Veteran Indian communist Kodiyeri Balakrishnan dies

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its profound grief at the passing away of Comrade Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, an outstanding leader of the Party.  He was a member of the Polit Bureau and, until recently, the secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the Party.

Balakrishnan died on October 1, 2022 in a hospital in Chennai after a prolonged struggle against cancer. He was 68 years old. 

West Bengal: Brutal police attack against Communist Party activists

On August 31st civil disobedience movements were held at all district headquarters in Bengal, India, marking the martyrdom of over 80 people who were killed in the historic food movement in 1959. 

 

In Purba Bardhaman district headquarters, without provocation, the police unleashed first water cannons, then a brutal lathi-charge and teargas on the peaceful protestors who were marching to meet the District Magistrate at his office. 

India - Bilkis Bano case: Communists vehemently condemn the release of rapists and murderers

Bilkis Bano was five-months pregnant when she was attacked by a Hindu mob in 2002 as anti-Muslim violence gripped the western Indian state of Gujarat. Bano, then 21 years old, was gang-raped by sword-wielding men from her neighborhood. Fourteen of her family members were killed, including her 3-year-old daughter, who was snatched from her arms and bashed against a rock.

A few days ago, on the 15th of August, 11 men serving a life sentence for the crimes were released from prison on remission by the Gujarat state government, sparking widespread outrage and an emotional appeal for justice from Bano. 

Communist Party of India (Marxist): Growing assaults on people’s livelihood by Modi government

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on July 16. It has issued the following statement:

Growing assaults on people’s livelihood

World Bank data shows that the annual growth of the Indian economy over 2020-22 was a mere 0.8 per cent.

KKE condemns the bomb attack at CPI(M) headquarters

On June 1st, unidentified cowards attacked the Kerala state committee headquarters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Thiruvananthapuram. Police said the explosive substance was hurled at the AKG Centre, situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, by a motorbike-borne man at around 11.30 pm.

In a statement the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemned the bomb attack and expressed confidence that “the state government will investigate thoroughly and punish the culprits. 

Sitaram Yechury re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

The 85-member new Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) that was elected at the 23rd Party Congress held in Kannur has chosen Sitaram Yechury as General Secretary. 

Yechury, 69, is taking over the leadership of the party for a third consecutive term. 

He succeeded Prakash Karat who has held the top post in India's largest left party from 2005 to 2015. 

The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) kicks off in Kannur

The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) kicked off yesterday in the city of Kannur, in Kerala.  

The Draft Political Resolution (abstract here) was introduced to the Party Congress by the General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury

As is the tradition of vigorous inner-Party democracy practised by the CPI(M), this Draft Resolution was released two months in advance and all Party members have the right to send amendments directly to the Central Committee. 4,001 amendments were received by the Central Committee, in the stipulated time. 

India: Millions of working people participated in 48-hour general strike

Another massive general strike took place in India on 28-29th March 2022, with millions of working men and women responding to the call by the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions, Independent Sectoral Federations/ Associations.

"This historic strike call was given not merely on immediate demands of the workers but against the anti-national destructive policies of Central government", reads a statement by Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist): Extracts from the Draft Political Resolution

Following a decision by the Central Committee, the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will take place in Kannur, Kerala, between 6 and 10 April 2022. 

 

The Party has published the Draft Political Resolution (click here for the full text) for the upcoming Congress, extracts of which you can read below:

Stop violence against communists in India!

In a statement the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the recent violent incidents unleashed against the Party premises in the state of Tripura by right-wing mobs:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the violence unleashed in Tripura by the ruling party, the BJP, against the CPI(M) and the Left Front. 

In a pre-planned fashion, the offices of the CPI(M), including the state headquarters, were attacked by mobs of BJP men.  Among the offices which were damaged or burnt down are the Udaipur sub-divisional office, Gomati district committee office, Sepahijala district committee office, Bishalgarh sub-divisional committee office, West Tripura district committee office and the Sadar sub-divisional committee office. 

Communist Parties of India: Joint statement on the situation in Afghanistan

In face of the situation in Afghanistan, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have issued the following joint statement: 

On Afghanistan Situation 

The United States has suffered a humiliating defeat in Afghanistan. Twenty years after the toppling of the then Taliban regime, the Taliban are back in power. The collapse of the Ashraf Ghani led government and the National Army shows the hollowness of the nature of the State set up by the US and it's NATO allies. 

India's 75th Independence Day: Article by D Raja

Our Independence and India Today

By D. Raja.

On this day of August 15, more than seven decades back, in 1947, our nation began her tryst with destiny. The political independence achieved by us is the result of decades of struggles by the people of our country. Recognising the exploitative nature of the British rule, people in various parts of our country started resisting the exploitation by colonial masters themselves much before organised platforms or political parties to lead them came into existence. People fought against British forces along with their native collaborators simultaneously at times. These spontaneous uprisings were ruthlessly suppressed leaving an indelible print on the collective memory of the people.

Socialism is getting married and Communism, Leninism, and Marxism are special guests!

Image by Edward Chhangte

A quite interesting story comes from the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is not uncommon for people of communist ideology throughout the world to name their children after important figures of the international communist movement, such as Lenin, Karl, Rosa, Ernesto, Fidel, etc.

However, the Salem District Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) A. Mohan has taken things to an all-new level.  According local news sites, his three sons born after the 1990s have been named Communism, Leninism and Socialism, as a tribute to the erstwhile Soviet Union.

India: Communist Party leader Sitaram Yechury urges PM Modi to take urgent action as Covid crisis deepens

India's healthcare system is buckling as a record surge in Covid-19 cases puts pressure on hospital beds and drains oxygen supplies. According to international reports, families are left pleading for their relatives who are desperately ill, with some patients left untreated for hours.

Crematoriums are organising mass funeral pyres. On Friday 24 April India reported 332,730 new cases of coronavirus, setting a world record for a second day running. Deaths were numbered at 2,263 in 24 hours. 

India: More than a million people attended a rally of the Communist Party (Marxist) and its allies in Kolkata

A sea of people gathered in the city of Kolkata earlier today during a massive rally organized by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and left allied forces. The rally, one of the largest political gatherings of the last years, was held at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground which is the city's largest open ground. 

The huge rally comes just prior to the West Bengal assembly polls, sending a strong message to both the governing BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and TMC (All India Trinamool Congress).  

KKE: Solidarity with the people and the communists of India!

In a statement issued today, Wednesday 17 February, the Press Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) denounces the policy of the Modi government in India and expresses its militant solidarity to the people and the communists of the country. 

More specifically, the statement reads:

The KKE expresses its militant solidarity with the struggle of the workers, the poor farmers and the youth of India for their rights and the fulfillment of their contemporary needs regarding work, health, education, and life, which are crushed by the capitalist mode of production.

Indian communists support farmers struggle, demand the repealing of Agri Laws

In a joint statement, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc express their support and solidarity to the struggle of farmers and demand the immediate repealing of Agri laws by the Modi government:

Repeal Agri Laws
Support Farmers Struggle 

Arya Rajendran: India's youngest elected mayor is a communist

Arya Rajendran, a 21 year-old member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has been elected mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.

Arya, a second year Mathematics student, is set to become the youngest person to hold a mayoral post in the country, the Hindustan Times reported. She presently serves as the state president of Balasangam, a children’s organisation affiliated to the CPI(M). 

Kerala: Communist-backed LDF alliance wins landslide victory in local body elections

As counting of votes in the local body elections in the Indian state of Kerala is inching towards the final lap, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has gained a clear edge in village, block, district panchayats, municipal and corporation councils. 

The LDF, which had won a majority of local bodies in 2015, is poised to either retain its existing numbers or improve its tally further.  

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that it will be a historic election and the Left Democratic Front will win seats even in areas which have not been its strongholds earlier. 

India: Communist Party member stabbed to death by right-wing criminals in Kerala

A 52-year-old activist of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was stabbed to death in Kollam district, in the Indian state of Kerala, on Monday 7 December. According to local CPI(M) leaders, the murderers belong to the nationalist, right-wing RSS paramilitary organization.

This is the fourth CPI(M) worker murdered in the state in the last four months.

CPI(M) state secretary in-charge A Vijayaraghavan said the killing was an attempt to disrupt peace ahead of polling for the first phase of today's local body elections.