COMING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION AND THE PROLETARIAT
The parliamentary election of 2014 is now in full swing. All parliamentary parties are fighting bitterly to capture power at the centre. The two big bourgeois parties are certainly in the forefront of this struggle. Whoever wins the battle will get to enjoy the power and fruits accrued from it. But, all the other smaller and regional parties are also not to be left behind. They may also find themselves in a position, where they will be able to wield more power than that would have been possible in normal conditions. And this election again underlines the fact that these parties can go to any extent to win elections. They can freely use the divisions among people along religious and caste lines for their narrow aims. They try to bribe people to get their votes. If that does not work, they threaten and force people by muscle power to vote for them. In short, everything is fair to these parties in this war to win elections. We are very much familiar with this struggle between the parties and generally associate the process of election with the struggle between the parties.
However, Marxist-Leninist analysis of parliament and parliamentary election tells us that this is also the field of class struggle. Lenin once said, "Can one conceive of any other institution in which all classes are as interested as they are in parliament? This cannot be created artificially. If all classes are drawn into the parliamentary struggle, it is because the class interests and conflicts are reflected in parliament". Is it true in case of this election also? If true, then what are the manifestations of class interests? If we delve slightly deeper in this election beyond the superficial fight of the parties, we shall find that the big bourgeoisie of our country and also their patrons, the imperialist capital are very much interested in this election. In a recent news article of a leading bourgeois newspaper it has been said that the some big corporate houses have taken a strategy and that strategy was "to nudge employees into participating in an event that is potentially a turning point for the country's economy: the 16th Lok Sabha elections." Why they are doing that? The reason has also been explained by the reporter, "With its future hinging on the poll outcome, India Inc is doing its bit to ensure that employees - a sizable chunk of the electorate - exercise their franchise." (?India Inc to staff: Take a day off and vote' Times of India, print edition Kolkata edition, April 4, 2014, also can be seen at http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-04-04/news/48866773_1_india-inc-thomas-cook-india-employees as accessed on April 5, 2014). We should not have any doubt that the big bourgeoisie is not only nudging their employees but in many other ways are trying to influence the outcome of this poll, because, ?its future [is] hinging on the poll outcome', as stated in the report. Some of representatives of big bourgeoisie are more forthright in expressing their intention. Mr. Deepak Parekh, chairman of one of the leading banks of India, HDFC, and one of the most prominent CEO's, has recently written in a leading daily, "Many are convinced that Modi has the attributes to deliver on governance and implement business reforms." ("A blueprint for governance: BJP manifesto strikes a balance between the practical and the audacious", Deepak Parekh, Times of India, Apr 10, 2014). However, it is so unusual for the big bourgeoisie to root for a particular individual as the Prime Minister of the country that he hastened to add a plea in favour of his opinion. He continued, "This piece may well open a debate on whether India's corporate leaders should strongly endorse a PM candidate. Unusual times call for unusual measures." (Italics ours)
Indeed it is unusual times for the big bourgeoisie. We know why this time is unusual for them and why they are hell-bent on installing Modi as the PM. We have discussed it in detail in another article of this issue and that need not be repeated here. It will be suffice to underline here that the future of the big bourgeoisie is hinging on the poll outcome because the outcome will decide to what extent and how swiftly they will be able to transfer the burden of their economic crisis onto the shoulders of proletariat and the toiling masses. We should have no doubt that whichever of the big bourgeois parties come to power it will try to put the burden of the capitalists on to the toiling masses. However, the speed and extent will be much more if Modi comes to power, at least that is the hope of the big bourgeoisie.
Naturally, the attacks on livelihood of the working class and toiling masses will increase manifold just after the election. Not only that, this election has also brought another ominous sign. It is beyond doubt that Modi is the most powerful and able representative of the communal, fascist politics of Sangh Parivar, who has shown his true colours by leading the brutal 2002 genocide of Gujarat. The big bourgeoisie has selected Modi as their bet in their gamble, because they know that he fits their bill for a tough administrator, who will be able to bulldoze the "economic reforms" as per their wish. If Modi can capture the Central Government, which is becoming a distinct possibility now, it means that the Hindu communal forces will be strengthened, their hold over the administrative machinery will be tightened, communal divisions among the masses, including the working classes and toiling masses will possibly increase, which not only will give rise to increased incidents of communal riots and oppressions on the religious minorities, but also impede, obstruct the class unity of the working class and other toiling masses. May be the big bourgeoisie is not thinking in terms of dismantling the present democratic structure of our country, but it cannot be ruled out that they may opt for some fascist rule if their economic crisis further deepens, and in that case Modi, backed by fascist RSS, will become a willing and handy tool for them. If anybody thinks that we are overestimating the danger we would like to ask them -- Isn't it a fact that the big bourgeoisie have chosen Modi for his toughness as administrator? If that be the case, then what will be its logical conclusion?
So, the working classes are in grave danger from both of these two sides ? attacks on their livelihoods and also attack on their right of struggle and organization. But, the tragic part of the whole situation is the proletariat who should have been preparing themselves and other toiling masses against this possible attack, they are completely unaware of the impending attacks on them. Not only that, they are generally running behind the parliamentary parties. Indeed, large section of the workers and toiling people are learning from their experience the anti-people and treacherous character of the parliamentary parties and that experience is making them aloof about these parties. However, as long as the toiling people will not get themselves organized separately they will have no options but to follow these parties in the parliamentary arena. This is the reason behind this unfortunate situation. Whereas the big bourgeoisie is leaving no stone unturned in its endeavour to install its most preferred person in governmental power, the working class and the toiling masses are unaware of the conspiracy though it may affect their future in a very adverse way. In this election throughout the whole country there is not a single candidate who represents the proletariat. Certainly, some communist revolutionary groups have put up some candidates but that cannot alter the reality because neither the groups represent the working class, nor they have any significant amount of support of toiling masses. We shall return to the question of communist revolutionaries later. This is just to underline the fact that as a class, the working class is completely absent in this struggle. However, this could not have been otherwise at the present juncture of working class struggle. The working class is passing through a period of defeat which has left it disintegrated and disunited. The defeat had been all the more devastating particularly because it occurred not from outside but from within. The communist parties, under which the proletariat once fought against the capital, betrayed them and the proletariat not only lost their party but also the trade unions under which they fought their day-to-day economic struggles against the individual capitalists. Due to this condition, the proletariats and toiling masses of all countries could not resist the vicious, terrible attack of globalization which started at the beginning of nineties of last century. Indeed, there had been some resistance struggles but those struggles were few in numbers and also essentially were economic struggles in the factory level. The working class could not launch a class struggle, in truest meaning of the term, against the capitalist class as a whole. From the turn of the present century these struggles are increasing in number and also in intensity, which we have seen in different countries of the world. In our country also, we are witnessing some workers struggle which are significantly led by the workers themselves independently, dissociating themselves from the old traitorous and revisionist parties. Undoubtedly, this is the start of the fightback of a great class which is summing up its bitter experience of betrayal of the old parties and trying to stand up on their own feet. It could not have been otherwise because the class is trying to rise up from the ashes without any help from outside, as there is no communist party in truest sense which can hold their hand and help them to stand up again. Definitely, it is just a start and so the class is treading the path haltingly and falteringly. But, we have utmost faith on this great class that the working class will ultimately rise up and confront the capitalist class. However, this is only the initial phase and at the moment the workers have not been able to launch a class struggle against the capitalist class as a whole and organize themselves as a class and till now there is no party which truly represents the class interests of the working class. So, it is natural that in this election also there cannot be any representation of the working class. We should remember that the electoral struggle is nothing but a reflection of class struggle, which is fought outside the parliament, in the electoral arena.
Some communist revolutionary groups have put up quite a number of candidates in this election though none of the organizations enjoy any significant amount of support, neither from the workers nor from other sections of toiling masses. Above all, they keep their eyes closed to the fact that in absence of a real proletarian party, no group organization can represent the working class. Now, elections are a form of political struggle where everybody participates in that political struggle by putting his/her vote in favour of a party. Only a party, not only in name but in its firm basis among the working classes can lead the working class and toiling masses in this struggle as in other forms of political struggle. The class struggle cannot have its reflection in the electoral struggle if it does not have any continuity, which is the case at present. Indeed, it is difficult to accept this bitter fact that the communists are not in a position to participate in the elections, where all political organizations are doing something or other in the elections. However, participation of the communists in election means conscious participation of the proletariat in election and we have explained that this can only happen as a continuation of class struggle of the proletariat in the previous period and naturally it is completely different from all other bourgeois or petty-bourgeois parties. That the communists cannot participate in elections at the present moment in real meaning of the term is the reality and sooner we accept this reality it will be better for us. Those communist revolutionary groups, who are putting up their candidates and thinking that they are participating in the election in the Leninist way, are actually trying to flee from this reality and trying to find an easy solution for a complex problem.
Then what is the task of the communists in the present moment? The first and foremost task of the communists is to expose the real class character of bourgeois parliament and bourgeois election and naturally the class character of the bourgeois and petty bourgeois political parties. It goes without saying that this is a general task which is valid not only in this election but all other bourgeois elections. Along with this general task, the communists should expose the class interests of the big bourgeoisie as expressed in this election and should also expose how the big bourgeois parties are serving the class interests of their masters. We have explained before that within the disorganized state of proletarian struggle, a feeble trend of workers' struggle is also making itself visible where the workers are dissociating from old parties and building up their own organization and taking the reins of their struggle and organization in their own hand. Though this trend is weak at present, it will strengthen itself in future. The leading, advanced workers who are coming forward from these struggles have the potentiality to act not only as the vanguard of the working class struggle against the present onslaught of capitalists, but also as the vanguard of the struggle of proletariat for its emancipation from exploitation and creation of a classless society. The election provides us an opportunity to organize this fighting, advanced section of the workers on class basis, because it brings forward the politics in totality. The communist revolutionaries should call upon the advanced and fighting elements of the working class to accelerate the process of dissociation from the old parties and not only to build up their own, political organization to resist the onslaught of the capitalist class, but also to build up a real party of the proletariat to lead the struggle for emancipation. At this moment of working class struggle, we cannot hope to influence a wide section of workers with this revolutionary campaign. But, it is very important to build up may be a small but revolutionary, class conscious core of workers, who will play an important role in organizing and leading the workers to carry out the task explained above in the coming days when more and more workers will dissociate themselves from the old parties and tread the path of struggle. Any step which may retard the development of these leading workers as class conscious workers should be rejected at any cost. Supporting AAP or any other bourgeois ? petty bourgeois party against others will only vitiate the consciousness of these workers and will hamper process of development of the leading workers. Undoubtedly, this cannot be done suddenly in the period of elections. Communists do not invent a separate campaign during the period of election, they do it in continuation of the campaign which they are conducting before the elections. Whether we perform this task in continuity or not is the real test which will prove whether we are acting as real communists or not.
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