CPM to rectify a historic blunder, to mark I-Day by trumpeting nationalism

The Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s decision to celebrate this year's Independence day in a grand manner is a historically significant move. For the first time after the country attained freedom, the CPM will hoist the national flag in all its offices on August 15. The party says the grand celebrations are planned on the occasion of the 75 th year of independence. However, political observers attach more significance to the decision in the wake of the political scenario in the country.

"The central committee decided that the party will observe this anniversary highlighting the role of the communists in the freedom struggle; Communist party's contributions to the building of modern India and consolidating the idea of India; the complete absence and at times collaboration of the RSS with the British during the freedom struggle; and the vicious undermining of the Constitutional secular democratic Republic of India today," the CPM said in a communique after its central committee meeting on August 6-8.

The decision comes more than seven decades after the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) raised the slogan "Ye Azadi Jhutha Hain" (This freedom is false).

The CPM came into being following a split in the CPI in 1964. Even though the party later changed its stance to on Independence, this is the first time the party has decided to celebrate Independence Day in its offices, hoisting the tricolour. The decision assumes significance amid the exponential growth of the Hindutva, which wears a sense of hyper nationalism on its sleeve.

"We used to hoist the national flag in the party's central committee office in Delhi. This time the flags will be hoisted wherever possible. Democracy, secularism and freedom of the country are in danger now. We have decided to celebrate the 75th year of independence to convey these harsh realities to the people," S Ramachandran Pillai, CPM politburo member, told Onmanorama.

Pillai said the party will organise several seminars and symposiums as part of the celebrations. He denied reports that the proposal for the grand celebration came from the party's West Bengal unit.

Left analyst N M Pearson said the CPM's decision could be seen as part of exploring how nationalism could be utilised at a time when the BJP is dictating political terms as a Fascist force.

"The Communist Party had not acknowledged the Indian Independence in the initial years. Their argument was that it was only the freedom of the Indian bourgeois. Later, they realised their mistake and corrected their stance. Coming to the latest decision, I think it is part of an enquiry into how the sense of nationalism could be used politically to resist the BJP government at the Centre, which is showing Fascist tendencies," he said.

He said the move could also be an attempt by the party to defend itself against the accusation that it is not a nationalist force. "I believe that the Communist Party' opposition to the Quit India movement proved to be disastrous for the party. The decision to officially celebrate the Independence day could be a step towards warding off such criticism," he said.

Giving the development an academic perspective, Pearson said one of the mistakes committed by the Communist parties in India was to give more prominence to the idea of universalism than nationalism. "The political opponents could interpret it as anti-nationalism. The party apparently does not want to repeat such a mistake," he said.

CPM central committee member A R Sindhu said there was nothing to debate about the party's decision. "Today the people of India are on the streets and Left party's slogans are being taken up by everybody, including the Congress. In such a situation, the debate should be about the actual meaning of freedom after 75 years. On the 75th anniversary, we have decided to highlight the Communists' legacy in the freedom struggle and their contribution in preserving the freedom and constitutional values in the country. We have been doing this in the past also," she said.