Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)

Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)
Secretary-General Provash Ghosh
Founded 24 April 1948
Headquarters 48 Lenin Sarani
Kolkata, India
700013
22°33′49.9″N 88°21′20.1″E / 22.563861°N 88.355583°E
Newspaper Proletarian Era (English)
Student wing All India Democratic Students Organisation
Youth wing All India Democratic Youth Organisation
Women's wing All India Mahila Sanskritik Sanghathan
Labour wing All India United Trade Union Centre
Peasant's wing All India Krishak Khet Majdoor Sangathan
Ideology Communism,
Anti-Revisionist
Marxism-Leninism,
Shibdas Ghosh Thought
Colours Red  
Alliance Independent
Seats in Lok Sabha 0
Seats in Rajya Sabha 0
Website
http://www.sucic.in/, http://kerala.sucicommunist.org/,
www.facebook.com/SuciCommunistOfficial,
www.twitter.com/SuciCommunist
Politics of India
Political parties
Elections

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) or SUCI(C), previously called the Socialist Unity Centre of India, is a communist party in India. The party was founded by Shibdas Ghosh in 1948.

Ideology

SUCI(C) is a communist party in India,[1] and follows a Marxist-Leninist ideological line formulated by Shibdas Ghosh. The party rejects political ideas such as glasnost and perestroika as revisionist, and claims to uphold the original intent of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and the thoughts of Ghosh.[2]

SUCI(C) holds that India as a capitalist country with monopoly capitalism and imperialist trends. In line with that analysis, the party works toward a socialist revolution, rather than a people's democratic revolution (like the Communist Party of India (Marxist)), a national democratic revolution (like the Communist Party of India) or a new democratic revolution (like the Naxalites).[3]

SUCI(C) leadership emphasizes the qualitative upliftment of party cadres, workers of mass-organizations and supporters, by both theoretical study of Marxism-Leninism-Shibdas Ghosh Thought and the practical application of such knowledge in the day-to-day life of party workers. In various publications of its, SUCI upholds the proletarian cultural standard, which, according to the leadership, should be achieved by the cadres, before they can lead the masses in the Socialist Revolution.

The 1st SUCIParty Congress was held in Kolkata in 1988. The 2nd party congress was held from 11–17 November 2009 in Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi attended by thousands of participants from 22 states and observers from several foreign countries. The current political line of the party was formulated in the 2nd party congress.[4][5][6] The party's name was changed from Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) to Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) [SUCI (C)] in the second party congress.[7]

Parliamentary politics

From its inception, SUCI took part in parliamentary elections and was part of the United Front governments in West Bengal in 1967–1969 and 1969–1970 together with CPI(M) and others. The party had a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 4th Lok Sabha from the Jaynagar (Lok Sabha constituency).[8][9] The SUCI had presence in the legislative assemblies of Assam, Bihar and Orissa at various times. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections SUCI launched 56 candidates, 30 of them from West Bengal. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections (2009) SUCI declared 40 candidates from 12 states.[10]

As of 2009, Tarun Mondol representing Jaynagar (Lok Sabha constituency) in West Bengal is the party's sole MP and it has one MLA in West Bengal that is Tarun K. Naskar representing Jaynagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency).[11]

Current situation

SUCI(C) members live in communes wherein they lead a simple life style. Day-to-day upkeep of the commune and the well being of the children of party members living in the communes are taken care by the shared efforts of party members. Major income of the party is from box collection in the streets and house to house collection; members who are employed hands in their salaries to the party. The party contests elections with the money collected through this transparent fund raising method.[12][13][14]

The stronghold of the party is in the South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, in areas such as Jaynagar Mazilpur where it controls certain municipalities.

SUCI(C) is actively involved in the ongoing anti-Special Economic Zone movements in India. The most notable of these movements that the party is active in are:

The party has formed a political front in West Bengal with All India Trinamool Congress to fight the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on an agreement that the alliance will maintain equidistance from the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.[28][29]

The party won the Joynagar (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2009 elections with a majority of 53676 votes.[30]

Shibdas Ghosh, Founder General Secretary of SUCI
Nihar Mukherjee Memorial Meeting held in Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on 3 March 2010
International Women's Day, 2010, Parliament March organised by AIMSS against price-hikes, atrocities and crime on women and obscenity

Campaigns

The Gherao principle was introduced as a formal mode of protest in the trade union sector by late Subodh Banarjee, the then central committee member of SUCI and the PWD and Labor Minister in the 1967 and 1969 United Front Governments in West Bengal, respectively.[31][32][33]

One of the major campaigns of the party in West Bengal has been its agitations against the educational policy of the Left Front state government. The decision of the Left Front government to remove the English language from primary education sparked a mass movement led by the SUCI for the reinstatement of English.[34][35][36]

Below is a chronological list of campaigns organised by the SUCI(C) in West Bengal:

SUCI mural in Kolkata, announcing 'SUCI day' rally on 24 April

Leadership

Provash Ghosh is the current leader of the party. He was elected as the General Secretary of the party by the central committee on 4 March.[40] After Shibdas Ghosh's death in 1976, Nihar Mukherjee a co-founder of SUCI, became the General Secretary.[2] Nihar Mukherjee demised of cardiac arrest on 18 February 2010 at Kolkatta.[41]

The central committee members of the party are:

The incumbent central committee and politburo was elected in the 2nd party congress.[42]

Secretaries of the State Committees of the party are:

Secretaries of the State Organizing Committees are:

The MP of the party is:

The MLA of the party is:

Former Legislators of SUCI(C)

The former ministers of SUCI in West Bengal:

The former MP of the party was:

The former MLAs of the party were:[51][52]

Mass organisations

The principal mass organisations of SUCI(C) are:

Publications

The central organ of SUCI(C) is the Proletarian Era, an English forthnighly published from Kolkata.

Cover of Proletarian Era

The state committees of the party publishes:

Criticism

In 2005 Probodh Purkait, a SUCI MLA who represented Kultali constituency for 30 years, was convicted for murder and sentenced to life term by the Calcutta High Court.[54] SUCI denounced the court ruling as a 'conspiracy of CPI(M)'.[55] Supreme Court of India on 27 February 2007 dismissed the appeal filed by Prabodh Purkait against the judgment passed by the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court.[56] In April 2008, an SUCI leader Bidhan Chatterjee committed suicide citing the corruption in SUCI as the reason for his suicide. In a letter sent before his death, he accused that the SUCI leaders were "hobnobbing with real estate promoters and foreign-funded NGOs".[57][58] However, Sri. Provash Ghosh (General Secretary, SUCI(C)) has countered these allegations.[59]

References

  1. ↑ Why SUCI is the only genuine communist party in India
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 A brief introduction to the Socialist Unity Centre of India
  3. ↑ SUCI critique on Naxal movement
  4. ↑ India Vision News Clip about SUCI's 2nd Party Congress (In Malayalam)
  5. ↑ India Vision News Clip – SUCI Party Congress inauguration (in Malayalam)
  6. ↑ News&contentId=6269200&tabId=11&BV_ID=@@@ Nihar Mukherjee again elected as SUCI's General Secretary "(In Malayalam)"
  7. ↑ SUCI rechristens itself as SUCI (Communist)
  8. ↑ Key Highlights of General Elections, 1967 to The Fourth Lok Sabha
  9. ↑ SUCI(C) banks on a doctor
  10. ↑ SUCI fileds 40 candidates
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 CNN-IBN Website
  12. ↑ Balan S.S, Wednesday, 21 February 2008, Viplavathintte Kudumbayogam (in Malayalam; Family of Revolutionaries), Kerala Kaumudi Online Edition (Malayalam Daily). Retrieved on 22 February 2008.
  13. ↑ Athul Lal AG, 1 April 2009, For Whom Fund Raising is Transparent, Indian Express (National Daily), Thiruvananthapuram. Retrieved on 1 April 2009.
  14. ↑ Sreejan B, 26 April 2009, An uphill battle for the upright , Indian Express (National Daily), Thiruvananthapuram. Retrieved on 26 April 2009.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Singure issue triggers protests in Howrah
  16. ↑ Singur has turned violent thanks to brutal and anti-people stance of ironic communist government of West Bengal
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Singur: Medha Patkar visits dead girl's family
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Mamata resigns from LS
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Extend support to Nandigram people: SUCI
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 SUCI Protests against repression in Nandigram
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Nandigram turns blood red
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Cancel SEZs in Bengal, Buddha urged
  23. ↑ SUCI demand
  24. ↑ Row over Moolampally rehabilitation package
  25. ↑ Aid for the family of deceased Vedi worker
  26. ↑ SUCI takes out march
  27. ↑ SUCI alleges CPI betrayed anti-Posco people in Orissa
  28. ↑ Trinamool-SUCI front organises first rally
  29. ↑ Trinamool Congress to tie up with SUCI
  30. ↑ CNN-IBN website
  31. ↑ West Bengal's Jyothi Basu – A political people, Page 27
  32. ↑ A defiant rebel
  33. ↑ Populist Governance
  34. ↑ Millions Rise Up For Total Bangla Bandh (total General Strike)
  35. ↑ Bandh call banks on past success
  36. ↑ Twist of the mother tongue
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.6 37.7 37.8 37.9 37.10 37.11 37.12 37.13 37.14 How much do you know about SUCI?
  38. ↑
    • 2011: The movement against anti eviction drive at Ranchi, Jharkhand. Forming a public Committee "BASTI BACHAO SANGRASH SAMITI". Lakhs of people protested against government forceful campaign .
    Trinamool-sponsored strike paralyses life in West Bengal
  39. ↑ 12-hour shutdown against price rise in West Bengal
  40. ↑ Provash Ghosh, SUCI General Secretary, Mathrubhumi Online, 5 March 2010, Kerala News (In Malayalam)
  41. ↑ SUCI General Secretary Nihar Mukherjee demised, Malayala Manorama, 20 February 2010, Page 9
  42. ↑ "Nihar Mukherjee again SUCI's General Secretary (In Malayalam)
  43. ↑ SUCI protest against price hike
  44. ↑ PE05152005.p65
  45. ↑ SUCI will field candidates in Gujarat elections
  46. ↑ PE11012009.p5
  47. ↑ SUCI banks on a doctor
  48. ↑ State Elections 2006 – Partywise Comparison for 103-Joynagar Constituency of West Bengal
  49. ↑ The Second United Front
  50. ↑ SUCI banks on doctors
  51. ↑ Key Highlights of General Election, 1967 to The Legislative Assembly of West Bengal
  52. ↑ Key Highlights of General Election, 1967 to The Legislative Assembly of West Bengal
  53. ↑ Ganadabi
  54. ↑ Life-term for MLA, Report in the Hindu
  55. ↑ Why CPI(M) conspires to implicate SUCI MLA and others in a false case
  56. ↑ PROBODH PURKAIT versus STATE OF WEST BENGAL & ORS: Judgment of the Supreme Court of India
  57. ↑ SUCI leader hangs himself in Puri-Body found two days after suicide threat to protest ‘corruption’ in party
  58. ↑ Life in an SUCI commune: Stalinist dogma and little else
  59. ↑ SUCI state secretary Provash Ghosh denies allegations

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist).