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Debating West Bengal Elections

Mon, 2011-04-25 17:22 — subhanil

CNN-IBN and The Telegraph organized a debate on the forthcoming Assembly Elections in West Bengal. In the debate the two main contending parties were represented. The video of the program is embedded below.

An Interview with Prakash Karat on the ongoing assembly elections

Sat, 2011-04-23 17:12 — srinir
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General Secretary of the CPI(M), Prakash Karat answers a wide range of questions related to the ongoing assembly elections in various states in the country. Excerpts and link to original piece.

Wikileaks and Mamata Banerjee

Thu, 2011-04-21 15:34 — srinir

The diplomatic cable writers and the US State department staff say it quite clearly as to what they think is ideal for the US vis-a-vis West Bengal - greater engagement with the opposition in the state led by Mamata Banerjee and the overthrow of the longstanding Left Front government. The motives are not mentioned but there are no illusions. It is in the best interest of US imperialism that the Left loses in its citadel in the country. Here is pasted verbatim the Cable 230353: unclassified and commented upon thus by The Hindu newspaper - "U.S. government should ‘continue to cultivate' Mamata". It is left to the conscientous voter to decide if they should leave the fertile grounds of West Bengal - most of it owned by the ordinary people of the state because of land reforms - to be cultivated by proxy by the United States through the aegis of that lady. The cable, accessed by The Hindu through Wikileaks follows -

Obama Visit: Protest against US Policies

Thu, 2010-11-04 13:46 | CPI(M)
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The left parties have called for protests during US President Barack Obama's three day visit from November 6th to November 8th to India. This pamphlet, issued by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), explains the reasons for the protests. The details of the protests' call can be seen here. 

Prakash Karat's Speech at Cambridge University

Sat, 2010-10-30 11:23 | Prakash Karat
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Paper Presented by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat on "Victor Kiernan and the Left in India" at the Conference in honour of Victor Kiernan, Cambridge University, October 22, 2010

What is Right with the CPI (M)

Thu, 2010-09-09 08:21 | Prabhat Patnaik
CPI(M) Supporter

Much is being written these days, especially in the context of West Bengal, about what is wrong with the CPI (M). For a Party that has been in power in the state for more than three decades, this is hardly surprising. But if a Party has been in power in a state for more than three decades, then something must also be right with it. Besides, no matter what the outcome of the forthcoming Assembly elections, it would still be the case that almost half of the electorate in the two most intellectually-advanced states in India, West Bengal and Kerala, would have voted in them for CPI (M)-led formations. What explains this, and also the fact that, notwithstanding all its omissions and commissions, the CPI (M) still continues to attract some of the finest young minds of the country?

Source: 
http://macroscan.com/cur/sep10/cur070910CPI.htm

Live Streaming of Extended CC Meeting of the CPI(M)

Sat, 2010-08-07 12:11 — srinir

Live streaming of the Extended CC Meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) being held in Vijayawada. 

On Democratic Centralism

Sat, 2010-07-31 10:11 | Prakash Karat

 In the recent period, alongwith a number of critical discussions on the electoral set-back suffered by the CPI (M) and the Left in last Lok Sabha elections, there have been some questions raised about the practice of democratic centralism as the organizational principle of the Communist Party. Such critiques have come from persons who are intellectuals associated with the Left or the CPI (M). 

Since such views are being voiced by comrades and persons who are not hostile to the Party, or, consider themselves as belonging to the Left, we should address the issues raised by them and respond. This is all the more necessary since the CPI (M) considers the issue of democratic centralism to be a basic and vital one for a party of the working class.
 
Instead of dealing with each of the critiques separately, we are categorising below the various objections and criticisms made.Though, it must be stated that it is not necessary that each of them hold all the views expressed by the others. But the common refrain is that democratic centralism should not serve as the organizational principle of the Communist Party or that it should be modified.
 
Read More in The Marxist. The article is also attached as PDF.

The 2009 Elections and Challenges before the Left

Sat, 2010-07-31 10:07 | Prabir Purkayastha

 Prabir Purkayastha's article on the Left, 2009 Elections and beyond. Originally published in the Centre for Policy Analysis' journal.  

Can Democratic Centralism Be Conducive to Democracy?

Sat, 2010-07-31 09:59 | Javeed Alam

Democratic centralism has generally been accepted as the principle for building communist organisations, whereas it was only meant to address the organisational demands of a particular historical context in Tsarist Russia. By institutionalising centralism and leaving democracy undefined, this organisational form has fostered authoritarian tendencies and undermined the growth of new ideas in the working class movement. This is seen in India where the engagement of the communist parties with democracy has remained ad hoc and untheorised.