2024 Parliamentary Elections and Tasks of Revolutionary Forces
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Once again, the parliamentary politics of India became interesting to observe. The Congress party that ruled the country for decades serving the landlords and Big bourgeoise classes and sub-serving the interests of imperialists lost its popularity and prominence. In its place another alliance of bourgeoise was coming into governmental power and losing it off and on at times, in the form of BJP; for the last decade, BJP has been using its initiative and skills of cleverness in the service of the landlord, big-bourgeoise classes and in the subservience of the imperialists becoming their most reliable servant, in attaining governmental power. It made its governmental power as an instrument to spread and establish the Hindu religious fervor - the bigoted Hindutva ideology and agenda of its mother institution the RSS.
The oppressed classes have been tasting the bitter dictatorial nature of the Indian parliamentary and constitutional system and enduring it for all these years, from the decade of the 1950s. The Government of India Act of 1935 has become an instrument to suppress the peasant and workers movements and the anti-British imperialist struggles during the 1940s. In the same way and method, the Indian Constitution adopted in 1950 had certain acts that were instrumental in suppressing and oppressing workers, peasant movements, and democratic revolutionary movements.
The question of self-determination of nationalities, the problem of protecting the people of oppressed Dalit castes, and the problem of protecting the tribal people were not allowed to be solved by the big bourgeoisie, over the past 77 years, leaving it unresolved keeping them in abeyance in eternity. It has been deceiving people with carrot and stick policy of soothing, threatening, oppression and promises, assurances, concessions, and announcements of reforms. Adopted the policies of dependence on foreign capital more aggressively at the behest of big comprador bourgeoise instead of implementing the policies of self-reliance in agricultural and industrial sectors. As a result of this, the educated youth, youth with limited education, and illiterate rural youth in remote areas became the components of the unemployed army. This development, which has been the result of the worst and sold-out policies, is the reason for the rise in the unemployment situation.
Congress adopted and implemented its policies like village self-governance, self-dependent policy, cooperative movement, socialist model of economic policy, mixed economic policy, non-alignment foreign policy, independent defense sector, irrigation projects, policies of land reforms, and secular, democratic announcement postures. From then it started the green revolution, the ‘Gharibi Hatao’ policy, nationalization of banks, land ceiling acts, wars with neighbors, defense agreements with imperialists, armament agreements, and fundamental support to the imperialist wars of aggression. It played with the lives of democratic forces to oppress the people of the country by using draconian laws of oppression like MISA, DIR, NSA ESMA, UAPA, AFSPA, etc. It subjected the leaders and activists of the peasant movement to violence and unleashed brutal terror. Conducted brutal terror on the people. In the name of industrial peace, it has oppressed and suppressed the working class. Joining with big capitalists it invited foreign direct investment. It pursued anti-worker policies by giving assurances to big capital and industry that it would not allow workers to strike or the so-called industrial unrest of workers. It permitted the management to overpower workers disallowing them even to protest. In the decade after 1990; it imposed the GATT agreement, neo-liberal economic policies of imperialist globalization viz liberalization, privatization, and globalization. They encouraged the spread of post-modern theories, that were being adopted and implemented for decades in imperialist-capitalist countries, by discouraging the necessity and importance of proletarian-class struggles and democratic movements by making them ineffective.
Ten years of the BJP’s rule is a continuation of the previous India’s political, economic, and social conditions. In addition, it resorted to fascist methods to impose on the people of India with the object of establishing a Hindu Rashtra.
The incidents like Lal Krishna Advani’s ‘RATH YATRA’, the Babri Masjid dispute, and the call to bring bricks and stones by SHILANYAS RAM devotees that highlighted Hindu rituals before 2014, laid the foundation to rouse Hindu sentiments and emotions among people.
The rule of BJP in continuation to its previous propaganda of its Hindutva agenda, had taken up the issues of the construction of Ram Mandir, and the issue of Varanasi Gyanvapi mandir issue to rouse and incite the emotions of the Hindu religious bigotry. It is serving the Indian Big bourgeoise class and the foreign capitalists much more effectively, orchestrating the chorus to the policies of the US. At the same time, it provoked regional differences and implemented the policy of divide and rule. By announcing that it would remove reservations to the Muslims, it made the anti-reservation forces and the Hindu religious forces. In the name of bringing back the black money hidden in Swiss Banks; it demonetized big notes ruining the lives of small and medium enterprises but serving the big capitalists and super-rich. By implementing GST, it penalized the common man and at the same time helped the rich. It had cunningly and conveniently absolved the big capitalists and super-rich who defrauded the banks for lakhs of crores of rupees without paying debts. It is particularly serving the interests of Adanis and Ambanis.
Based on these activities of the BJP government, the opposition bourgeoisie parties formed an alliance called the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and took up the task of mobilizing the bourgeoisie and parliamentary opposition parties. The Chief Ministers Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Mamata Banerjee of Bengal who initially hailed and came forward grandly to join in this alliance have backed off. The left opposition and some revolutionary opposition forces welcomed the ‘INDIA’ alliance. They took up the task of facing the menace of fascism-the menace of Hindu fascism as the present-day task. They intensified the propaganda with those slogans. Though at some places some of the members of the INDIA competed with each other with their candidates, on the whole, they could sustain the alliance till the end. They succeeded in coordinating the situation existing in different states.
The contradictions among feudal classes in different states have exploded. Some of them have chosen the patronage of INDIA. The question that who would become the prime minister if the alliance of INDIA came victorious in the elections? The problems in allotting parliament seats also came to the fore.
The forces that endured the troubles of the BJP’s fascist trends, and the democratic forces that were unable to endure the BJP’s Hindutva bigotry have expressed their firm intention of dislodging the BJP and Prime Minister Modi from governmental power. Some communist and revolutionary parties took the situation into consideration and acted accordingly. Without sidetracking from their fundamental tasks, they adopted an approach of dislodging BJP-Modi’s government and took up the activity of exposing the policies of BJP and PM Modi. But they did not have the illusion that if the INDIA alliance came to power after defeating the BJP-Modi government, all the problems would be resolved. They are not under any illusion that the Congress party would abandon its fundamental policies of pro-big bourgeoisie and pro-imperialist policies. At the most a bourgeoisie force comes in the place of another bourgeoisie force in governmental power.
Some revolutionary forces that conducted anti-fascist united programs, and attempted the formation of an alliance have welcomed the formation of the ‘INDIA’ alliance. With the thinking that even through parliamentary methods the menace of fascism can be arrested, these forces gave a call to identify and recognize the BJP as a dangerous force and to defeat it in these elections. This does not mean or should not be understood that they have upheld the policies of the ‘INDIA’ alliance.
II
The results of the 2024 Parliamentary Elections have shown that despite the attempt of the BJP led by the Modi-Shah-Nadda triumvirate to make people believe that “this time (we will) cross 400”, people were conscious enough to show them where they actually stand. Modi’s announcement of himself “not being a biological product, but a god-sent Messiah” turned out to be the hubris of a fascist humbug. All of it started with the Consecration Ceremony of Rama Idol at Ayodhya to appeal to the religious emotions of the majority population, Hindus. Throughout the campaign period, the party in power at the Centre avoided the glaring issues of people like unemployment, food security, health, education, privatization of public enterprises, and so on. They had no answers to the question why India has become isolated from its Neighbours; what the purpose of spending crores of rupees is to build gigantic size statues. Above all why have they passed the New Labour Code as a gift to the big bourgeoisie and foreign capital; and why have they betrayed the peasantry? Why could a few select big bourgeoisie like Adani, Ambani, Jindal, etc. thrive during the ten-year rule of the Modi government?
BJP raised ultra-nationalist chauvinism and jingoism to mislead the people. Never before this election did any Prime Minister go on with an open hate campaign and communalization against the minority Muslims to polarize the voters. They propagated that the abrogation of Article 370 has democratized and paved the way for the development of Jammu & Kashmir. They imposed CAA on the people whose votes they get elected. They promised the people to develop the country at a faster pace. To cover up the fact that India’s position in the World Hunger Index is 111th out of 125 countries they propagated distributing free food grains to 80 crore people through a rationing system as their achievement. Modi and his cohorts carried on a campaign of communal hate, false national pride, and ultra-nationalist chauvinism like fascist brigands. They used their ill-gotten money power through the Electoral Bond to buy almost all important electronic and print media, to manipulate opinion polls before and after the election process, advertise galore in all possible means, pay huge amounts of money to the party workers and above all bribing voters in large-scale.
On the contrary, the heterogeneous alliance named INDIA from the beginning appeared to be a conglomeration of parties working with cross purposes, some of them being opportunists by their own yardsticks. The opposition to the BJP rule of most of them was driven more by the hope of getting into the governmental power at the Centre by hook or crook than any principled opposition to the fascist policies of the BJP. For example, Nitish Kumar led JD(U) convened the conclave of opposition parties at Patna, which finally took the shape of INDIA. But during the process Nitish Kumar left the alliance and returned to the BJP-led alliance NDA. Mamata Banerjee of TMC without any discussion with any of the allies of INDIA unilaterally announced that she would leave only two seats to Congress and contest from all the rest in West Bengal. In Kerala contest between the Congress-led front and the CPI(M) )-led front became a great puzzle.
Apart from these, during the campaign neither the opposition alliance nor individual opposition parties had dared the BJP on the basic policies like development through investments of foreign capitalists and Indian big bourgeoisie, ultra-nationalist jingoism, winning over poverty-stricken people with doles, false promises of employment without a definite statement of policy and so on. Opposition against abrogation of Article 370, and CAA were certain basic issues for the opposition. They avoided giving any strong assurance against the Labour Codes, or concrete assurance to the demands of the peasantry. In a sense, they assured the big bourgeoisie that they would serve them better in a peaceful manner. The opposition, INDIA warned people that the Modi government if returned to power would change the Constitution, and would be a threat to democracy by reducing the space for any opposition. They also warned the return to power of Modi government would mean havoc to the minority communities, especially the Muslims. They also warned that the Modi government would withdraw the provision of reservations for the SC, ST, and OBCs.
The problem with the INDIA leaders is that they also played the game by the rule set by Modi. Many of them abandoned the basic issues for which the fight was initiated, the plank of fascism vs democracy was obfuscated. Even some leaders started their campaign after ceremonial Pooja at the temple ala’ Modi.
True, the most heinous section of the ruling class, foreign and Indian, is propelling the Modi clique for their fascist agenda. But the opposition forces led by INDIA were also representing the Capitalists of all India as well as regional varieties. The regional satraps from the feudal classes were also divided into two sections, pro and anti-Modi groups.
Modi finding cornered, started open communal propaganda to polarize the people, even trying to drive a wedge among the Dalit castes as well as within the same caste. Thus, the whole campaign of the BJP government from the Consecration of Rama Idol to Modi’s Dhyan on the Vivekananda Memorial at Kanyakumari both videoed live and telecasted was engineered to influence the voters of a particular religion.
Attempts were made to polarize them based on religion, caste and money power. But what happened was revealed on June 4.
THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION PROVES PEOPLE ARE NOT INERT MASSES
Before the results of the elections were announced the high dramas were performed by different TV channels in the name of Exit Polls. The electronic media controlled by the ruling clique with their great psephologists started their drama even before the final phase of voting ended. All of them without exception made forecasts that the Modi-led BJP alliance would have a landslide victory with a minimum of 359 seats out of 543 and the BJP would again hold a single majority position in the Parliament. There was a steep rise in the stock market which was going down after a few phases of the election. Rumour spread that it was all due to the forecast of a landslide win for the BJP. A proof of how the big capital manipulates the stock market to build up opinion of the people and the election process. Modi’s forecast was that the market would rise manifold on June 4.
The people of India were smiling within themselves which turned to laughter after the results were declared. Modi Magic, so popular among the journalists embedded in the lap of the RSS-BJP combine, failed to work on the people. The number of seats for the BJP fell down to 240 from 303 well below the figure for singular majority in the Parliament. It meant Modi, the God-sent Messiah, had lost the prowess and had to depend on allies like TDP, JD(U), LJP, and others with their recorded history of changing sides. They started dictating terms by bargaining on their representations in the Cabinet. LJP and JD(U) made public their dissent on Modi’s pet project Agniveer. LJP Chief Chirag Paswan stated that they would raise the issue of the Caste Census throughout the country which has been strongly opposed by the BJP.
People have also sent a warning to the BJP to stop playing communal cards and raising religious sentiments by defeating the BJP in their bastion of UP. The intent was made loud and clear with the defeat of the BJP candidate at Faizabad which consists of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. The warning was clearer that at the area which consists of the Temple complex including Vishwanath temple and Gyanvapi Masjid, Narendra Modi trailed despite his winning the seat.
Actually, the people have done as much as they can in the situation present before them.
In the case of the alliance called INDIA, it failed to present a united group of parties in several states, like West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala etc.
Moreover, they also took the policy of bribery, intimidation, in some cases direct threat and terror to the voters. In AP and Telangana two thousand to fifteen thousand were distributed to each family to buy votes, in West Bengal threat and intimidation were rampant, especially in rural areas. However, people in general had opposed the communal propaganda of the BJP interspersed with threats to democracy. Though they could not be wiped out, and the danger of fascism still looms large, weakening of the BJP in the so-called Homeland of Rama, UP, and cutting its rise in West Bengal and Punjab, dismal defeat in Tamil Nadu and losses in many states shows that a battle of attrition is going between the big bourgeoisie, like Adani, Ambani etc. backed by the BJP and those who lost their position as well as the regional big bourgeoisie like Goenka, Bajoria, Neotia, Srinivasan etc. Congress made its comeback with the support of the big bourgeoisie hurt by BJP-backed ones, and regional parties like TMC, and DMK. The exception was Nabin Patnaik-led BJD which was sandwiched in between failing to take a decisive position and faced ignominious defeat. The feudal sections played their role wherever they could. The results of UP, Haryana, and Punjab show how the wrath of the peasant and farmers movement had acted against the BJP. The film industries of Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai were divided but the bulk of them were against BJP. The exception was the Telugu film industry, which is still now associated with TDP, even after the division of the state.
It’s good that the contradictions amongst the ruling classes have been sharpened. It is also clear that the farmers’ movement had its imprint on the Electoral process.
PEOPLE AND OUR TASKS
The results have created renewed confidence amongst the people that they can put some brake on the fascist agenda of the BJP. But it needs miles to go to stop the wheel. This electoral process is just a measure of the feelings of the people. Moreover, the result does not reflect a concrete will of the people where large-scale bribing, intimidation, and doles in cash had their important roles in the process. So, the loss of strength on a great scale by the BJP does not prove the final defeat of fascist danger. Moreover, even if BJP is wiped out, as long as the structure and system of the present Indian state remain, the danger of the reappearance of fascism will be there in a new form.
So, it is bounden duty of the Communist Party to explain the role of the state and the exploiting system to the people.
There is no shortcut. The big bourgeoisie tied with imperialism is sophisticated enough to lure the people astray. On the one hand, on the day of the declaration of the results of elections through manipulations, the stock market’s 30 lakh crores of rupees went out of the economy; on the other, the ‘economists’ try to convince the people and government that direct cash transfer to the hands of poor holds the key to development. For them free distribution of food grains, Ayushman Bharat or Swasthika Sathi (the West Bengal variant) which doesn’t distribute cash in the hands of the poor, but instead distribution of cash in the form of Lakshmi Bhandar, Kanyashree, etc. to the women will make the poor feel they are being empowered. Some of them compare it with the Keynesian policy of the state, developing employment opportunities in state-run service sector organizations. A laughable comparison indeed!
This benevolence is not for the empowerment of the people but a ridiculous method to revamp the economy by infusing the money from the pockets of the beneficiaries into the market in an indirect manner. True, though the agents of imperialists and big bourgeoisie call it turning the poor into beggars, this helps to some extent circulation of money in the market and helps small-scale entrepreneurs to survive. This is key to the success of DMK, TMC, and their ilk.
Now let us chart clearly our tasks to change the system.
In the 2024 Election, our Call to the people had three components each connected to the other. Let us discuss how it works.
The first component was: “Vote to Defeat Fascist and Communal BJP and its Allies”.
Our comrades had taken this call to as many people as possible. And the people’s response is there for all to see. People tried their best to defeat the BJP, and they succeeded to some extent, but could not ensure complete defeat of the fascist and communal BJP. The reason is a lack of united organizational strength.
The second component was: “Expose and Reject the Anti-People Policies of the Ruling Classes, Subservient to Imperialism”. This component as a generalized statement wanted to make people aware that the replacement of the BJP by any ruling class party/parties will not bring people out of the quagmire that all the big bourgeoisie subservient to imperialism are drawing the people. That the defeat of the BJP by any and sundry ruling-class parties might weaken the fascist onslaught, but will not pave the way for the liberation of the people per se.
That led to the third component of our call:” Unite and Fight for New Democracy and Socialism for Lasting Solutions for the Problems of the People”. People and for that matter we, ourselves were lacking, in strength to achieve unity of the people to fight for the goals we said.
So, while hailing the people of India for their active role in putting a brake on the bandwagon of fascism in India, we, on behalf of the CPI(ML), dedicate ourselves to the unfulfilled task of uniting the people to fight for New Democracy and Socialism.
First and foremost is to organize our whole organization as a fighting force rededicating ourselves to the cause of the Revolution.
Secondly, since the Communist revolutionaries who are till now the most dependable force to bring a change in the society are a divided lot, we should take the lead to unite them into a single communist organization. The details must be chalked out anew according to the present development as early as possible.
Thirdly, it is clear that even following the Parliamentary Path the Left in general has refrained from tying themselves up openly with the big bourgeoisie. To unite the people the Left and communist revolutionaries will have to develop a united Platform to start with. We should act based on the concrete situation.
We had started working for both the unity of CR forces and developing a united platform of all Left parties. But, somehow and somewhere, those efforts were left at the initiative of others. Let us take our own initiative.
Dare to Struggle Dare to Win be our Motto.
(Copied from the Magazine 'CLASS STRUGGLE)
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