New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (CPI) was founded on December 26, 1925, in modern-day Kanpur (earlier known as Cawnpore).
History
According to CPI general secretary D Raja, the foundation day is etched in the history of India as the dedicated communists from across the country gathered in then Cawnpore to form the Communist Party of India and the event changed the course of freedom struggle.
"The history of the CPI and our republic are intrinsically linked as communists were at the forefront of the struggle for freedom,' said Raja.
The founding members of the party were MN Roy, Evelyn Trent Roy, Abani Mukherji, Rosa Fitingof, Mohammad Ali (Ahmed Hasan), Mohammad Shafiq Siddiqui, Rafiq Ahmed of Bhopal and MPBT Aacharya, and Sultan Ahmed Khan Tarin.
Origins of Communist Party of India in Tashkent
It was in 1920 that the Communist Party of India came into being. The ground for its formation was prepared by the second world congress of the Communist Third International (1920). The Comintern Executive committee (ECCI) set up a sub-committee, the 'Small Bureau', to initiate the process. The Bureau organised the First Congress of the Peoples of the East at Baku in September 1920, specifically aimed at fighting imperialism in Asia. This was followed by the formation of the Communist Party of India on October 17, 1920, at Tashkent. It was the combined impact of the war-time and post-war experiences of political transition as exiles, the Peshawar and Bolshevik conspiracy cases along with militant labour movements of the early 1920s in India that produced activists who were identifiably left in their political and social leanings. These currents converged to create an all-India communist party network in 1925 and the formation of Workers and Peasant Parties, most notably in Punjab, Bombay and Bengal.
Objectives of CPI
Early communists focused on the plight of workers, peasants, and the oppressed classes, condemning British colonial rule as an exploitative force. At the same time, they also targeted oppressive social structures of caste and patriarchy.
"In fact, in the Kanpur Conference itself, the Chair of the Conference, M Singarvelu, condemned the practice of untouchability and called for its end. Communists were ideologically aligned with the broader anti-imperialist struggle and were staunchly secular. CPI was the first organisation to refuse membership to those who were members of any communal organisation. One of the central contributions of communists to the Indian Independence movement was their early and steadfast demand for complete independence or Purna Swaraj," Raja said.
Social justice, Equality And Rights For The Marginalised
The principles of social justice, equality and rights for the marginalised were central to the communist vision and found expression in key provisions of the Constitution. "The Preamble, for instance, reflects the ideals of justice, equality, and fraternity, which were championed by communists in their demand for an inclusive and democratic India. The inclusion of fundamental rights, provisions for social justice and the framework for economic equality can be traced back to the ideas promoted by the communist leadership. Moreover, the influence of communism can be seen in the debates over land reforms, workers' rights, and the protection of backward classes during the Constituent Assembly discussions," Raja said.
Mass Mobilisation By CPI
The Telangana Rebellion, a major peasant uprising in Nizam's Hyderabad, exemplified the CPI's commitment to land reforms and social justice. The peasants took up arms against the feudal rulers and the Nizam’s oppressive system. Similarly, the Punnapara-Wayalar uprising in Kerala saw mass mobilizations led by communist cadres demanding land reforms, economic justice, and political representation for the working class. These uprisings were not merely local resistance movements but were deeply embedded in the larger nationalist struggle, challenging both British rule and the socio-economic structures dominated by exploitative structures of class, caste and patriarchy.
These mass movements followed the CPI’s initiative in mobilising all sections of the people against the British Raj and for a future egalitarian India. Communists took the lead in mobilising workers, peasants, students, writers and intellectuals and artists through pan-India organisations like the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), All India Kisan Sabha, All India Students’ Federation, the Progressive Writers Association and the Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association.
Political Journey
The CPI gained momentum after Independence with the demand for social equality for women, universal adult suffrage, the nationalisation of privately-owned enterprises, land reforms, social justice for the lower castes (including those formerly called untouchables), and the right to protest through demonstrations and strikes.
The party did well politically in the 1950s. Nationally, it gained relatively small numbers of seats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1951, 1957, and 1962 compared with the ruling and then-dominant Congress. But each time it was enough for the CPI to be the principal opposition party. In 1957, the CPI defeated Congress in legislative assembly elections in the southern state of Kerala and, under Chief Minister EMS Namboodiripad, formed the first non-Congress government in independent India.
The CPI's fortunes started waning in the 1960s after its defeat in the 1960 Kerala assembly elections by a Congress-led coalition. The 29 seats the party garnered in the 1962 Lok Sabha polls marked their electoral high point in that phase.
In the late 1970s the CPI started aligning itself with the CPI(M) and other leftist parties to create the Left Front coalition, which formed governments in West Bengal, Tripura, and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, the CPI was part of the ruling Democratic Progressive Alliance formed in 2004. The party was also politically influential in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
The 2004 Lok Sabha elections gave the country’s Left Front parties a chance for some national political leverage. The CPI won 10 seats (compared with only four in the 1999 elections) and the CPI(M) 43 seats, and the front was able to provide important external support that allowed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition to form a government.
By 2008, however, the Left Front had withdrawn its backing, citing its opposition to the UPA’s civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States. The front's decision initiated a series of political setbacks for the country's leftist parties. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the CPI was again able to win only four seats and the CPI(M) total was reduced to 16, its lowest since it first fielded candidates in 1967. The Left Front also suffered debacles in the 2011 West Bengal assembly elections, the first time that the left had been out of power since 1977. The slide in leftist support continued in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, where the CPI could win only one seat and the CPI(M) dropped to nine.
1964 Split in the Communist Party of India
In 1964, ideological differences cropped up over a split between the Soviets and the Chinese communists in the 1950s and over the response to the 1962 border skirmishes between India and China prompted a large faction of party members (including Namboodiripad) to part way with the CPI and form the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Communist Party of India (CPI) split into the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the CPI on November 7, 1964, weakening the CPI considerably at the national level. The CPI(M) surpassed the CPI’s seat total in the Lok Sabha in 1971 and consistently won two or more times as many seats as the CPI in subsequent elections. In Kerala, the CPI was forced to become part of a Congress-led coalition that governed the state between 1970 and 1977.
Current Status of CPI
The CPI was the main opposition party in India during 1950’s to 1960’s. However, at present, CPI has only 2 members in Lok Sabha and two in Rajya Sabha. In addition, it has 22 MLAs across four states and one MLC in Bihar. It has the current ECI status of a state party in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Manipur.
As of December 2023, the CPI is a part of the state government in Kerala led by LDF and has four cabinet Ministers and a deputy speaker in Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, it is in power with the SPA coalition led by DMK. In Bihar, it is part of the Mahagathbandhan government and in Telangana, it is in alliance with Congress. CPI, along with the Left Front, is part of the INDIA alliance formed to defeat the incumbent BJP-led right-wing NDA government in the 2024 General Elections.
"Coming to our times when the CPI is observing its centenary, the ongoing attack on the values enshrined in the Constitution by the RSS are a matter of deep concern. The RSS and its affiliates, through their ideological campaigns and political strategies, have sought to undermine the Constitution's secular, inclusive, and democratic principles. By promoting an exclusivist vision of Hindutva nationalism, they challenge the pluralistic ethos that the Constitution guarantees to all citizens, regardless of their religion, caste or creed," Raja said.
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