Communist Party of India

2020-04-27 15:24:47

Overview

MN Roy founded the CPI in 1920 in Tashkent.
Their early worked focused on organisation of peasants and worker parties(WPPs) viz the Labour Swaraj Party of INC organised by Muzaffar Ahmed, Qazi Nazrul Islam, Hemanta Kumar Sarkar and others in Bengal in 1925.
Kirti Kisan Party in Punjab, Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan in Madras etc were some other examples.
They were severely repressed in 1924 in conspiracy cases in Peshawar and later in Kanpur and Bolshevik conspiracy cases.
In 1929 the gov tried to curb the trade union movements by arresting various communists leaders called the Meerut Conspiracy case.
This led to a dearth of left leadership and coupled with the sectarian politics away from nationalist congress agenda made them very weak.
The CPI was declared illegal in 1934.
It was sidelined but not completely destroyed as most communists did participate in the CDM as well as the spread of the socialist and communist ideas in the country during this period.
It was reorganised in 1935 under the leadership of PC Joshi. Its political basis was laid in early 1936 by document called the Dun Bradley Thesis it wanted the Congress mem to join the anti-imperialist front.
CPI started calling its mem to join the Congress and aligned itself with the Nationalist struggle.

It picked up pace after the CP of Great Britain started supervising the movt
Philip Spratt arrived in IN in 1926 and org a no of unions, edited newspaper and launched youth orgs.
Peasants and Workers party was org in Bengal, Bombay, Panjab and UP.
In 1928 All India Workers and Peasant party came into being.
1928-29 industrial strikes organised at Bombay.
CP was involved in Peshawar Conspiracy Trial in 1922, Kanpur Conspiracy Trial in 1924 and Meerut Conspiracy Trial in 1929-33 -> was the most imp out of all.
Anti British stance made INC sympathise w/ them who tried to defend the accused in Meerut Conspiracy. Congress also opposed the enactment of Public Safety Bill directed against communist in IN.
July 1934 CPI was declared illegal.

It attacked the Left and right within the congrees as being petty bourgeois nationalist leadership led by Gandhiji.
They charged INC of being atool of imperialism and thus betraying the revolutionary struggle of the masses.
Called the Congress Left as dangerous obstacle to victory of Indian Nationalism.
Communists were thrown adrift from mainstream politics.

RP Dutt and Ben Bradley published their thesis calling the INC as united from of Indian people in the nationalist struggle and advised the Communists to join INC, utilise its org, strengthen left wing witin CSP and oust right wing elements.
Wanting to create popular front along w/ CSP and Trade Unionist this failed.
rising upsurge in mass politics they agains came into political foray

Acting on Comintern leaders advise they opposed all types of imperialism including Fascism and Nazism.
Scored above INC since they initially had a pro-British stance.
But once USSR was attacked they changed their attitude and called the war as a peoples war announcing full support to the allies.
Nationalists condemned them since their policies were dictated by outside forces.

CPIs posture was pro muslim and wanted balkanisation of India into various smaller sovereign states but was ML did not take its support.
This balkanisation plan was put infron of Cabinet Mission showing that CPI was in complete disarray.