Communist Party of India
by Ajoy Bhavan

The Communist Party of India expresses its revolutionary
greetings to the Central Committee of the Communist Party
of Greece. It warmly appreciates the initiative to hold an
International Conference at Athens on a very important
subject. This occasion provides an opportunity to share
our experiences and to understand each other.

The Communists must make use of every such meeting to learn
from each other. In this regard we would like to recollect
earlier two important meetings convened by Communist Party
of Greece and two other initiatives on current issues by
Communist Party of Cuba in Havana.

We consider this initiative as one more in the series to
bring mainly the Communists on a common platform to focus
their concerns.

1.New features of world developments
Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the
socialist system, the balance of forces in the world was
seriously upset. Spokesmen of imperialism gleefully
proclaimed the death of socialism, and asserted that
history had reached its final destiny in capitalism,
embellishing it as 'free market' competitive economy' and
so forth. The USA as the sole superpower arrogated to
itself the right to impose its own 'New World Order' on the
rest of the planet and act the role of world policeman. The
pillars on which the 'New World Order' of their making is
based are the IMF, the WB, the WTO, NATO and the MNCs,
backed by sanctions enforced through military and political
blackmail.
Over accumulation of Capital
At the present time, state of the capitalist world economy
is characterised by increasingly unequal income
distribution, worsening working conditions, growing
disparities, massive unemployment, mass poverty, under
utilisation of the immense productive capacity, transfer of
wealth from South to North, growing indebtedness of the
developing countries, deteriorating terms of trade for
them, concentration and centralisation of economy and also
political power in the hands of MNCs, domination of
international financial agencies and conglomerates,
degradation of the environment, and globalisation which
subordinates developing countries to the interests of the
development capitalist countries.

The over-accumulation of capital, the merger of bank
capital with industrial capital, the take-over of insurance
funds by banks and financial institutions, the growing role
of stock markets in the economy, have led to the emergence
of international finance capital which has come to dominate
the economy of many countries. In Europe, USA
and Japan, such global financial and related services MNCs
have come up. The mobility of their operation defies
description. They crisscross international borders,
responding to the slightest tremor in economic life, in
interest or currency rates, or for purely speculative
purposes in stock exchanges. Such speculative mobility
helped forward by communications technology has sent
currencies of several countries into a tailspin. It has
been calculated that the global transfer of capital per
year is more than 20 times as high as regular global trade.
It shows the vast scale of operation of 'footloose hot
money', of financial capital on the rampage. Capitalism
Limits Productive Forces Despite enormous potential of
productive forces that are available today, the capitalist
relations of production are imposing limitations on the
growth of production and the rates of growth in the
economy, with productive capacities lying idle and unused.
We have noted how the working people, who are the main
productive force, are made redundant, kept unemployed,
thrown out of jobs, and so on. There is such phenomenon as
'jobless growth'. With a view to increase the rate of
surplus value
and squeeze super-profits, employers are resisting the
demand for reduction in working time with no loss of
earnings. There is in fact a worsening of working
conditions and loss of job security. In that citadel of
capitalism, the USA, the problem of overproduction has been
plaguing US manufacturers for more than a decade and a
half. It has been estimated that 41 per cent of all US
productive capacity is idle.
Inter-imperialist Contradictions
Within the exclusive club of dominant capitalist powers,
there are serious conflicts of interests, and even bitter
competition. In the economic field, Japan and the European
Union (with Germany in the lead have emerged as fast
growing powers. In comparison, USA's economic power has
suffered a decline, which it makes up by its superpower
might in other fields. Frequent summit meetings of the G-7
are not always able to settle their rival interests, except
when they can gang together at the expense of the
developing countries. This contradiction provides some room
for manoeuvre to the developing countries, provided they
can come together

2.Role of NATO And UN
In the post cold war period, after the winding of Warsaw
Pact, the NATO has assumed itself as the global protector
of human rights to intervene in any situation anywhere in
the world. Yugoslavia is one latest example for the NATO's
atrocious and ambitious role. USA, being dominant in NATO
engages itself in belligerency. The United Nations which is
the august body of nations finds itself helpless on many
occasions. Its resolutions are manipulated and its various
organs are hijacked. It is imperative to democratise the
functions of UN, not to allow it to succumb to imperialist
pressures, particularly of USA.

During American President Clinton's visit to India, the
President of India made an observation of the future on UN
as follows:

�As an African Statesman has observed to us, the fact that
the world is a global village does not mean that it will be
run by one village headman. In this age of democracy it
will be headed by a panchayat. For us the United Nations in
the global panchayat, and that is why we want it to be
democratised and sustained�.

We, the Indian Communists, endorse this view. This can be
a plank on which Communists and other democrats can come
together to continue their struggle against imperialist
forces for everlasting peace and nuclear disarmament along
with non-proliferations. When the governments of India and
Pakistan conducted nuclear explosions the Communists and
other peace loving forces in India protested strongly and
warned against
nuclear arms race�.

3.Possibilities are their for broader cooperation and Unity

For a universal nuclear disarmament

Efforts must be made to unite various mass movements and
campaigns directing them towards abolition of nuclear
weapons by all the nuclear power state and for a universal
nuclear disarmament for a peaceful world.

The Communist Party of India attaches great significance to
summit talks between South Korea and North Korea. This
heralds a new era to find peaceful solution to the
conflicts in Korean peninsula which includes the peaceful
reunification of two Koreas. It will also give a fillip to
the movement for the removal of American military bases not
only in Korean peninsula, but elsewhere in the world .

For Fighting Back Neo-Liberalism

The impact of this neo-liberal globalisation on the
developing countries is disastrous.For last two years
people all over the world are moving against these policies
which are only meant to benefit the developed countries and
their MNCs. Thus, in Birmingham, where the G-8 leaders had
their annual summit meeting, nearly 70,000 protesters
gathered and demanded that the world's richest countries
cancel the Third World debt. In placid and quiet Geneva,
over 10,000 marchers gathered and
protested before the WTO ministerial meeting against the
policies of
'neo-liberalism'.

Tens of thousands of unemployed demonstrated before the
Brussels headquarter of the European Union. Similar
demonstrations of workers, farmers and other sections took
place in Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament, and
at Cardiff, where the European Union summit met in May
1998. These are only a few instances of the peoples'
actions that are rocking the world today against capitalist
policies and their
effects on peoples' lives.

We saw the mass outburst first at Seattle at the time of
the WTO meeting in the beginning of this year. We saw it
recently at Washington, during the World Bank/IMF meetings.
We saw it in the speech of Fidel Castro while opening the
G-77 meeting at Havana. The common people world over are
increasingly rallying for a change.

Seattle and Washington have shown that firstly, even in
developed countries, people are waking up to the fact of
exploitation of developing countries in the name of
globalisation; secondly, these international actions have
the potential of halting some of their policies, or at
least throwing them on the defensive ; and thirdly, there
is a call for change and to act globally with broader
participation of masses in favour of the New International
Economic Order, earlier adopted by the United Nations.

This is one of the important aspect on which Communists
should do their best in extending cooperation with other
like minded class and mass orgnisations in mobilising the
masses to give more strength and proper directions to lead
this struggle to halt the process of neo-liberalism.

4. Our Experiences

When the policies of liberalisation, privatisation and
globalisation were introduced in 1990s the Left parties
including the CPI launched countrywide movement against
them. Now it is to be noted that non left political forces
and NGOs are rising against the continuance of such
policies. This creates new avenues for broder unity and
wider mass struggles.

The government of India is headed by a rightist party known
as Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). This government is
virtually selling out the Public Sector Undertakings
(industries) which were the strength of Indian economy to
the TNCs and at the same time allowing the FDI with 100 per
cent equity. The other economic measures which as Export
Import policy, removed QRs on imports, and compliance to
WTO dictate have been adversely affecting the agriculture.
Government is opening up insurance sector, denationalising
the banks and handing over vital infrastructures to the
TNCs.

Workers are facing massive retrenchment. Already there is
massive unemployment. Poverty is on the increase. Prices
are shooting up. Value of rupee is declining.

Fact shows that neo-liberalism is not merely anti-working
class. It goes against the national interests and almost
the entire developing world. In countries like India it
will hurt many more classes, which may be potential allies
in a broader struggle for defence of economic sovereignty.

To lead the struggle against the policies of the Indian
government a National Platform of Mass Organisations (NPOM)
was formed which include Trade Unions, Farmers ,
Agricultural Workers , Youth, Students and Women
organisations. They are mainly led by Communists and the
Leftists.

A significant feature during this period was that a
countrywide general strike organised by the National
Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO) in India was
supported by World Federation of Trade Union (WFTU).
There were solidarity actions in SAARC countries.

5.Possibilities of Coordinated Global Actions

CPI is of the view that there is a possibility for
coordinating struggles and actions against capitalist
globalisation. Non-aligned Movement needs to be
reactivised and the struggle for just new international
economic order (NIEO) needs to be renewed. The developing
countries (G77) will have to cooperate and coordinate among
them to put up a collective fight to defend their interests
within the WTO framework.

.Our party is also of the view that the entry of China into
WTO may provide a counterbalance to USA and European Union.
Along with these regional level cooperation must be
improved. The role of state needs to be reiterated. In a
developing country like India, state can not withdraw its
responsibility from economic activity and promoting human
resource development. CPI firmly believes that in the
context of Capitalist globalisation, the unity and more
coordinated actions by the Communist and left parties in
national, regional and international level is much
desirable.

6. Role of Ideology

The ideological conviction is paramount important to lead
the present days struggle in correct direction. Like all
other Communist parties, our Party stoutly denounces the
philosophy of neo-liberalism. We believe that the
solutions to the present day maladies and the future of
country lie only in socialism. But the road to socialism
in India has its own specifics and peculiarities. In a
country like ours where religions and castes have very
strong grip on the psyche and social life of the people,
the party has to steer the movement on the lines of class
struggle. It has to apply the science of Marxism Leninism
to the particular characteristics and features of our own
country, its history, tradition, culture, social
composition and level of development.

Having a rightist party in the government our party in
alliance with other left, democratic and secular parties
will have to fight the retrograde social and reactionary
political policies of the government.

We hope this international Seminar will recognise and
emphasise the need of more collective consultations and
coordinated actions of the Communist parties today in all
level.

We wish the seminar a great success.