"CPI(ML)–New Democracy Party Congress Calls for Intensifying Resistance Struggle"

Delegates from all over India assembled for a week long All India Party Congress to deliberate over the present political situation in the country and the world, to assess and draw lessons from the experiences of building revolutionary movement in the country since the last Party Congress, to formulate the tasks for the coming few years, to discuss and decide upon the amendments to the basic documents and to elect members to the Central Committee and Central Control Commission. 114 delegates representing Party work in 12 states and elected at the respective state conferences participated in the All India Party Congress held in October 2004.

"Inaugural Session"

Congress started its work with unfurling of the red flag by veteran revolutionary leader Com. Madala Narayana Swamy. Venue of the Congress was named after the great martyr Com. Dharmanna, squad commander, who had fallen to police bullets in West Godavari forests in January 2001.

Party Congress paid homage to the martyrs who died in the cause of New Democratic Revolution in the country specially those who gave their lives for the revolutionary movement since the last Party Congress. Party Congress also paid homage to leaders and cadres of other communist revolutionary organizations who had sacrificed their lives for the revolutionary movement since the last Party Congress. Party Congress paid its tributes to the revolutionary leaders who have played important roles in the revolutionary movement in the country, particularly the leaders of CPI(ML) Com. Charu Mazumdar, Com. Satya Narain Singh and Com. Chandra Pulla Reddy. A two minute silence was observed in the memory of revolutionary martyrs.

To conduct the proceedings of the Party Congress, a five-member Presidium was elected and the outgoing Central Committee functioned as the Steering Committee.

Chairman of the Reception Committee, a veteran revolutionary leader, welcomed the delegates. He wished that the labours of the Party Congress to be fruitful and successful in contributing to the solution of the problems faced by the Indian revolution.

Party Congress was then inaugurated by the General Secretary of the outgoing Central Committee. Regretting the delay in holding the Party Congress he said “The period since last Congress witnessed increasing hardships of the people, suicides of peasantry, starvation deaths of rural poor in different parts, growing unemployment, in brief worsening conditions of the people. It also saw the rising struggles of the people, of peasants, workers, tribals, youth, oppressed castes and women. … This period also saw the slow and steady growth of revolutionary movement in the country. Ruling classes’ attempts to crush the communist revolutionaries through brutal repression have come a cropper. With their increasing inability to carry out substantial reforms, the conditions for rise of people’ struggles are turning increasing favourable. We are in a period full of potentialities for the growth of revolutionary movement.” He further said “Over last eight years we too have registered slow but steady growth. We are able to carry forward the task of unity based on revolutionary mass line and democratic centralism. We have organized some all India programmes to register the Party’s presence and project Party’s line at the national plane. We are able to maintain heroic Godavari Valley resistance struggle and have moved ahead to build it in an area in Bihar. However, our growth is much slower than the demands of the developing situation. We have before us the task of moulding ourselves to meet the demands of the situation and expectation of ranks, revolutionary cadres and people. In order to change the situation, we have to simultaneously change ourselves.”

"Political Resolution and Policy Resolutions"

After the inauguration, Party Congress started its work with the presentation of the Political Resolution dealing with the international and national situation and the tasks emanating from this assessment. The Political Resolution dealt with the deepening economic crisis of imperialism, intensifying offensive of the imperialist powers, war against world people launched under the leadership of US imperialism and the growing struggles of world people against imperialist invasions and for national liberation, struggle of the working class against attacks by MNCs and the reactionary govts. serving them. The resolution also dealt with national situation, deepening economic crisis and increasing instability of ruling classes, intensifying exploitation and oppression by imperialists, comprador capitalists and landlords, plight of working class, peasantry, tribals, dalits, women, youth and students, suicides of peasants and starvation deaths of rural poor, increasing attacks on people's movements particularly against movements led by communist revolutionaries and movements of national minorities. It also dealt with the role of various ruling class parties including CPM, CPI and the danger of Hindu communalism and national chauvinism. A large number of delegates participated in the discussion, moved amendments and made valuable suggestions. With the amendments accepted by the steering committee Political Resolution was approved by the Party Congress. Party Congress also authorized the new Central Committee to finalize the document.

After the approval of the Political Resolution, six policy resolutions dealing with Party’s attitude towards revolutionary utilization of elections, unification of communist revolutionaries, towards struggle against caste oppression, attitude towards joint activities with opposition ruling class parties and revisionist parties, for democratic solution to national question in India and women’s movement were presented before the delegates. Each resolution was taken up separately for discussion and a large number of delegates participated in the deliberations, moved amendments and made valuable suggestions. After thorough discussion and with amendments accepted by the Steering Committee, Party Congress accepted the policy resolutions presented by the Steering Committee.

Party Congress also instructed the new Central Committee to draft policy resolutions on tribal question, on communalism, on environmental issues and on attitude towards NGOs. New Central Committee was instructed to take opinions of PCs and DCs before finalizing these documents.

"Political Organizational Review"

Then the Party Congress took up the most important item on the agenda of the Congress i.e. Political Organizational Review presented by the outgoing Central Committee. Outgoing CC in a frank and clear manner outlined the achievements and weaknesses in Party work since the last Congress and made suggestions for development of Party work and revolutionary movement in the country. It laid bare the organizational weaknesses of the Party. POR laid particular stress on the principal task before the Party i.e. to build and develop areas of sustained resistance. POR asserted the importance of building and developing areas of sustained resistance as the key to our playing due role on the national scene, enthusing the revolutionary ranks and contributing our share in resolving the problems of tactical line inside the communist revolutionary movement. Stating that this concept has been evolved in the concrete conditions of revolutionary struggle in our country, POR clarified certain aspects of the understanding of building and developing areas of sustained resistance in the light of the experiences gained in over three decades of practice. POR stressed that resistance struggle is political, organizational and military preparation for launching armed struggle and dealt with its various aspects. Rebutting the attacks on the understanding of resistance struggle from the ‘left’ and right angles, POR held that resistance struggle is an anti-feudal mass struggle of the peasantry in which various defence measures are used. POR underlined the importance of developing defence measures. POR enriched the understanding of building and developing areas of sustained resistance.

POR also dealt with various problems faced by the organization in the period since the last Congress and suggested measures to overcome them. It called for systematic struggle against non-proletarian tendencies in the Party organization.

A lively, frank, informative and rich discussion took place on the POR particularly on the understanding of resistance struggle. Amendments were moved and comrades substantiated their viewpoints giving examples from the practical experiences and the lessons from the Great Telengana armed struggle, Great Naxalbari armed struggle and armed struggles of Srikakulam, Musaheri and Debra-Gopiballavpur besides the rich experience of Godavari Valley resistance struggle. In the course of these discussions, some aspects were further clarified and a better understanding of different viewpoints was achieved. Some comrades also made suggestions on other aspects of POR. Over all nearly 100 delegates participated in the deliberations of the Congress on POR. Delegates had to work from early hours in the morning to late hours in the night to hear the speakers. They heard each speaker attentively. Such was the interest in the subject that was looked upon by all delegates as that of paramount importance for developing the revolutionary movement in the country that almost all the delegates spoke on the POR.

With amendments accepted by the Steering Committee, POR was approved by the Party Congress. It was a singular victory of the line of building and developing areas of sustained resistance, of the practice of revolutionary mass line.

After the acceptance of POR, Party Congress took up the amendments to the Party Constitution and the Path moved by the outgoing Central Committee. These were borne out by the experiences in implementing the Party line since the last Party Congress. These amendments too evoked a lively discussion from various angles and after this discussion, the amendments were passed by the Party Congress.

"Election of CCC and CC"

Party Congress moved to the last agenda of the Congress i.e. elections to the Central Committee and Central Control Commission. In the light of the deliberations of the Party Congress and to implement the tasks formulated by the Party Congress, the new leadership was elected. A five member Central Control Commission was elected which elected its Chairman.

Steering Committee proposed a panel of names for the Central Committee including the Chairman of the Central Control Commission. This proposal was accepted by the Party Congress and the new Central Committee was elected.

Party Congress held after nearly eight years clarified many problems of Party work that came up during last eight years. It was the victorious culmination of the struggle of the Party for holding aloft the banner of revolutionary mass line, combating revisionism and parliamentarianism of different hues and terrorist-anarchist activities passing for armed struggle. Party Congress marked the victory of Party’s resolve to move forward resolutely struggling against right and ‘left’ deviations in the revolutionary movement taking danger of the right deviation as the main danger at present. Party Congress has united the Party ranks in the resolve to implement the Party line approved by the Party Congress and accumulate good experience of intensifying revolutionary work in the coming period.

Delegates left the Congress with the resolve to intensify the revolutionary struggle and mass movements, particularly to redouble the efforts to build and develop areas of sustained resistance in the countryside.