Communist Party of India
Also called: CPI · Topic: Era of One-Party Dominance: First Elections and the Congress System · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Era of One-Party Dominance"; Class 12, Ch 4 "India's External Relations"; Class 12, Ch 5 "Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System"
Meaning
The CPI grew out of communist groups formed in the early 1920s, which were inspired by Russia's Bolshevik revolution. It worked inside the Congress from 1935 and broke away in December 1941 to back Britain's war against Nazi Germany. After 1947, it doubted that India's freedom was real and backed the violent Telangana uprising, which the armed forces crushed. In 1951, it gave up violent revolution and joined elections.
Example
In the 1952 election, the CPI won 16 seats and became the largest opposition party. Its strongholds were Andhra, West Bengal, Bihar and Kerala. Its leaders included A.K. Gopalan, S.A. Dange, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, P.C. Joshi, Ajay Ghosh and P. Sundarayya.
Don't confuse with
- CPI(M): formed in 1964, when the party split after the rift between the Soviet Union and China. The pro-Soviet group stayed as the CPI, and the others formed the CPI(M).