sanatan Rashtra Shankhnad Mahotsav” in New Delhi on 13–14 December 2025.

Search This Blog