CPI (ML) slams CPM for downplaying ‘fascist threat’ posed by Modi govt

CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya criticised the CPM for downplaying the ‘fascist danger’ posed by the Modi government, asserting that such a stance would weaken the electoral strength and moral authority of communist parties.

The remarks came days after the CPM issued the note to its state units on the draft political resolution for the upcoming party congress in April.

In an article on the CPI(ML) Liberation website, Bhattacharya questioned whether CPM’s reluctance to label the Centre as “neo-fascist” was influenced by the party’s immediate electoral concerns in West Bengal and Kerala. He questioned that can any communist party increase its strength and role by obfuscating the central political question of the day?

The draft political resolution, to be discussed at of the CPM’s party congress in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai, mentioned the push to impose a reactionary Hindutva agenda and the authoritarian drive to suppress the opposition and democracy display neo-fascist characteristics.

In the note, the CPM had clarified that talking about the political setup showing “neo-fascist characteristics” does not mean that the party is calling the Central Government fascist or neo-fascist.

Bhattacharya said, “Perhaps the expression ‘neo-fascism’ had confused the CPM ranks that the main difference between the CPM and CPI(ML) in the current context revolved only around the epithet ‘neo’.

He said the note had to take the trouble of “clarifying” that as of now fascism in India is only a tendency, the characteristics on display are only emerging and not entrenched or decisive enough to define the nature of the regime.

“The note wants to make sure that the party cadres do not read much into the word neo-fascist which appears for the first time in a CPM document,” he said.

Bhattacharya said the CPM is in agreement with the wider progressive opinion in India and internationally which considers the RSS ‘fascist’.