Communist Party of Bangladesh
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The Communist Party of Bangladesh is a Marxist-Leninist political party in Bangladesh, founded in 1968 as the Communist Party of East Pakistan.
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[edit] Pakistan period
After the partitioning of India in 1947, during the 2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India in Calcutta, the delegates coming from regions within the newly founded state of Pakistan (which included what now constitutes Bangladesh) met on March 6, 1948 in a separate session and decided to form the Communist Party of Pakistan.
The main strength and activity of the newly constituted Party was in the province of East Pakistan (what is now Bangladesh). This eastern province was geographically separated from the western province by almost 2,000 km of Indian territory. Because of this wide geographical separation along with persecution by Pakistan government and uneven development of democratic movement in the two parts of Pakistan, the communists of East Pakistan felt the need to have an independent center for further advancing their activities. The 4th Conference of the East Pakistan Provincial Committee of the Party, which met clandestinely in 1968, declared itself to be the 1st Congress of the Communist Party of East Pakistan and elected a Central Committee for the Party. With the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state in 1971, this Party took its present name of Communist Party of Bangladesh.
The Party played a vital role in the 1969 uprising and also during the nationwide upheaval that followed it including the non co-operation movement of 1971. The CPB also actively participated in the nine months long armed struggle for independence of Bangladesh in 1971. A ‘Special Guerilla Force’ under the direct command of CPB-NAP-BSU fought against the Pakistani army. Communists were also took part in the other segments of the armed resistance fighters including the Freedom Fighters and the new Bangladesh Army. Moni Singh, the ex-President of CPB, was elected a member of the Advisory Council of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh.
[edit] Independent Bangladesh
The emergence of independent Bangladesh in 1971 opened up a new chapter in the history of the Communist Party of Bangladesh. The Party began to work legally and openly. On August 15 1975 President Sheikh Mujib was assassinated by a section of the army which ultimately brought the country under a rightist military rule. During the following 15 years, in spite of several changes of government, change from military to civil political rule and vice versa, real power always remained in the hands of the army and the fundamental socio-economic policy and political direction of the succeeding governments remained basically the same. During these struggles the Party and its newspaper were banned several times and leaders and activists killed, arrested or forced to go underground. Democracy was finaly restored in 1991.
After the set back of socialism in the Soviet Union and other East European countries some important leaders of the CC of CPB unsuccessfully tried to liquidate the Party in a Special Congress of the Party on June 15, 1993.
[edit] Ideology and organization
The Party is guided by the ideology of Marxism-Leninism and the ultimate goal of the Party is socialism-communism. Revolutionary internationalism is a cardinal aspect of its policy principles. Democratic centralism is the guiding organizational principle of CPB. The Congress of the Party, which is convened every 4 years, is the supreme body of the Party which elects a Central Committee accountable to it. The Central Committee is the highest organ of the Party during the interval between two Congresses.
A 37-member Central Committee was elected by the 8th Congress of the Party (May 2003). An 8-member Presidium including the President and General Secretary were elected by the CC. There is also a national council of 155 members which sits at least once a year to advice and help the CC in implementing the decisions of the Congress. The Congress also elected a 5 member Control Commission. The CPB has organizations in 60 out of the 64 districts and 275 out of 520 sub-districts in Bangladesh. The district and sub-district committees coordinate and guide the activities of the zonal committees and the primary branches of the Party. Party members are organized in these primary branches, The branches on their part organize ‘activist groups’ which serve to prepare cadres for party membership. Besides party membership, the Party also provides opportunity to include ‘associate members’ from among supporters of the Party. Party members and activists are working in trade unions and mass organizations of agricultural workers, peasants, women, students, youth, children, teachers, doctors, lawyers, professionals, indigenous national minorities and aboriginal, cultural organizations etc. In spite of relatively small number of party members and associate members (taken together they total 25,000), the Party is capable of mobilizing several hundreds of thousands of people through its influence in these mass organizations.
The main organ of the party is Ekota, which is published weekly.
[edit] Strategy and tactics
The CPB is working with a strategy of bringing about a 'revolutionary democratic transformation of society and state' with the ultimate goal of socialism-communism. The Party has put forward a 17-point program in consonance with this strategic goal of 'revolutionary democratic transformation'.
CPB is giving special attention to strengthen the Party and the mass organizations, increase cohesion among the communists and move towards communist unity, strengthen and expand the Left Democratic Front (which is constituted by different communist and left parties).
CPB has also been working to bring together left and liberal democratic forces to provide an alternative to the current two major parties. CPB took active part in setting up a An 11-party combination has been set up with this purpose. However, in recent developments (as of late 2006) the rest of this alliance has aligned within the 14-party alliance led by the Awami League.
CPB is also giving priority to the urgent task of fighting religious fundamentalism. For this CPB is working to build up united movement with all possible secular democratic forces including the Awami League.
