Communist Party of India (CPI)

About Communist Party of India

Communist Party of India (CPI) is one strand of the many Indian political parties with a communist ideology. It is the oldest party to have begun the communist movement in India. It was  born at a time when India was facing the severest colonial imperial oppressions. Inspired by the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia in 1917, and the victory of the working-class under the leadership of the Bolsheviks and guided by Lenin, this group of young Indian freedom fighters wanted to utilize the ideal of Marxism to the Indian anti-imperialist struggles. Their militant and revolutionary spirits were inclined towards improving the dismal conditions of the working-class of the country. Many of these communists worked together with the workers, peasants, trade unions and labourers, as part of a class-struggle against imperialist forces. Their rallying Marxian outcry was "Workers of All Lands Unite". These young and ignited communist minds came together in Kanpur and founded the CPI in December 1925, at the foundation meeting. The founding members were M.N.Roy, Abani Mukherjee, Evelyn Trent Roy who was M.N. Roy's wife, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Siddiqui and others. CPI's strong agendas were to study and struggle together - study in order to enhance ideas and struggle in order to liberate the nation from imperial forces, thus bringing about socialism. The party started functioning legally from 1942.

Election Symbol and its Significance

The Election Symbol of the CPI is ears of corn and a sickle. This is usually depicted on a red-coloured flag, which is the colour of struggle symbolizing a communist party. The ears of corn and a sickle are very significant. It depicts that the CPI is a party of the peasants, of farmers, or labourers, who work in the fields and earn a living. It depicts the conditions of the working class. The sickle is used to cut corn and all other crops in the field. The farmer toils in the field and at the end of the day gets a meagre amount as pay. This is represented by the CPI. It is a party of the poor and the oppressed in society. The CPI, through its Marxian ideologies and practices, in support with the trade unions present across the country, addresses the issues of the workers.

Leaders of Communist Party of India

The leaders of the CPI, who are also their national representatives and executives, are the following:

• A.B. Bardhan, the former General Secretary of CPI - Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, one of the oldest party members of the CPI is from Nagpur and has contested a number of elections. He is a dedicated comrade to the communist struggle and succeeded Indrajit Gupta as the General Secretary of the party in 1996.
• S.Sudhakar Reddy, the General Secretary of CPI - Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy succeeded Bardhan in the capacity of General Secretary in 2012. He is from Hyderabad and represents the Nalgonda constituency of Andhra Pradesh as an MP. Reddy has actively participated in a number of historic mass struggles in India.
• Dr. M. Nara Singh, National Executive Member - Dr. Singh is the current State Secretary of the Manipur branch of the CPI. He was former minister in the government of Manipur and a well-known leader among the masses.
• Gurudas Dasgupta - Dasgupta is a notable leader of the CPI and an MP in the 15th Lok Sabha. He was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee investigating the recent 2G spectrum scandal in India.
• D. Raja, National Secretary of CPI- Raja is a MP of the Rajya Sabha. He has written a number of notable books, most important being 'The Way Forward: Fight Against Unemployment'.

Achievments of the party

As a national political party, the CPI has made a number of significant contributions to the political scenario of the country. Some of these are listed below:

• The CPI has made its strong presence felt in the states of Manipur and Tripura where it is part of the Left Front, in Kerala as part of the Left Democratic Front and in Tamil Nadu, as part of the Progressive Democratic Alliance. Each of these are alliances of the communist parties across India.
• The CPI also has a number of principal mass organizations like All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), All India Youth Federation (AIYF), peasant and agricultural workers' organizations such as All India Kisan Sabha and Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union.
• CPI has made a prominent contribution to the cause of women in the country through its very active organization National Federation of Indian Women. Its student wing, the AISF or All India Students Federation has made its presence felt in a number of colleges, universities and participated in student politics across India.

The CPI, like all left parties in India, operates on the principle of democratic centralism. Its highest working body is the Congress. The CPI, as part of the Left Front, has raised its voice against a number of agendas of the Congress-led UPA government. Although initially in collaboration with the UPA, the CPI withdrew support when the Congress went ahead with the United States- India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act. According to the CPI, this and many other steps of the present UPA government, such as disinvestment of profit making PSUs, introducing FDIs in finance sector and MNCs in retail sector are clearly anti-people policies. The CPI has always reflected the interests of the working-class.

Contact Details

Official Website of CPI-http://www.communistparty.in/
Head-Office Address of CPI- Ajoy Bhavan, 15, Indrajit Gupta Marg, New Delhi-110002
Contact Numbers-Phone: +91 11 23235546, +91 11 23235099, +91 11 23235058, +91 11 23237972
Fax :+91 11 23235543
Email id:nationalcouncil@communistparty.in