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HT This Day: April 16, 1964 -- CPI suspends EMS, Jyoti Basu and 30 others
The National Council of the Communist Party of India brought the formation of a rival party nearer by suspending all the 32 members who staged a walk-out at the Council meeting last Saturday and removed them from “all positions in the party organization which they may be holding.”
The National Council of the Communist Party of India brought the formation of a rival party nearer by suspending all the 32 members who staged a walk-out at the Council meeting last Saturday and removed them from “all positions in the party organization which they may be holding.” Only Mr Sohan Singh Josh opposed the resolution. Mr Bhupesh Gupta and Dr Ranen Sen did not attend today’s meeting.
The Party chairman, Mr S. A. Dange, told Pressmen today that as a result of the resolution Mr A. K Gopalan was no longer leader of the Communist group in the Lok Sabha. Similarly, Mr E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Mr Jyoti Basu and Mr P. Sundarayya would not be the official leaders of the Communists who form the main opposition in the Legislative Assemblies of Kerala, West Bengal and Andhra respectively.
Mr Dange said it had been decided to take action against Mr K. Anandan Nambiar, MP, for signing a statement demanding the release of RSS chief Golwalkar.
He said each Communist MP and legislator in States would have to declare his position one way or the other.
Mr Dange dismissed the claims of the Leftists to represent the mass of party members as based on “bluff.”
He said the confusion about who had the largest following would clear up “much earlier” than the proposed Party congress to be held in September in Maharashtra.
Mr Dange charged the Leftists with identifying themselves with the ideological and political positions of the Chinese Communist Party, which the National Council’s resolution stated, had embarked on the task of splitting various Communist Parties.
“Whether they have physical contacts with the Chinese, I do not know.” Mr Dange said.
But, he said, in answer to a question that the official Party would protest to do something more” it the Leftists were arrested by the Government.
The two resolutions out of three released by the official CPI today indicate that the war for the control of the Party apparatus at various levels has begun in real earnest. There will be trials of strength in the major units of the Party immediately.
Mr Dange wrote off West Bengal when he admitted at his Press conference that it was the only State where the committee of the Party had a majority of Leftists. But he said, another committee obeying the National Council would be formed there.
The decision not to impose the punishment of expulsion on seven leading members of the Party, earlier recommended by the Central Executive Committee is taken to mean as a sop to those who may have personal loyalties to them.
In a bid to attract the majority of Party members, the National Council’s second resolution has advanced the convening of the 7th Party Congress to September this year and the finalization of documents by the second week of May. The membership basis for the Party Congress has been greatly liberalized to secure the adherence of as large a section of the CPI as possible.
Significantly, the resolution of expulsion, and another on the World Communist Conference contain bitter attacks on the Chinese Communist and Government leaders who are charged with splitting the Communist movement.
The Leftists today released their draft Party programme, which calls for a Government that will undertake sweeping agrarian reforms and the abolition of foreign monopoly capital. It calls for a united front to replace the Congress Government which, according to the programme, is dominated by the bourgeoisie and land lords and is acting against the interests of the people both in matters of foreign and domestic policy.
Mr EMS Namboodiripad had submitted his own draft programme for comments by the Leftists but significantly he and six her dissident members of the National Council from Kerala have sent a call to Party units in Kerala to begun efforts for a united front against the Congress in the run ups to the State Assembly polls, scheduled to be held in February 1965.
Mr. Namboodiripad and other signatories this statement accuse the Kerala State Council of desiring to support the Congress in the elections and asks Party members to defeat this purpose.
In a rejoinder, Mr C. Achutha Menon, former Finance Minister in the Namboodiripad Ministry said that Mr Namboodiripad wants a create a “wrong impression” that the State Council does not want to defeat the Congress and describes the sentiments contained in the statement as “bogus.”
The 32 members who have been suspended are Messrs M. Basava- Punniah, P. Sundarayya, P. Ramamurty, A. K. Gopalan, Harekrishna Konar, Promode Das Gupta, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, T. Nagi Reddy, D. Venkateswara Rao, G. Bapanayya, C. H. Kanaran, V. S. Achuthanandan, Jyoti Basu, Y Sankariah, D. S. Tapiala, Sheo Kumar Misra, Mohan Punamia, M. Hanumantha Rao, N Prasada Rao, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, A. V. Kunhamba, E. K. Navanar, E. K. Imbichibava, Muzafar Ahmad Abdul Halim, Saroj Mukherjee, M. R. Venkataraman, K. Ramani, Jagat Singh Lyalpuri, Dr Bhag Singh, R. N. Upadhyaya and R. P. Saraf.
