A B Bardhan Greets CPI(M) Congress

ALLOW me to greet the 17th congress of the CPI(M), in the name of the National Council, Communist Party of India.

This day, next week, our party, the CPI will be holding its 18th congress, and we expect to hear the address from the general secretary, CPI(M).

It will be a truism to say that both the congresses are meeting at a very critical moment in history.

The country has just passed through the trauma of the horrendous Godhra violence, the Gujarat riots and the Ayodhya turmoil. They show the lengths to which the BJP can go in order to push its agenda and hold on to power. Communal forces are on the rampage, with the connivance of the BJP governments at the centre and in states. India’s secularism, its cultural heritage and diversity, the fraternal ties that bind its multi-crore people together, its peaceful civic life, its democratic institutions --- all are under attack by these communal-fascist forces.

An atmosphere of insecurity prevails in the country due to terrorism, both indigenous and cross-border, which has taken a heavy toll of lives in all these years.

In the name of fighting global terrorism, and systematically ignoring the rules of international order, American imperialism launched a devastating war and now threatens to extend it to other countries in the Asian continent. It has established its military presence in this part of the world in pursuit of its world hegemonic strategy. It fancies for itself the role of a ‘mediator’ in the Kashmir issue. The BJP government has given up India’s independent foreign policy of peace and non-alignment, and has abjectly capitulated to the USA.

In the economic sphere, the government is recklessly pursuing the policy of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. This has plunged the economy into a deep recession. All indicators of growth are registering a sharp fall. The cumulative effect of these policies is having a devastating effect on all sections of the people. Workers and the self-employed are under attack. Farmers are hard hit. The middle classes are being squeezed. Even the small and medium industrialists are in distress. Unemployment has reached an all-time high. The PDS is being scrapped; while godowns are full, and the stomachs of those below the poverty line are empty. The budget has addressed itself to none of these problems. Rather it has extended all manners of concessions to corporate houses, MNCs and NRIs. In tune with these steps, the government is seeking to liberalise labour laws.

These policies, pursued at the dictates of the IMF, World Bank, WTO controlled by the developed capitalist countries, are aggravating the problems of poverty and unemployment in developing countries and are affecting even developed countries. But these are meeting with increasing and ever growing powerful resistance from people’s movements all over the world.

Here at home, workers and employees, kisans and agricultural workers, students and youth, intelligentsia, women have on several occasions gone into action and taken to the streets against the BJP government’s policies. State governments run by the Congress and some regional parties have also been pursuing similar policies. They had to face militant and tenacious actions in their states. Worthy of note are the powerful agitation against the power tariff hike in Andhra, the BALCO strike and the bank employees’ strikes, the upheaval among kisans, the historic united strike of government employees and teachers in Kerala, and several others. Only a few days back, the trade unions through countrywide demonstrations have served a notice on the government, for a general strike on April 16. To curb these movements, the government is resorting to draconian laws like ESMA and POTO, and is undermining democratic rights.

Dear comrades,

It is a matter of deep satisfaction that the two parties share the same perception in relation to these developments, both nationally and internationally. We share deep concern about the danger to national unity and integrity, and the threat to secularism and communal harmony, which are its foundation, arising from the BJP and Sangh Parivar. We hold that for protecting the livelihood of the masses and for progressing along the path of self-reliant development, the present social and economic policies of the BJP have to be fought back.

We recognise that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are the main enemies that have to be fought ideologically, politically and through mass action. They have to be removed from power both at the centre and from the states where they rule. The main direction of attack by the combined forces of the Left and democratic parties and groups at the national level has to be against them and their allies. Together, we have to mobilise all the secular forces in the country, wherever they happen to be, including Congress masses. It is time some secular parties, who are with the NDA out of opportunist reasons, reconsider their position. Gujarat, Ayodhya, Orissa are signals that this task can no longer be delayed.

At the same time we fully realise that the country cannot be salvaged by the restoration of Congress rule, which basically represents the same classes. While recognising the differences that exist between the BJP and the Congress, especially in the matter of secularism, and therefore the possibility of joining forces in fighting the BJP/NDA in exceptional and specific cases, there cannot be any question of generally aligning with them. What is necessary, and what we stand for, is an alternative both to the BJP and Congress rule, based on an alternative programme.

Dear comrades,

Our two parties as well as other parties of the Left and the mass organisations have undertaken several joint actions and struggles, alongside their independent actions. These have brought us closer, despite existing differences, which require to be clearly identified and discussed. But of late there have been a number of avoidable conflicts along the way, which have marred the relations between our two parties. I am sure we can look beyond them, so that our political objectives and larger perspective are not adversely affected.

I wish the 17th congress all success!