cpim.org Communist Party of India Marxist : Official Website

Party : Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Year of Foundation : 1964

Home Page : http://www.cpim.org/

Related : Indian National Lok Dal Official Website : www.electionin.in/291.html

Communist Party of India :

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is the revolutionary vanguard of the working class of India. Its aim is socialism and communism through the establishment of the state of dictatorship of the proletariat.

Party Symbol : Hammer, Sickle and Star

In all its activities the Party is guided by the philosophy and principles of Marxism-Leninism which shows to the toiling masses the correct way to the ending of exploitation of man by man, their complete emancipation. The Party keeps high the banner of proletarian internationalism.

Flag :
The flag of the Party shall be a red flag of which the length shall be one-and-a half times its width. At the centre of the flag there shall be a crossed hammer and sickle in white.

Membership :
1. Any person residing in India, eighteen years of age or above who accepts the Programme and Constitution of the Party, agrees to work in one of the Party organisations, to pay regularly the Party membership dues (fee and levy as may be prescribed) and to carry out the decisions of the Party shall be eligible for Party membership.

2. (a) New members are admitted to the Party through individual application on the recommendation of two Party members. Party members who recommend an applicant must furnish the Party Branch or the unit concerned, full information about the applicant from personal knowledge and with due sense of responsibility. The Party Branch shall make recommendation to the next higher committee, if the applicant is to be admitted. The next higher committee takes a decision on all recommendations.
(b) All Party committees higher to the Party Branch and up to the Central Committee level have the power to directly admit new members to the Party.

3. (a) All applications for Party membership must be placed before the appropriate committee within a month of their presentation and recommendation.
(b) If the applicant is admitted to the Party, he or she shall be regarded as a candidate member for a period of one year commencing from the date of such admission.

4. If a leading member from another political party of local, district or state level comes to the Party, in addition to the sanction of Local Party Committee or District or State Committee, it is necessary to have the sanction of the next higher committee of the Party before he or she is admitted to membership of the Party. In exceptional cases the Central Committee or the State Committee can admit such members to full membership of the Party. And whenever a State Committee admits such members it should obtain previous sanction from the Central Committee.

5. Members once expelled from the Party can be re-admitted only by the decision of the Party Committee which confirmed their expulsion or by a higher committee.

6. Candidate members have the same duties and rights as full members except that they have no right to elect or be elected, or to vote on any motion.

7. The Party branch recommending or the Party committee admitting candidate members shall arrange for their elementary education on the Programme, Constitution and the current policies of the Party and observe their development, through providing for their functioning as members of a Party branch or unit.

8. By the end of the period of candidature, the Party branch or Party committee concerned shall discuss whether the candidate member is qualified to full membership. If a candidate member is found unfit, the Party branch or committee shall cancel his or her candidate membership. A report on admission to full membership shall be regularly forwarded by the branch or the Party committee concerned to the next higher committee.

9. The higher committee may, on scrutiny of the report, alter or modify any such decision after consultation with the branch or the Party committee which has submitted the report. The District and State Committee will exercise supervisory power over the recruitment of candidates and over admissions to full membership and have the right to modify or reject the decision of the lower committee in this respect.

10. A Party member may transfer his or her membership from one unit to another, with the approval of his or her unit and by sending his or her application through his or her unit to the higher unit under whose jurisdiction the concerned unit functions.

Party Pledge :
Every person joining the Party shall sign the Party Pledge.
This Pledge shall be:
“I accept the aims and objectives of the Party and agree to abide by its Constitution and loyally to carry out decisions of the Party.

“I shall strive to live up to the ideals of communism and shall selflessly serve the working class and the toiling masses and the country, always placing the interests of the Party and the people above personal interests.”

Party Membership Records :
All membership records shall be kept under the supervision of the District Committee.

Check-up of Party Membership :
1. There shall be annual check-up of Party membership by the Party organisation to which the Party member belongs. Any Party member who for a continuous period and without proper reason has failed to take part in Party life and activity or to pay Party dues shall be dropped from Party membership.
2. A report on check-up of Party membership by a Branch or a Party committee concerned shall be sent to the next higher committee for confirmation and registration.
3. There shall be right of appeal on decisions of droppage from Party membership.

Resignation from Party membership :

1. A Party member wishing to resign from the Party shall summit his or her resignation to the Party branch or to the Party unit to which he or she belongs. The unit concerned may accept the same, decide to strike his or her name off the rolls and report the matter to the next higher committee. If the resignation is on political grounds the unit may refuse to accept the resignation and may expel him.
2. In the case where a Party member wishing to resign from the Party is liable to be charged with serious violation of party discipline which may warrant his or her expulsion and where such a charge is substantial, the resignation may be given effect to as expulsion from the Party.
3. All such cases of resignations given effect to as expulsion shall be immediately reported to the next higher Party committee and be subject to the latter’s confirmation.

Membership Fee :
1. All Party members as well as candidates shall pay a Party membership fee of rupees two per year. This annual Party fee shall be paid at the time of admission into the Party and by March end of each year to the branch or unit secretary by the member concerned. If he or she does not clear the fee in due time his or her name shall be removed from the Party rolls. The Central Committee may extend this date if the circumstances warrant such extension.
2. All Party fees collected from Party members by Party branches or units will be deposited with the Central Committee through the appropriate Party committees.

Party Levy :
Every Party member must pay a monthly levy as laid down by the Central Committee. Those whose incomes are of annual or of seasonal character have to pay their levy at the beginning of the season or at the beginning of every quarter on the same percentage basis. If a member has failed to deposit his levy within three months after it is due, then his name is to be removed from the Party rolls.

Duties of Party Members :
1. The duties of the Party members are as follows:
(a) To regularly participate in the activity of the Party organisation to which they belong and to faithfully carry out the policy, decisions and the directives of the Party;
(b) To study Marxism-Leninism and endeavour to raise their level of understanding;
(c) To read, support and popularise the Party journals and Party publications;
(d) To observe the Party Constitution and Party discipline and behave in the spirit of proletarian internationalism and in accordance with the noble ideals of communism;
(e) To place the interests of the people and the Party above personal interests;
(f) To devotedly serve the masses and consistently strengthen their bonds with them, to learn from the masses and report their opinions and demands to the Party, to work in a mass organisation, unless exempted, under the guidance of the Party.
(g) To cultivate comradely relations towards one another to constantly develop a fraternal spirit within the Party;
(h) To practice criticism and self-criticism with a view to helping each other and improving individual and collective work;
(i) To be frank, honest and truthful to the Party and not to betray the confidence of the Party;
(j) To safeguard the unity and solidarity of the Party and to be vigilant against the enemies of the working class and the country;
(k) To defend the Party and uphold its cause against the onslaught of the enemies of the Party, the working class and the country.

2. It shall be the task of the Party organisation to ensure the fulfillment of the above duties by Party members and help them in every possible way in the discharge of these duties.

Rights of Party Members :
1. Rights of Party members are as following:
(a) To elect Party organs and Party committees and be elected to them;
(b) To participate in discussions in order to contribute to the formation of the Party policy and of the decisions of the Party;
(c) To make proposals regarding one’s own work in the Party;
(d) To make criticism about Party committees and Party functionaries at Party meetings;
(e) To be heard in person in his or her unit when a Party unit discusses disciplinary action against him or her;
(f) When any Party member disagrees with any decision of a Party committee on organization he or she has a right to submit his or her opinion to the next higher committee. In case of political difference a member has the right to submit his or her opinion to the higher committee up to the Central Committee. In all such cases the Party member shall, of course, carry out the Party decisions and the difference shall be sought to be resolved through the test of practice and through comradely discussions;
(g) To address any statement, appeal or complaint to any higher Party organisation up to and including the Central Committee.

2. It shall be the duty of Party organisations and Party functionaries to see that these rights are respected

Contact Us :
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Central Committee,
A.K. Gopalan Bhawan,
27-29, Bhai Vir Singh Marg,
New Delhi 110 001
Tel. (91-11) 23344918, 23363692, 23747435/36
fax: (91-11) 23747483
email: cc@cpim.org