DR.

RAM MAHOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

HISTORY
PROJECT ON:

Left Movements in India

SUBMITTED BY:

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

PARIMAL BHATT

DR.VANDANA SINGH

ROLL NO: 99

ASSITANT PROFESSOR

SECTION B

DR. RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA

B.A. LLB (Hons.), SEMESTER II

NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This draft would not have been possible without the kind support and help of many
individuals. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.I am highly
indebted to Dr. Vandana Singh for her guidance and constant supervision. I am
grateful to my parents for their kind co-operation and encouragement. Also, I am
grateful to my colleagues who helped me out in its development and all the other
people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities.
Yours sincerely,
Parimal Bhatt

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Definition of the Left.......................................................................................................................5
Growth of Left Ideology in India.....................................................................................................6
The Left Movements........................................................................................................................6
The Communist Movement.............................................................................................................7
First Phase:...................................................................................................................................7
Second Phase:..............................................................................................................................8
Third Phase:.................................................................................................................................9
Fourth Phase:...............................................................................................................................9
Fifth Phase:..................................................................................................................................9
The Congress Socialist Party.........................................................................................................10
Minor Leftist Parties......................................................................................................................12
The Forward Bloc:.....................................................................................................................12
Revolutionary Socialist Party:...................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION

The emergence and growth of the leftist movement was the result of a combination of factors
development of Indian industries the economic crunch caused by the two World Wars and the
success of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. The emergence of Indian Communism out of the
shortcoming of the mainstream national movement is quite undeniable. It was borne Out of
mostly of peasant and labour activists, Non-Cooperators, Khilafatists and revolutionaries whose
aspirations and participation in the national movement remained either unfulfilled or insufficient.
They sought alternate roads for their demands and some joined the Left Movement.
The founder of the Indian communism was Naren Bhattacharki (alias Manabendra Mikhail Nath
Roy), a Yugantar revolutionary. After meeting the Bolshevik Mikhail Borodin in Mexico in 1919
and helping in the establishment of a Communist Party, Roy attended the second Congress of
Communist International in Russia in 1920. Hereafter ensued a much celebrated dialogue
between Naren Bhattacharki and Lenin on the strategy of Communists in the colonial world. He
then founded the Communist Party of India in Tashkend in October 1920. Various formal
Communist bodies were formed in the period 1921-25 in different parts of the country.
Satyabhakta organised an All-India Conference of the communists at Kanpur in December 1925.
The convening of this Conference under the President-ship of Singaravelu Chettiar of Madras is
considered as the formal beginnings of Indian Communism. Between 1992 and 1927 a number
of organisations cropped up, essentially to provide legal cover to workers and peasants. These
included Labour Swaraj Party of Bengal, Congress Labour Party in Bombay, Kirti Kishan Party
in the Punjab and Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan in Madras. Ganbani, Mehnatkash, Kranti and
Krantikari were some of the popular journals and newspapers.

Definition of the Left

Left-wing politics support social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social
hierarchy and social inequality. They typically involve concern for those in society whom they
perceive as disadvantaged relative to others and a belief that there are unjustified inequalities that
need to be reduced or abolished.

The political terms Left and Right were coined during the French Revolution (17891799),
referring to the seating arrangement in the Estates General: those who sat on the left generally
opposed the monarchy and supported the revolution, including the creation of a republic and
secularization, while those on the right were supportive of the traditional institutions of the Old
Regime. Use of the term "Left" became more prominent after the restoration of the French
monarchy in 1815 when it was applied to the "Independents". The word "wing" was appended to
Left and Right in the late 19th century, usually with disparaging intent, and "left-wing" was
applied to those who were unorthodox in their religious or political views.

The term was later applied to a number of movements, especially republicanism during the
French Revolution in the 18th century, followed by socialism, communism, anarchism, and
social democracy in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since then, the term left-wing has been applied
to a broad range of movements including civil rights movements, feminist movements, anti-war
movements, and environmental movements, as well as a wide range of parties. The term left
wing can also refer to "the radical, reforming, or socialist section of a political party or system".

According to author Barry Clark, "Leftists claim that human development flourishes when
individuals engage in cooperative, mutually respectful relations that can thrive only when
excessive differences in status, power, and wealth are eliminated."

Growth of Left Ideology in India

The first and the foremost evil effects of the first World war was the financial devastation.
Financial burdens and the rising prices of the daily necessities led to famine. The imperialistcapitalist domination did not even adopt any steps to secure the common masses. Hence the
politico-economic condition of the contemporary period led to the growths of the Leftist
Movement. The revolutionary ideas of Marx and Lenin was extremely alluring and appealing to
the Indian Intellectuals and the political leaders. The philosophy of Marx , Lenin imbued the
Indian National leaders with a new ideology with socio-economic content. Gandhiji's slogan for
Swaraj and Swadeshi and his attempt to give it a national color gave a new orientation to the
trend of the political movement. The Leftist tendency began to guide the national political
movement. Even the peasants and the workers were drawn to the mainstream of national life.
The new development provided favorable condition for the inauguration of the organized and
ideologically inspired socialist movement. A section of educated middle class people who s
became unemployed in the British dominance lost their faith in the liberal politics of the 19th
century liberalism. Hence the emerging ideas of the new socialist ideologies guided by the Leftist
philosophy influenced this group of educated middle class. Moreover the non-violent and weak
policy of Gandhiji no longer appeal to the people. The radicals demanded for a formidable
resistance against the British. Government. The radicals also emphasized the attainment of
Swaraj.

The Left Movements

Leftism in India, after the close of World War I, developed along two main streams, namely
communism and democratic socialism. While the first was a projection of the international
communist movement controlled at that time by the Comintern, the second corresponded broadly
to the tradition of Fabian socialism and represented the most meaningful check to communism in
India. Though the character and the course of the movements set in motion by both ideological
systems were conditioned by Indias struggle for freedom, the communists could not themselves
with the ethos of Indian nationalism in this period. As a result the Leftist partys appeal lay only

with a group of sharply oriented indigenous intelligentsia. It was from this group that the
communist movement derived is leadership as well as the intermediate layers of cadres while the
vast mass of the population remained alienated from the revolutionary tenets of Marxism.
Though this intelligentsia had extensively read Marxist scriptures, they failed to accept its
irrelevance to Asian developments. It was, however, the Russian Revolution or the Bolshevik
Revolution of 1917 that caught the imagination of a section of intellectuals who felt
emancipation of India was not possible through weak and watery reforms of Gandhi but by a
revolutionary mass struggle against British imperialism and its Indian allies.

The Communist Movement

Towards the end of 1920, M.N.Roy and other Indian emigrants at Tashkent announced the
formation of the communist party of India. It was the Communist Party, which induced the leftist
trend in the nationalist struggle of India.
The history of the Communist movement can be divided into five phases:

First Phase:
The first phase of the Leftist Movements in India was considered as the period of Conspiracy
trials. The Leftist movement organized by the Communists had it birth outside India. They
received thorough training in the Communist University of Toilers at Moscow. The Communist
Revolutionaries also got the adequate financial support from Moscow and they crossed into India
only to find themselves accused of organizing a conspiracy against the King Emperor. The
movement picked up somewhat only after the communist party of Great Britain to supervise the
movement in India. One of its representatives Philip Sparatt arrived in India in December 1926
and organized a number of unions, edited newspapers and launched some youth and front
organizations. Four workers and peasants were organized in Bengal and Bombay, the Punjab and
Uttar Pradesh. In December 1928 the All India Workers and Peasants Party came into existence.
During 1928-29 the communist Party organized a series of industrial s strikes at Bombay.

The communist movement during this period became significant enough due to its involvement
in the Conspiracy trials thrice, the Peshwar Conspiracy trial, the Kanpur Conspiracy Trial, and
the Meerut Conspiracy trial. The Meerut Trial, which continued for over three and half years,
ended with the conviction of 27 persons made martyrs of the Communist. Most of these
convicted persons were nationalists' ors trade unionists. The anti British attitude of the
Communists favored them to win over the sympathy of the nationalists. The Congress working
Committee set up a Central Defence Committee, sanctioned a sum of Rupees 1500, and the
eminent nationalist like J.L. Nehru, K.N. Katju ands F, pleaded the defence case. H Ansari.
Gandhiji visited the prisoners in the jail in the year 1929 s and expressed his sympathy to the
Communist leaders. Consequently the Congress leaders of the s Central Legislative Assembly
strongly opposed the enactment of the Public Safety Bill, a bill that was directed against the
Communists in India. In the course of long drawn out trial, the Communist leaders made political
propaganda speeches, which received a wide coverage in the nationalist press. By 1934 the
Communist Movement in India attained some respectability. It was right from that time
considered that the Communist ideology had established in India. However in July 1934, the CPI
was declared an illegal organization. The Communist Leftist Movement in India received a great
blow due to this incident.

Second Phase:
The nationalist uprising under Gandhiji's leadership made giant strides forward in arousing the
masses against imperialist stranglehold in the early 20th century. Thus the CPI suffered both
from organizational and ideological articulation during the Gandhian era of the early 20th
century. Due to the decisions adopted by Communist International of 1928, the CPI attacked the
principles and ideologies of the Indian national Congress. At that time the Congress had
boycotted the Simon Commission, adopted the resolution of Purna Swaraj and launched the Civil
Disobedience Movement. The CPI sought to distract the popularity of the Congress in these
circumstances. In the second phase of the Left Movement they attempted to project a triangular
character of contest (a people's struggle not only against the foreign imperialism but also against
the Indian exploiters). It attacked the petty bourgeoisie nationalist leadership of Gandhiji.
Gandhiji had been charged as the tool of imperialism and betraying the revolutionary struggle of
the masses. It even condemned the Congress left wing as a counter Revolutionary force and a
dangerous obstacle to the victory of Indian Nationalism. This tactical approach proved to be

totally unrealistic and the Communists found themselves thrown adrift from the political
mainstream.

Third Phase:
In the third phase of the Left Movement the Communist party entered in a united front
plan with the Anti- Imperialists. Following the deliberative policies of the Seventh
Congress of the Communist International, R.P Dutt and Ben Bradley published their
thesis entitled The Anti Imperialist People's Front in India in March 1936. Dutt Bradley
labeled the India National Congress as merely the united Front of the Indian people in
the nationalist struggle. They advised the communists to join the Indian National
Congress, utilize its solid party organizations, strengthen the Left wing of the within the
congress and overthrow the reactionary right wing elements. The Communists, the CSP
and the Trade unionists planned to organize a Front Populaire on the basis of a common
minimum Programme. But the communist leadership however failed to establish a social
base of their movement. Hence the popular front of the Leftist movement never came
into existence. However the Leftist s leaders had profit from the popular upsurge. In the
later half of the 1930 the increasing political activities favored the Communist to
strengthen their place in the radical politics.

Fourth Phase:
When the Second World War broke out the Indian communists under advice from the leaders,
continued their United Front Policy against all types of Imperialism. Rather the communists won
the popularity than the Indian national congress because of the latter's initial indecision and the
pro-

British

attitude

of

the

leaders

like

Gandhiji.

However the Indian Communists found them in a critical position when in June 1941, Hitler
attacked the Soviet Union the home of Socialism. The communists in India decided to turn about
and relabeled the war as a "people's war" and announced full support for the Allied Russians War
effort. The Government of India rewarded the CPI, by declaring it a legal organization in 1942.
The Communists extended alls possible support and even acted as the British spies in
suppressing the popular revolt in 1942. This sudden shift of the communist policy evoked the

strong condemnation in the nationalist circles and clearly demonstrated that the CPI's policy
decisions were s dictated by outside and international opportunists.

Fifth Phase:
During the fifth phase of the Leftist movement, CPI sought to widen congress-League alienation
and encourage all separatist elements and work for the division of India into a number of
sovereign states. In the fifth phase its strategy was to tighten the control over at least one such
state and to make it a base for the liberation of the rest of India. In due courses the Muslim
League rejected the idea of an alliance with the Communists. Therefore the CPI became a
discredited

organization

in

its

fifth

phase.

In 1942 the CPI adopted a resolution declaring India to be a multi-national state. In 1946, they
put forward before the cabinet Mission Plan for division of India into 17 separate sovereign state
on the model of the U.S.S.R. By 1947, the communist movement in India had lost whatever it
earned in the Indian political scenario. The political position of the CPI was completely
destroyed.
However according to the historians, the Communists or the Leftist concept of the Proletarian
Internationalism could not be reconciled with India's national aspirations. Moreover the basics
themes of Marxist communism, "class antagonism" and "violence" were alien to the Indian
tradition. Henceforth the Leftist Movement led by the Communists could not make a progressive
development in India.

The Congress Socialist Party

The Congress Socialist Party of India was established in the year 1934 as a socialist committee
within the Indian National Congress Party. The members of the party usually rejected the antirational mysticism of Mahatma Gandhi and the sectarian approach of the Communist Party of
India towards the Indian National Congress. The Congress Socialist Party of India was
influenced by the ideologies of Marxism-Leninism and Fabianism. The party included supporters
of armed Indian freedom struggle, namely Basawon Singh and Jai Prakash Narayan; well as
other members who were followers of ahimsa or nonviolent resistance, like Acharya Narendra
Deva. The Congress Socialist Party promoted decentralized socialism and believed that trade
unions, co-operatives, local authorities and independent farmers should possess a considerable
share of the economic power. As the members of the Congress Socialist Party of India were
secularists, they expected to rise above communal divisions through class solidarity.

Few members like Basawon Singh and Narendra Deva promoted a democratic socialism that
was different from both reformist social democracy and Marxism. During the period of the
Popular Front, the communists worked within Congress Socialist Party.
Basawon Singh and Yogendra Shukla were amongst the founding members of Congress Socialist
Party from Bihar. Jai Prakash Narayan (Jayaprakash Narayan) and Minoo Masani (Minocher
Rustom Masani) were released from prison in April 1934. Narayan organized a meeting on May
17, 1934 in Patna and as a result of the meeting the Bihar Congress Socialist Party was
established. J.P. Narayan was appointed as the General Secretary and Acharya Narendra Deva
served as the President of the party. After the Patna meeting, a socialist conference was held in
connection to the Congress Annual Conference. The conference was held in October 1934 in
Bombay (now Mumbai) and the All India Congress Socialist Party was established. Jai Prakash
Narayan served general secretary and Masani was appointed as joint secretary of the party.
Masani managed the party in Bombay (now Mumbai), while Puroshottam Trikamdas and
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya mobilised the party in other regions of the state of Maharashtra.
Ganga Sharan Singh, who was one of the major leaders of the Indian National Congress, was
also among the founders of the Congress Socialist Party of India.

In the year 1936 the Communists became a part of the Congress Socialist Party of India and in
few states like Orissa and Kerala, the communists began to dominate the party. The party
commenced fraternal associations with the Lanka Sama Samaja Party of Sri Lanka in 1936. The
party adopted the ideologies of Marxism in the year 1936 after the third conference in Faizpur,
the members of the party aimed to change the Indian National Congress Party into an antiimperialist front. Later in the year 1938, the Marxist sector of the Anushilan movement also
joined Congress Socialist Party. As a result of this, the Anushilan Samiti also became a part of
the organisation. Eventually the members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
joined the Congress Socialist Party of India. This faction was under the leadership of Jogesh
Chandra Chatterjee.

Later various differences related to the ideological views and political practice of the party
emerged between the Anushilan Marxists and the members of the party. This disparity in views
surfaced at the annual session of the Indian National Congress in the year 1939, held at Tripuri.
Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee also renounced his membership in the party as a protest against the
various actions undertaken by the eminent leaders of the Congress Socialist Party of India. Later
the Anushlian marxists left the party and eventually established the Revolutionary Socialist
Party.

In the year 1940, the National Executive of the Congress Socialist Party gathered at Ramgarh
and took the decision to expel all communist members from the party. The different members of
the Congress Socialist Party of India actively participated in the Quit India movement, also
known as Bharat Choro Andolan, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, in August 1942.
Jawaharlal Nehru refrained from becoming a member of the Congress Socialist Party, even
though he was a socialist himself.
After the nation achieved independence from the supremacy of the British Government of India,
the Congress Socialist Party of India detached itself from the Indian National Congress Party
under the guidance of Jai Prakash Narayan (Jayaprakash Narayan) and Basawon Singh (Basawon
Sinha), in order to establish the Socialist Party of India. Basawon Singh later become the first

leader of opposition in the Indian state of Bihar and assembly; and Acharya Narendra Deva went
on to become the first leader of opposition in the state of Uttar Pradesh and assembly.

Minor Leftist Parties

The Forward Bloc:
After the nation achieved independence from the supremacy of the British Government of India,
the Congress Socialist Party of India detached itself from the Indian National Congress Party
under the guidance of Jai Prakash Narayan (Jayaprakash Narayan) and Basawon Singh (Basawon
Sinha), in order to establish the Socialist Party of India. Basawon Singh later become the first
leader of opposition in the Indian state of Bihar and assembly; and Acharya Narendra Deva went
on to become the first leader of opposition in the state of Uttar Pradesh and assembly.
When Netaji resigned from the post of the President of Indian National Congress in April 1939,
he pledged to form a new political party, which would uphold its strong fight against colonial
imperialism and domination, at all costs. A rally was held in Calcutta and young girls and boys
came together to sign a pledge, under the brilliant leadership of Netaji. The formation of the
party was formally announced on 3rd May, 1939. On the 22nd of June, of the same year, the All
India Forward Bloc held its first conference in Bombay, where the Constitution and program of
the Forward Bloc was drafted. The Central Committee of the All India Forward Bloc was
officially announced about a month later, in July. Subhas Chndra Bose became the President, Lal
Shankarlal its General Secretary and S.S. Cavesheer from Punjab was elected the Vice-President
of AIFB. The Nagpur Conference of the Forward Bloc, held from 18-22 June 1940, remains a
historic episode in the history of the life of AIFB. Bose, as the President of the political party,
resolved to win Purna Swaraj or complete independence for India by initiating some concrete
plans. Steps were taken to form a national unity among all sections of the Indian society.
Immediacy was felt to organize the formation of Panchayats, as organs of struggle and organs of
administration, right from the village level to the centre.

Revolutionary Socialist Party:

The Revolutionary Socialist Party was formed in March 1940, largely as a political manifestation
of the Anushilan Samiti or the Liberation Movement in Bengal. It also draws its roots from the
Hindustan Socialist Republican Army. The youth who were members of the Anushilan Samiti
took active part in reading Marx-Lenin manuscripts, and were jailed a number of times for being
radical freedom fighters. Though many young members of the Samiti broke away from the
Anushilan movement to join the CPI, which was the oldest existing political party to begin the
communist movement, most stayed attached to the movement itself, indulging in copious
readings of Marxism-Leninism.
Other Minor Parties were the Bolshevik Party of India, The Revolutionary Communist Party, The
Bolshevik Leninist Party and the Radical Democratic Party.

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