Era of One-party Dominance 37

Era of One-party Dominance In the early 1920s communist groups emerged in different parts of India taking inspiration from the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and advocating socialism as the solution to problems affecting the country. From , the Communists worked mainly from within the fold of the Indian National Congress. A parting of ways took place in December , when the Communists decided to support the British in their war against Nazi Germany. Unlike other non- Congress parties the CPI had a well-oiled party machinery and dedicated cadre at the time of independence. However, independence raised different voices in the party. The basic question that troubled the party was the nature of Indian independence. Was India really free or was freedom a sham? Soon after independence, the party thought that the transfer of power in was not true independence and encouraged violent uprisings in Telangana. The Communists failed to generate popular support for their position and were crushed by the armed forces. This forced them to rethink their position. In the Communist Party abandoned the path of violent revolution and decided to participate in the approaching general elections. In the first general election, CPI won seats and emerged as the largest opposition party. The party’s support was more concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Kerala. A. K. Gopalan, S.A. Dange, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, P.C. Joshi, Ajay Ghosh and P. Sundarraya were among the notable leaders of the CPI. The Party went through a major split in following the ideological rift between Soviet Union and China. The pro-Soviet faction remained as the CPI, while the opponents formed the CPI(M). Both these parties continue to exist to this day.