The Congress party has lashed out at its INDI Alliance partner, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), for not being hostile enough towards its rival BJP. The grand old party has begun to show definitive signs that it is becoming more leftist than the Left.
On Monday (24th February), Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala attacked the CPIM for not labelling the BJP and the RSS ‘fascist.’ He brazened out, “The claim that the BJP and RSS are not fascist is shocking.”
He claimed, “The CPI-M retained power in Kerala in the last assembly polls by securing BJP votes. Given that the party has no political influence elsewhere in India, it is now attempting to ensure BJP support for the next election through this draft resolution.”
BIG: Congress Ecosystem is having a meltdown because the CPI-M’s draft resolution for its 24th Party Congress refuses to characterise that BJP and RSS as "fascist organisations."
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) February 25, 2025
What will the workers of several disinformation factories do now? pic.twitter.com/lKW1lgyPLe
He alleged that CPIM leader Prakash Karat conceded an internal ‘understanding’ between the CPIM and the BJP and it was reflected in the draft political resolution of the CPIM, which was adopted at the central committee meeting held between 17th and 19th January this year.
“The CPI-M in Kerala has always made peace with fascism and the Sangh Parivar. Now, to hold on to power, they have presented a new document stating that the Modi government is not fascist. This is part of the CPI-M’s strategy to align with Modi, make peace with the Sangh Parivar, and ultimately surrender to them,” Ramesh Chennithala alleged.
OpIndia reviewed the 64-page draft resolution [pdf] of the CPIM, which is subject to amendment till 5th March 2025. We found that the Communist Party made several unsubstantiated claims against the BJP and also engaged in anti-Hindu propaganda.
Despite this, the Congress party is not content with the activities of its alliance partner CPIM and wants it to do more.
CPIM targets BJP, peddles lies
At the very outset, CPIM had characterised BJP as a ‘Hindutva-corporate regime’ with ‘neo-fascist characteristics’ and involved in ‘communal-corporate policies’ (Page 1 of the draft resolution)
The Communist Party claimed that the Modi government was aligned with the US and supportive of the alleged ‘Israel’s genocide on Gaza’ (Page 2 of the draft resolution).
CPIM targeted the BJP for implementing secular Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand and preventing large-scale land encroachment by Muslim bodies by proposing amendments to the Waqf Act. (Page 22 of the draft resolution)
It also objected to the BJP government’s strict action against terror accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and crackdown on corruption under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act.
“The 2024 Lok Sabha election result was a setback for the BJP. It failed to get a majority in the Lok Sabha and has to depend on its NDA partners in the coalition government. However, the BJP seeks to overcome this weakness by pushing ahead with its Hindutva-corporate and authoritarian agenda,” CPIM brazened out. (Page 24 of the draft resolution)
The Communist party also made unsubstantiated claims about the BJP ‘manipulating’ official GDP numbers, benefitting corporate companies, weakening Parliament, EC and the Judiciary albeit without evidence. (Pages 28 and 33 of the draft resolution)
It targeted the BJP for abrogation of Article 370, which led to full-fledged integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India.
“The Supreme Court, by dismissing the challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 and the dismantling of the state of J&K, struck a blow against federalism and the rights of elected state legislatures,” CPIM lamented. (Page 37 of the draft resolution)
It objected to a crackdown on CCP-funded NewsClick (Page 42 of the draft resolution), opposed monetary benefit and financial support to women (Page 43 of the draft resolution) and made false claims about BJP criminalising ‘consensual sexual relationships’ (Page 44 of the draft resolution).
CPIM continued its diatribe against the BJP on Page 51 if the draft resolution. It stated,
“The BJP, which is the political front of the fascistic RSS, has emerged as the dominant political party in the past one decade. It has become the main representative of the big bourgeois-landlord classes and it has consolidated its support, particularly of the big corporates. The BJP has brought about a right consolidation using the influence of Hindutva ideology, an alliance with big business and
the use of unprecedented money and media power.“
Anti-Hindu propaganda on CPIM
On Page 18 of the political draft resolution of the CPIM, the party went on a hysterical rant against the rise of Hindu forces in the erstwhile ‘Hindu rastra’ of Nepal.
As part of its nefarious anti-Hindu agenda, CPIM claimed, “The pro-monarchy forces are trying to utilise the popular discontent to once again gain acceptance among the people and emerge as an alternative political force. Pro-Hindutva, RSS elements are actively supporting these forces and are campaigning against the newly adopted secular constitution and the communist parties.“
The Communist party further labelled the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya as an ‘aggressive continuation of Hindutva drive.’
It also tried to negate demands for the restoration of Hindu religious sites, which are subdued by disputed structures built by Islamic tyrants. (Page 22 of the draft resolution).
“The inauguration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya in January 2024 became a State-sponsored event, with the Prime Minister himself conducting the religious rituals. The next step has been to target the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Eidgah in Mathura to establish legal disputes on these two sites by claiming that there were Hindu temples existing there. This was the original VHP slogan that the three sites in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura should be handed over to Hindus to build temples,” the CPIM made its anti-Hindu mindset crystal clear. (Page 32 of the draft resolution).
The Communist Party also resorted to reinforcing the idea of Muslim street veto, which makes roads and areas inaccessible to the rest of the population and Hindus in particular. It sought to blame the Hindu community to take puja processiosn through ‘minority areas’ and causing provocations.
“Taking out religious processions during festivals like Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti and Ganesh Puja, entering minority areas and causing provocations leading to clashes, have become a regular feature…In all these incidents, it is the members of the minority
community who face police repression,” it claimed. (Page 32 of the draft resolution)
CPIM also objected to the enactment of legislations such as those against grooming jihad, which protect Hindu women from being lured by Muslim men into conversions under the pretext of marriages. (Page 33 of the draft resolution). It also objected to the crackdown on predatory religious conversions of Adivasis by evangelist groups.
CPIM further revealed its anti-Hindu antecedents when it claimed, “The new Parliament building was inaugurated by the Prime Minister with Hindu religious rituals and a ‘Sengol’ placed behind the Speaker’s Chair.” (Page 34 of the draft resolution)
The Communist party continued to mock Hindu sentiments and tried to pass off our ithihasa as ‘mythology’. It also objected to the presentation of Hindus in a positive light on TV, media etc.
On Page 41 of the draft resolution, it claimed, “The RSS has increased its hold on cultural and research institutions by infiltrating them with its elements. They seek to rewrite Indian history from a communal standpoint, and to project mythology as real history.”
“The Hindutva communal agenda cannot succeed until it becomes part of the ‘common sense’ of the people at large. For this, propagation via popular culture is crucial. Thus their unrelenting efforts to infiltrate and control the film industry, television channels and OTT
platforms, popular music, and even, of late, high art,” CPIM made their anti-Hindu agenda clear. (Page 42 of the draft resolution).
On Page 45, CPIM tried to pit ‘Sanatan Dharma’ against ‘Manuvad’, although its party leaders had supported calls for the eradication of both.
The Communist Party put out ‘token condemnation’ of radical Islamic outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI but was quick to suggest that their radicalisation was somehow due to rise of Hindutva.
“Muslim fundamentalist and extremist organisations like the Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI (political wing of the Popular Front of India) are working to expand their influence among the Muslim masses. They seek to utilise the alienation and fears among the minority community, who are subject to constant attacks by the Hindutva forces...Though minority communalism cannot be equated with the Hindutva communal forces who are in power, it must be understood that extremist minority activities only strengthen the forces of majority communalism,” CPIM claimed (Page 54 of the draft resolution).
The party also vowed to mobilise forces to counter Hindutva. The Congress was perhaps expecting more propaganda from the CPIM against the BJP and the Hindus. In the process of antagonising the BJP, the grand old party is becoming more left than its ally CPIM.
