People's Democracy

IT is with great pleasure that we greet the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on the occasion of your 17th congress.

We are aware of the many courageous struggles undertaken by the revolutionary and progressive people of India and the inestimable role played by your party in these struggles. We read of the actions by workers, peasants and intellectuals --- men, women and the youth of your country. We know your electoral work and the success of the Left Front in West Bengal, Tripura, Kerala, and the work of your representatives in your national parliament.

We know of your work to stem ethnic and religious intolerance, fundamentalism and communalism which are being deliberately fanned by extreme right-wing forces.

You are faced with the tragic consequences of neo-liberal polices being implemented by a national government under pressures from the IMF, the World Bank and the major North American and European imperialist powers.

This is a worldwide struggle which has seen many splendid actions by people in many cities, towns and country districts across the globe. The concept of the unity and liberation of the working people of the world has been given flesh and blood in these actions.

Never before has the ugly face of capitalism become more apparent than at the present time. Corruption on a vast scale, savage exploitation, the destruction of democratic rights, the dismantling of the public sector in all capitalist countries, the attack on welfare, the massive unemployment in many countries, are all a direct consequence of the criminality of a system which is devoid of morality and honesty, of any genuine concern for the people of India or of any other country.

In an attempt to defer its inevitable historic death, capitalism and imperialism are now conducting a terrorist war against the people of Afghanistan and Palestine and are threatening wars, including nuclear wars, against a number of other countries. In this respect, leaders of the United States of America are not conducting a war against terrorism but a terrorist war. This has created a critical situation for the people of all countries.

We believe our major efforts must be directed to expose the war plans of the imperialist powers and to mobilise the people of all countries against the war threat.

The aims of the imperialist powers are to roll back the independence struggles of the previous decades and to reimpose colonialism on a world scale. They aim to dominate the whole world and control the rich resources of our planet. They aim to destroy all socialist governments, enslave the people everywhere to ensure that never again will socialist ideas empower the people to rise up against the insane and criminal leaders of the capitalist states and build new societies of justice, prosperity, security and peace for all, while implementing the enriching collective principles of socialism.

We have great confidence in your party, in its membership and leadership, in their application of Marxism-Leninism to the conditions and struggles that you face. We await news of the success of your party congress and the measures that you will undertake to build and grow to meet the challenges of the times.