The Left Hegemony: The Andhra Experience from 1934 to 1956

KANDUKURI RAMESH Deputy Director, Indira Gandhi National Open Univer sity, New Delhi, India ABSTACT The Left Parties were united in exposing the ‘Naked plunder’ and ill effects of Colonial rule of the p eople of India. But they were fragmented on the methods, str ategies and tactics in the fight against the Coloni al power. The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) thrived for the esta blishment of Democratic Socialism and, the Congress a pired for complete independence, whereas, Communists strove f r the establishment of a “Socialistic state.” To a chieve their respective goals, the two Left Parties chose differ ent programs. While participating in anti-colonial movements with other Democratic Parties, Communists attempted to b uild a peoples' movement for a classless society. T he CSP chose the parliamentary and other legal and open form of meth ods. Overall, the Left (parties) failed to understa nd the semi hegemonic, semi-suppressive character of the coloni al state. Similarly, the Left could not assess the nature of the primary contradictions between British imperialism and the Indian people. On the whole, their hegemoni c struggle was waged on a wrong terrain. “The Left believed that t he National Movement should have a permanent mass a nd extra legal confrontation and conflict with imperialism, till it was overthrown.” The Communist Party of India’s (CPI) application of Marxism in Toto was marred by ideolo gical and tactical confusions. The policies, progra ms and political line of the Andhra unit of the CPI were adopted fro m the “Communist International (Comintern)” and the CPI. Further, Andhra Provincial Communist Committee’s understandi g of Colonialism, attitude towards National Moveme nt, Gandhi and other Left Parties almost ‘resembles’ the offic ial line of the CPI. An attempt has been made in th is paper to study the theoretical and practical aspects of their ideology , and its implications with regard to their rise an d fall in Andhra region i.e. residue Andhra Pradesh state.