'Militant' struggles to be CPI's new path

Express News Service
Last Updated : 07 Jan 2012 11:24:45 AM IST

HYDERABAD: With cold response from the CPM to moves for unification of the two Left parties, the fourday CPI national meeting has decided to build a strong party and change the nature of its agitative programmes.

"We will build more militant agitations focusing on urban middle class, youth, peasants and the working class," a National Council member told Express. The CPI held the National Executive and National Council meetings for four days here and prepared a draft political resolution to be adopted at its National Congress scheduled to be held at Patna in March.

"We did not discuss unification of Left parties. It will not be there on the agenda of the National Congress either," a senior CPI leader said, indicating that the merger of the Left was a mirage and the CPI wanted to grow on its own. It may be recalled that CPI had been insisting on Left unification, to which the CPM has remained cool.

The council reviewed the Programme Document, which was adopted here in 1992. It was not satisfied with its implementation in the last 20 years and saw the need for making some changes to it. The party decided to go in for militant form of agitations. "It does not mean that we are reverting to armed struggles. We will fight in a democratic manner," clarified another senior leader. "Changes to the Programme Document will be finalised soon. The draft will be placed before the 21st congress at Patna. It will be circulated to the cadre and their suggestions will be taken," senior leader D Raja said.

"We will have another exclusive session after the National Congress to adopt the updated Programme Document," added another leader. "We want to focus on landrelated issues, food security, unemployed youth and urban middle class. The political draft resolution mainly focused on these issues," party general secretary AB Bardhan said. "To build the struggles, we need a strong party. So, we have decided to build the party also," he added.

The CPI also explored the possibility of building struggles in the era of neoliberal policies with focus on growing unemployment. As the merger of the Left parties is not on the agenda of the CPI for at least now, the party has decided to wage joint struggles with all the Left and democratic forces. When the new general secretary takes charge after March, he will have difficult tasks on hand like building the party and popularising the party among youth and women.

"Around 80,000 to one lakh new members are being inducted into the party every year. There are youth among them. It is not true that youth are not getting attracted to the CPI," deputy general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said. Sources hinted at the possibility of Raja replacing Bardhan as party general secretary at the Patna congress.