A democracy remains strong when a level-headed and outspoken opposition debates the government in the parliament before it takes any significant decision or lodges a protest in ‘people’s interest.’
Contrarily, we have an opposition that is in disarray. The Congress Party is plunging deeper into its abyss of loyalty towards the Nehru-Gandhi family at the National level, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is steadily growing. Then we have regional parties representing their state interests in the parliament. Some are allied with the ruling BJP, and some with the Congress Party. Others like the TMC and TRS are mulling an alliance cocktail to form a third front.
Apart from them, the Communist Party is the only political force with a notable presence across the Indian states. However, their electoral success is dwindling, with Kerala their last remaining fortress. They have lessened themselves because they are neither evolving nor entirely true to their books. Instead, they are dilly-dallying in the name of coalition and alliances and seeking comfort in the shadows of larger parties like Congress in the center and other regional parties at the state level.
Now the question is: When Aam Aadmi Party can fight and win mammoth victories single-handedly, why can’t the communist parties contest elections alone?
They have an ideology and a strong identity in place. All they need to do is identify what’s failing them. First and foremost, they should evolve Communism to suit India in modern times.
In theory, Communism aims to create a classless society and distribute wealth equally. However, abolishing private capital and making everything state-owned can only work for people’s well-being in theory. Because as the state becomes a powerful entity, those at the helm of affairs can turn autocratic, corrupt, or foster a vested agenda. That’s like we started somewhere and ended up elsewhere.
Secondly, the Communist Party must terminate its alliance with parties with religious affiliation irrespective of whether they belong to the majority or minority religions.
A communist should oppose all forms of communal divisions in the society and not allow religions to leverage the political system in their favor. “Religion is the opium of the masses,” said Karl Marx. But why in India the Communist party is selective in its condemnation? If they are ready to criticize Hinduism, they should be able to question Islam and Christianity in equal measure. Indeed they should slam them all for misleading people over centuries. And they can never achieve this by taking sides like now.
Watch this column for Part II of the post.