THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY March 30, 1957 Congress and the Subhash Chandra Sarkar

OF late there have been frequent effective Government—a thing the most full equality with men in prac­ comparisons between the Con­ KMT was unable to do in tically every sphere of life. gress Party of and the Kuo­ at any time of its life. mintang of China. Parallels have The KMT seized power through been drawn between these two par­ Rise to Power betrayal and treachery. And this ties and the thesis has been put The rise to power of the two par­ left a permanent stamp on its forward that there is real danger ties was equally different. Apart career. From the very start it was in India of the Congress Party fol­ from techniques of struggle the a house divided: Chiang Kai Shek lowing the fate of the Kuomintang Congress achieved power through and Wang Ching-Wei. Despite in China.* However, the analogy Its own efforts whereas 'from its shifting alliances the rift in sought lacks historical basis. A very inception the KMT had count­ the Kuomintang was never com­ brief discussion of the history of ed upon the active assistance of the pletely healed. From the very start of its political ascendancy the Kuo­ the Indian National Congress and . As is mintang had to spend most of its of the Kuomintang makes the point well known, at the moment of vic­ energy in fighting its own ranks clear enough. tory the K M T betrayed the re­ volution and its allies. It compro­ and the people by the Commu­ Origin of the Two Parties mised with the foreign imperialists nist Party. This incessant armed Even in their origin the Congress externally, and with native landlords conflict made Kuomintang leadership and the Kuomintang are dissimilar. and commercial bourgeoisie inter­ highly intolerant of any criticism Coming as it did much earlier than nally. This fact marked a funda­ however mild and led to an iron the Kuomintang the Indian National mental turn In the history of the dictatorship. The Kuomintang vir­ Congress was from its inception an KMT. Whatever may be said tually made it illegal for any oppo­ open political party while the pre­ about the Congress decision to ac­ sition to function politically within the borders of China. Evidently no cursor of the Kuomintang—the Tung cept the partition of India no one such parallel can be found in Con­ Meng Hui—was, at any rate all its would now go so far as to suggest gress conduct. Whatever may be leaders were members of a secret that It was a betrayal of the cause the attitude of the Congress Party society. The Indian National Con­ of independence or a compromise to the Communists or others it has gress was founded in 1885 as a with imperialism. put up no legal or military bars to moderate and reformist organisa­ From 1928 onwards, the history of opposition parties. tion. By the turn of the century the Kuomintang was one of abject however it had already become an surrender to foreign Imperialism No Civil Liberties all-India Party with a programme and native feudalism. It abandon­ of full independence for the country. The Kuomintang rule was as one ed its earlier revolutionary economic In 1905 the Tung Meng Hui was non-Communist Chinese Professor and political ideals and instead re­ just founded; it had little influence characterised it. a bandit rule. There sorted to opportunism to retain its on the course of Chinese politics. was no rule of law. Every body miserable hold on power. It con­ The abolition of Manchu royalty was at the mercy of the secret police nived at Japanese aggression until was as much the product of court of Tai Li. Matters came to such a almost the whole of China was run intrigues as of the revolutionary pass that even foreigners, highly over, and it put off all programmes forces of which the Tung Meng Hui sympathetic towards Chinese aspi­ of economic and social reforms in­ was only a very small part. When rations, found themselves support­ definitely. The self-seeking policies the Kuomintang held its first con­ ing the foreign extraterritorial courts of the KMT leaders annoyed even gress in 1924, the Indian National in China, since their people could at the progressive minded landlords Congress was already in the thick least demand and get formal jus­ and the industrial capitalists of of the national movement. The tice. For the Chinese however the China; so much so that some of them Congress ranks became radical as protection of the extraterritorial even found it easier to cooperate days passed. The opposite was the courts was not available, and they with the Chinese Communist Party case in the KMT. After the death were completely at the mercy of the than with the Kuomintang. of Dr Sun Yat-Sen in 1925, the Kuo­ local KMT Chiefs. No Chinese, unless he had enough money and mintang grew more and more con­ Such a description hardly fits in high connections, could expect any servative. The Congress in India with the practice of the Congress justice even as a formality. There unified the whole country under one since independence. The Congress would be no trial in most cases and has abolished the princely feudal the prosecuting police would sit on lords (whatever view one may take "Political Perspective for Economic judgment as often as not. Can such of the compensation clauses), in­ Planning" The Economic Weekly a thing be said of Congress rule? troduced the urgently needed land Annual, 1957 Pp 73-75; also "Con­ Whatever its other deficiencies, rule reforms (however Inadequate they gress and the Kuomintang" in the of law obtains in India; and nobody may be) and has made sincere ef­ Bengali weekly Jugabani, Calcutta, can question that fact. March 9, 1957 Pp 36-37. The forts to liquidate the foreign poc­ article in the Jugabani is appar­ kets in India. In contrast to the No general election was held in ently based on an extended sum­ Kuomintang which did nothing to China during the 28 years of Kuo­ mary of the article in the Economic relieve the sufferings of the women mintang rule. A show of election Weekly though the reference is of China, the Congress legal reforms was made (from which the main not explicitly stated—SCS. have accorded the Indian women al­ opposition—-the Communists were

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M THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY March 30, 1957 barred) just before its final doom munist Government has been form­ provincial units have openly disobey­ but it came to nothing, since no ed through popular vote for the ed central direction in fighting elec­ responsible Chinese took those elec­ first time in the history of the world. tions and forming Government. The tions seriously. The Indian experi­ Conclusion Congress certainly never stood in ence is too well known to require the way of the internal solidarity of The charge that the prestige or recounting. The Congress orga­ the P S P. Even during the Second the Congress Party is militating nised general elections on the basis General Elections the West Bengal against the emergence of an effec­ of universal adult franchise in less unit of the P S P flouted the direc­ tive opposition hardly bears any than five years time and there is no tives of National Committee and examination. The growth of oppo­ question that the elections were formed electoral alliances with the sition in every country is determin­ free and fair. Communists. (The merits or de­ ed by historical, political and econo­ merits of the actions are not under There was no freedom of speech mic forces. An opposition, cannot consideration here). or assembly in K M T China. The be created by the ruling party, nor Chiang clique refined the technique forestalled for ever. The failure The opposition is divided on many of thought control. All liberal pro­ of the Turkish experiment ' of offi­ lines: ideological, political, economic, fessors and writers were persecuted cially encouraging an opposition is religious, linguistic, cultural and re­ —including the great Lu Hsun. Miss a pointer to those who would tend gional. There is little in common Agnes Smedly describes in her book to blame the Congress for not help­ between the Communist Party and Battle Hymn of China how Lu ing to create an opposition. How­ the Muslim League though both are Hsun's closest friends were liquidat­ ever, in the same Turkey after the opposed to the Congress. The major ed one by one on his very face. The Second World War when objective opposition parties, the Communists, "Blue Shirts" of Tai Li killed the factors were conducive to the growth the Praja Socialists and the Jan noted Chinese professor Wen 1-to in of opposition it. grew and ultimately Sangh are also divided amongst cold blood and in full public know­ was able to wrest power from the themselves The numerous opposi­ ledge. No such thing ever happen­ ruling party. On the other hand tion parties may be classified into ed in Congress India. while almost every body is agreed several broad groups. Apart from the national parties (Congress, Com­ Inner Party Democracy on the unhealthy character of the munist, P S P and Jan Sangh) the The KMT was organised on the relative numerical preponderance of organisations are: 1) communal model of the Soviet Communist French political parties there has bodies: The Hindu Mahasabha, the Party while the organisational pat­ been no noticeable trend of any Muslim League, the Akali Dal, the tern of the Congress ran on federal decline in that number. In the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham. the lines. The Congress bodies are U S A and U K an effective third party has failed to emerge, From Scheduled Castes Federation, the elected but in China the KMT Ram Rajya Parishad, the Jharkhand organs were mostly nominated. The this it is seen that the party system is a product of history. Party and others; 2) Regional Poli­ cliques existing within the Congress tical Groups: Ganatantra Parishad can hardly be compared with those, At this point an examination of of Orissa, the Jagirdar Party in like the "C C". Whampoa Tai Li, the bearing of an opposition on de­ Rajasthan supporting the vested in­ Chiang and other cliques, within mocracy is called for since in com­ terests of landlords and ex-rulers. the KMT. mon parlance the two terms are 3) Splinter Political Groups: Revo­ Leadership wholly interchangeable. While as lutionary Socialist Party. Revolu­ Only in respect of the immobility a matter of fact the existence of an tionary Communist Party, Peasants' opposition may facilitate the demo­ of the higher leaders is there any and Workers' Party, the Forward cratic functioning of society there similarity between the Congress Bloc, the Socialist Party (of Dr is no absolute guarantee that it and the Kuomintang. But the ob­ Lohia), the Kerala Socialist Party would do so in all cases. Despite jective outcome of such a pheno­ and others Apart from their anti- the existence of very strong oppo­ menon in the two countries has Congress stand (which is determin­ sition in South Africa, Turkey and been fundamentally different The ed by mutually conflicting motives) Egypt (before Nasser) none of them Indian National Congress has main­ these parties have nothing in com­ can be said to illustrate a democratic mon among themselves. The result tained great vitality and has retain­ society. On the other hand, almost ed popular appeal and support which is that during the Second General everybody agrees that the present Elections though the non-Congress the KMT lost much earlier in its one-party States of Egypt, Yugosla­ career. The results of the Second votes upto March 12 exceeded those via, China and the U S S R are far of the Congress by three millions, General Elections in India make more democratic than they previous­ this point clear enough. the Congress got twice as many ly were under multi-party systems. seats as did the anti-Congress Opposition in China and India It is idle to blame the Congress Parties combined. The foregoing analysis discloses for the weakness of the opposition little resemblance between the Con­ the reasons for which must be trac­ It is no wonder then that the gress and the Kuomintang. Neither ed elsewhere—in the great diver­ opposition is weak in India The in origin, history or develop­ sities of Indian life and the poli­ direct responsibility of the Congress ment, nor in social, economic poli­ tical immaturity of the opposition Party in keeping the opposition cies and leadership do the parties Except the Communists, none has an weak and divided is nothing unusual resemble one another. While in all-India organisation conforming for any ruling party and is hardly to China the KMT actively suppress­ fully to central guidance. The se­ be called significant. The differen­ ed all opposition, in India the Con­ cond largest political party in ces within the opposition ranks arise gress Party has allowed maximum India- the Praja Socialist Party from historical causes and cannot possible scope for the emergence of presents the picture of a house divid­ so easily be removed until the social the opposition and in Kerala a Con- ed. It is not the first time that its basis of such differences are done

445 March 30, 1957 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY away with. Moreover such diver­ there is nothing for ridicule or amaze­ the countries concerned. This fact gent political forces, it should be ment in that situation. has gravely shaken the confidence noted are by no means peculiar to While it is fashionable in certain of the masses in the wisdom of the India alone—history shows that quarters to put all the blame upon opposition—at least temporarily. such political confusion has been the Congress in India and the rul­ characteristic of almost all societies ing parties in other Asian lands for Blaming the Congress Party in in transition. Stable politics is im­ the weaknesses of the opposition India for the weakness of the oppo­ possible without a stable economic the responsibility of opposition lea­ sition in the face of the aforemen­ background. In the world of today ders themselves for such a state tioned historical facts may satisfy stable party system can be found of affairs is generally overlooked in one's vanity but can hardly be ac­ only in countries with marked eco­ the discussions. Suffice it to recall cepted as a reasonable proposition. nomic and social stability—in the that the main political opposition This is not to idealise whatever the highly industrialised countries of in the Chief Asian countries—the Congress has done, nor even to iden­ Western Europe and North America. Communist parties in India, Indo­ tify oneself with the Congress ideals The countries of Eastern Europe nesia and Burma—have since open­ and policies. The Congress has also and Latin America on the other ly admitted their grave mistakes in committed grave blunders willy nilly. hand, because of delayed reforms, the assessment of political events, But the opposition failed to gain by present a very unstable political forces and personalities immediately Congress lapses because of its in­ scene. In the transitional society, upon the close of the Second World herent weaknesses. That is a hard of Asia and Africa such instabilty War. The acceptance of their poli­ fact which one with an objective is bound to be very marked and cies would have spelt disaster for view can hardly deny.

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