781 We should appreciate the courage of Ms. Jagmati Sanwar in resisting CPM Central Committee

This is in continuation of our blogpost No. 758 dated 21st May 2016, wherein we have discussed some of the problems ailing the CPIM (Communist Party of India, Marxist). The title of the blogpost is: 758 CPIM is continuing the same disastrous and undemocratic practices of Congress and BJP ! Lacks internal democracy. For those who wish to study this blogpost: Click to go to 758 . Now, at least one courageous person in the CPIM Central Committee, Ms. Jagmati Sanwar, General Secretary of AIDWA has come out openly against the manner in which the CPIM Central Committee was violating its own Party-line of not having any truck with Congress, by forging alliances with Congress, in West Bengal. The debacle of CPM in the 2016 Bengal Assembly Elections, has sufficiently proved that unhealthy alliances with borgeoisie parties in the name of preventing /displacing some other bourgeoisie party do not pay. It appears that the Central Committee Members from Bengal have opposed the use of the word "violating" party-line in the Resolution of postmortem of losing the Elections in Bengal, and threatened to resign.

Here is a newsreport dated the 25th June 2016 from ndtv.com, which summarises what seems to have happened in CPIM Central Committee Meeting, and the circumstances which seem to have led to resignation of Ms. Jagmati from the Central Committee (according to her: resignation) and expulsion of Ms. Jagmati from the Central Committee (according to Party: expulsion for gross indiscipline).

Here is an Indian Express Report which informs what seems to have happened at the said Central Committee Meeting. Click to look at IndianExpress

Considering my resignation was in my opinion a step to strengthen the party, there is no question now of trying to weaken the party or any mass organisation. My decision was an entirely political decision and to interpret it as some kind of personal rivalry is absolutely wrong

This meeting started on June 18. And on the 18th the note presented by the politburo… it had this term that it was a violation of the political tactical line by the Bengal committee. And a huge majority said it was a violation... ... But today, when it concluded on the basis of the discussion… they said we will be deleting this violation word because Bengal secretary Surjya Kanta Misra and senior leaders like Bimanda [Bose] said we (they) will resign if you (cpm) keep this term. Even the general secretary [Sitaram Yechury] was against it. I said no, it is not acceptable, at least to me. I said I resign from the central committee and party membership and I walked out,

"...Considering my resignation was in my opinion a step to strengthen the party, there is no question now of trying to weaken the party or any mass organisation. My decision was an entirely political decision and to interpret it as some kind of personal rivalry is absolutely wrong . ..."

"... This meeting started on June 18. And on the 18th the note presented by the politburo… it had this term that it was a violation of the political tactical line by the Bengal committee. And a huge majority said it was a violation... ... But today, when it concluded on the basis of the discussion… they said we will be deleting this violation word because Bengal secretary Surjya Kanta Misra and senior leaders like Bimanda [Bose] said we (they) will resign if you (cpm) keep this term. Even the general secretary [Sitaram Yechury] was against it. I said no, it is not acceptable, at least to me. I said I resign from the central committee and party membership and I walked out. ..."

ybrao-a-donkey's humble comments. वैबीराव एक गधे के विनम्र राय . వైబీరావ్ గాడిద వినమ్ర వాణి. You have every right to differ with me. I respect your right. आपको मेरे मत से भिन्न राय रखने के संपूर्ण हक है। मै उस अधिकार को परिपूर्ण रूप से गौरव देता हुँ. మీకు, మీ భిన్నమైన అభిప్రాయాన్ని కలిగిఉండే సంపూర్ణ హక్కు ఉంది. దానిని ఎంతో నేను గౌరవిస్తాను. However, pl. examine this donkey's views also. परन्तु एस गधे के दृष्टिकोण को भी अनुशीलन कीजिये. కానీ ఈ గాడిద దృష్టికోణాన్ని కూడ ఓర చూపుతో కంటజూడుమీ, క్రీగంట జూడమీ.

Ms. Jagmati Sangwan has taken a courageous decision.

She need not worry about weakening Communist or Socialist Movements in India.

She can try to promote a new Communist / Socialist / Democratic Socialist Party in India, which should include not only women, but also men.

Just as there are large number of bourgeoisie political parties in India, we can have large number of Communist / Socialist / Democratic Socialist Parties. I do not support the idea of unification of Communist Parties or having only one or two Communist Parties. Such step will only lead to monopolies and oligopolies in socialist arena.

In fact, totalitarianism is the bane of Communism, worldwide. At least in India, let us make a beginning of working against and dispelling the general impression of Communism / Socialism / Marxism involves dictatorships and totalitarianism.

CPIM seems to be suffering from loss of geographical spread. It sems to be excessively depending on its West Bengal and Kerala Units. For the time being it may be strong in West Bengal and Kerala. But CPIM Central Leadership should not forget that theirs is an All India Party, with defined set of principles. Opportunism and Regionalism cannot have places and prominence in the principles and party-lines. At any cost, inner party democracy cannot be sacrificed, in the name of gross indiscipline. One tool for deriving benefits from inner party democracy is through use of secret ballots at every level, where everything will be put to test through secret ballots, with a clear understanding that loss of something in ballot is not an end in itself, and after sometime, another attempt can be made.

PROBLEMS OF RELIANCE ON ONE OR TWO STATES

Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan, a Retd. I.A.S. Officer had started a Party by name Lok Satta. As JPN is from erstwhile United Andhra Pradesh, it had a good base in defunct United A.P.

Later, he wanted to convert Lok Satta into an All India Party, with Office at Delhi. Mr. JPN seems to have had some dreams of developing his party on the lines of A.A.P.

A.A.P (Aam Admi Party) too have dreams of emerging as an All India Party. But its base is only in Delhi and Punjab.

Already there are divisions and splits in A.A.P., culminating in expulsion of Yogendra Yadav, Prashanti Bhushan et al. Now, AAP (Kejriwal) is still continuing with its dreams. If Mr. Kejriwal inserts more South Indian leaders into AAP Central Committee, there is always a danger of revolt from Delhi and Punjab leaders, whose sweat the successes of AAP in Delhi and Punjab, which Mr. Kejriwal enjoys.

Back to Lok Satta, one gets an impression that Shri JPN wanted to give a greater role to his Delhi Associates, which seems to have been resisted by the A.P. Lok Satta Leaders. It appears that Mr. JPN wanted to have his say as founder of the party. Somehow, things did not workout, and the party seems to have been shelved or inactive.

ONE SOLUTION

It will be better if parties in India are organised NOT ON THE BASIS OF GEOGRAPHICAL UNITS, but ON THE BASIS OF DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PROLETARIAT such as farm workers, fishermen, rural artisans, metal workers, shop clerks, street vendors, construction workers, etc. etc. The different classes can be made of equal representation, size, by expert studies of various occupations and profession in India.

At grassroot level, units need not be organised in the traditional mode of village units, ward level units, or polling booth level units. Parties can take every group of 10 members of the same occupation/profession as one grassroot unit, and its leader can be called "daSamukh". A leader of ten such groups can be called "Satamukh". Ten Satamukhs can make a Sahasramukh. Thus leaderships and structures have to rise from bottom to the top, through a system of secret ballots.

NOT EASY TO START AND RUN NEW POLITICAL PARTIES IN INDIA

It is not easy to start and run new political parties in India, both bourgeoisie and Socialist. While the bourgeoisie parties may do anything they like because they need not worry about ethics, Socialist Parties have to explore ways and means of organising parties without COSTS. CPIM has recently organised a motorcycle rally in Vijayawada. Who will pay the cost of petrol? Party workers participating in such rallies will lose one day wages, they have to bear the cost of petrol, they have to neglect their families. For its Meeting at Vijayawada, CPIM might have collected funds from somebody or other without verifying their source of income. For example, there is an allegation against CPI that it collected donations from Liquor Contractors in Khammam District for organising its Meeting there.

Workers and Proletarian Parties have greater ethical responsibilities when compared to Mainline parties.

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.

708 Part 1/10 of Establishing and Running Political Parties, Practical Problems भाग १ -राजनीतिक दतों के स्थापना और संचालन कर्ना భాగం ౧ రాజకీయ పార్టీలను స్థాపించటం, నడపటం సమస్యలు

1996: Mr. Nagabhairava Jayaprakash Narayan, Retd. I.A.S. Officer, Andhra Pradesh State, India, founded a Movement called "Lok Satta". It literally means: "Satta=power. Lok=People. Lok Satta=Power of the People". So far so good. He converted LokSatta into a political party in 2006, initially as a State Level Party, and subsequently an All India level party. 2016 March: Shri Jayaprakash Narayan, is reported to have announced that he is quitting politics, and that Lok Satta would continue as a non-political organisation. He is also reported to have said that they will not be contesting elections. Today, one Telugu Channel telecast a report about it, intermittantly tinging it with a Telugu Language song from dEvadAsu titled "antA bhrAnti yEnA, jIvitAna velugintEnA, AASA nirASEnA migilEdI cintEnA? అంతా భ్రాంతి యేనా జీవితానా వెలుగింతేనా? ఆశా నిరాశేనా మిగిలేదీ చింతేనా ? Approx. Engl: Is everything an illusion? Is there no light in life? Should hope become a disappointment? What remains? Only regrets, remorse(s) and repentance(s)? "

It is difficult to answer this question.

Disappointments may arise when persons start organisations with personal ambitions and goals. On the other hand, if persons believe that their duty and task are just to spread the right principles and theories, while at the same time trying to bring them into implementation and launch stage. What is more important is, parties are not founded by persons. Parties are founded by principles which motivate persons.

There are bound to be revolts, treacheries, upheavals, and disappointments in politics. India is not the only country, where this problem exists.

For example, in United States, Mr. Bernie Sanders, the 74 years contender for Democratic Presidential Nomination, may have to face a similar disappointment, particularly because he is getting advanced in age. The other two runners-up in Republican Presidential Nomination, Mr. Ted Cruz (just 45 years age), Mr. Marco Rubio (just 44 years age), at least have an advantage of age before them. They can try and succeed next time.



There is one big difference between United States, and India. Members of Parties in United States, elect their nominees, through some sort of democratic process of voting, howsoever, skewed or defective it may be. Parties in India, on the other hand, do not have any proper democratic process to elect Presidential, Prime Ministerial Nominees. Parties in India are personal fiefdoms of the Founders and their coteries.

Aspirants for Party Presidential Nominations in United States, mobilise huge funds from both large donors, and small donors, though technically every candidate claims he-she has mobilised funds mostly from small donors. Whatever it is, in United States, fund mobilisation depends on personal efforts of the candidates and their supporters.

Lok Satta and Aam Admi Parties in India promised to become exceptions to the general rule of parties being personal fiefdoms, but experience shows that they are not exceptions. Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan tried to monopolise Lok Satta. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal monopolised Aam Admi Party. Though BJP claims to be not a dynastic party, it is remotely controlled by its founding organisation R.S.S. (Rashtriya Svayam Sevak Sangh).

HARD AND HARSH REALITIES

Parties in India (or probably in the entire world, including United States) cannot be run without funds.

Promoters and Founders of Parties have to depend on Corporates for large chunk of funds for running parties.

Industrialists and Business Persons demand their shares of the spoils, demanding a greater role for them, via Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Memberships, Admission into Cabinet with key portfolios, favourable tax and industrial policies to their industrial and business empires.

Parties depend on Film Stars, Cricketers for mass appeal, nominating them to Legislatures and Parliament. Example: BJP has issued ticket to Mr. Srishant, a Cricketer, to contest from Tiruvananthapuram Assembly.

If these are the realities, parties can never be run as CLEAN ENTITIES.

We have to work out practical ways-out for this existential and survival issue.

SOME SOLUTIONS

Founders of parties, basically do not want to lose control over the organisations they establish. Consequently, Parties lose their internal democracy. Howsoever energetic and charismatic leaders of parties may be, the structures of parties cannot be built downward from top to bottom. They are to get elected from bottom grass-roots to top. One question remains. Unscrupulous persons who do not have any commitment to the principles of the party, or who do not have at least their own principles join the party and hyjack it. This danger intensifies when a party shows signs of scoring in elections. As long as a party does not show tendencies of succeeding, no unscrupulous person will come forward to join. The crucial question, therefore, should admissions into parties be rigidly controlled?

Under ordinary circumstances, local units of parties are to have the authority to admit new members. Decentralisation is the ideal option, but affluent persons may dominate local units, by bringing their own henchmen into the Party.

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.