The political temperature has soared following the release of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] draft resolution for its 24th Party Congress. In a move that has sent shockwaves across India’s political landscape, the resolution notably refrains from labelling the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as “fascist organisations.” The CPI-M’s refusal to use the term “fascist” for the BJP and RSS has left Congress, and other opposition parties, reeling and scrambling for a response.
A Bold, Pragmatic Stance or a Tactical Move?
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was quick to fire back, expressing his shock over the CPI-M’s position. In an interview in Kozhikode, Chennithala criticised the resolution, saying, “The claim that the BJP and RSS are not fascist is shocking.” He accused the CPI-M of adopting a strategic move to secure votes from the BJP in the upcoming legislative assembly elections. Chennithala even suggested that the CPI-M’s shift in stance is part of a broader political manoeuvre to appease the BJP, especially after the party’s recent success in retaining power in Kerala, where it secured some BJP votes.
Chennithala did not mince words: “The CPI-M retained power in Kerala in the last assembly polls by securing BJP votes. Given that the party has no political influence elsewhere in India, it is now attempting to ensure BJP support for the next election through this draft resolution,” he claimed.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan joined the chorus, accusing the CPI-M of harbouring long-standing secret ties with the BJP. Satheesan remarked that the CPI-M’s decision to absolve the Modi government of fascist tendencies should come as no surprise, given what he sees as the Left party’s consistent accommodation of the BJP. “The CPI-M has now discovered that the Modi government is neither classically fascist nor neo-fascist,” Satheesan said. “If this continues, they might soon claim that the BJP is a democratic force.”
Satheesan continued to lash out, describing CPI-M’s apparent political shift as nothing short of an attempt to align itself with the BJP and Sangh Parivar. “The CPI-M in Kerala has always made peace with fascism and the Sangh Parivar. Now, to hold on to power, they have presented a new document stating that the Modi government is not fascist. This is part of the CPI-M’s strategy to align with Modi, make peace with the Sangh Parivar, and ultimately surrender to them,” Satheesan alleged.
What Does CPI-M’s Draft Resolution Actually Say?
Despite the uproar from Congress and its allies, the CPI-M’s draft political resolution presents a more nuanced and cautious position. The document categorically states that while the Modi government displays “neo-fascist characteristics,” it cannot be labelled as a fully realised fascist regime. The resolution acknowledges the growing consolidation of power within the BJP and RSS, warning of the potential for this “Hindutva-corporate authoritarian regime” to evolve further into neo-fascism if left unchecked.
The resolution reads: “We have stated that the present political setup under the BJP-RSS is a Hindutva-corporate authoritarian regime displaying neo-fascist characteristics. We are not saying that the Modi government is a fascist or neo-fascist government, nor are we characterising the Indian state as a neo-fascist state. However, after ten years of BJP rule, there has been a consolidation of political power in the hands of the BJP-RSS, leading to the manifestation of neo-fascist traits.”
CPI-M’s nuanced position contrasts sharply with the rhetoric of other left-wing factions, like CPI, which refers to the Modi government as “fascist,” and CPI(ML), which claims that India is already living under fascism. The CPI-M, however, rejects both positions, arguing that classical fascism, as seen under Mussolini and Hitler, emerged from inter-imperialist conflicts. In contrast, neo-fascism, as it is emerging in India, is a product of the crisis of neoliberalism.
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