On December 26, 2025, the Communist Party of India will turn 100 years old. This centenary marks not just the times for a political party, but a moment of historical reflection on a movement that has deeply shaped India’s freedom struggle, its vision for the future of the nation, and its social and economic vision. From its early years, the CPI gave voice to the revolutionary slogan “Inquilab Zindabad”, coined by Maulana Hasrat Mohani – who chaired the reception committee of the historic Kanpur Conference – and immortalized by Bhagat Singh and his comrades. Through communist activists, this call for revolutionary change reached every corner of the country and became a living expression of resistance, hope and patriotism. The CPI emerged confronting colonial rule and tried to answer a fundamental question facing the national movement: independence for whom and for what purpose. For more than a century, the CPI has consistently argued that political freedom without social and economic transformation will trap the masses in old and new forms of exploitation.
The historical roots of CPI lie in its steadfast struggle against colonial capitalism. British imperialism subordinated India’s economy to the needs of foreign capital, destroyed indigenous industries, imposed exploitative land relations, and created widespread poverty. At the same time, it created a modern working class and exposed Indian revolutionaries to global currents of socialist thought, especially after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Indian activists and revolutionaries who encountered Marxism abroad or through international networks began to see that national liberation and social liberation were inseparable. This understanding matured into organizational form with the establishment of CPI in Kanpur in December 1925.
Marxist theory, Indian realities
The formation of CPI in Kanpur was deeply symbolic. Cawnpore was a major industrial center with a strong working class presence, and its selection reflected the party’s conviction that workers and peasants should be at the center of the struggle against imperialism. The Kanpur Conference brought together revolutionaries, trade unionists and anti-imperialist activists committed to building a revolutionary party based on Marxist theory and Indian realities. CPI faced severe repression from the very beginning. The colonial state criminalized communist activity, leading to arrests, long imprisonments and conspiracy trials such as the Kanpur, Peshawar and Meerut cases. Yet the repression failed to end the movement. Instead, it intensified its ideological clarity, organizational discipline and commitment to mass politics.
The CPI’s role in the fight against colonial rule was uncompromising and deeply patriotic. In contrast to various strands of nationalism that sought adjustment with imperial power, communists understood colonialism as a system of economic exploitation sustained by political domination. They fought British rule through trade union struggles, peasant movements, underground resistance and ideological battles. His patriotism was rooted not in the discourse of the elite but in the lives and struggles of common Indians. Importantly, the CPI extended the anti-colonial struggle beyond British India. It played a leading role in mobilizing resistance against French and Portuguese colonial rule in Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam, Goa, Daman and Diu. Long before these issues came to the center of national politics, communists organized workers and farmers in these regions and said that independence was incomplete as long as any part of India remained under foreign domination.
One of the most lasting contributions of the CPI was its emphasis on building mass organizations. The party believed that political liberation could not be achieved without uniting the society in its diversity. It helped create and strengthen cultural and writers’ organizations like the All India Trade Union Congress, All India Kisan Sabha, All India Students Federation, Progressive Writers Association and Indian People’s Theater Association, and later women’s and youth organizations. Through these structures, the CPI united workers, farmers, students, intellectuals and artists around common struggles. These organizations transformed everyday economic grievances into political consciousness and took the ideals of justice, equality and respect to the center of the independence movement.
It was through mass struggles that communist politics established its deep roots. The CPI led historic movements for land and dignity, including the Telangana armed struggle against feudal oppression, the Tebhaga movement in Bengal that claimed farmers’ rights over their produce, the Punnapara-Vayalar struggle in Kerala against landlord tyranny, and the militant land struggle of the Thanjavur delta. In industrial centers such as Kanpur, Bombay, Calcutta and Puducherry, the trade union movement under Communist leadership achieved major labor victories, securing rights, wages and respect for workers. In the post-independence period, struggles for land expropriation, redistribution and reorganization reshaped agrarian relations in Bihar, Tripura, Kerala and other states. These movements did not just address material deprivation; He challenged age-old hierarchies and emphasized the humanity of the oppressed.
The CPI decisively radicalized the agenda of national struggle. At a time when dominion status was being debated as a possible compromise, the communists insisted on complete independence. He was among the earliest and most consistent advocates of the demand for a Constituent Assembly, arguing that only a sovereign body elected by the people could create a democratic constitution. This demand later became central to India’s transition towards independence. The party placed structural reforms at the center of the independence struggle, arguing that independence without land reforms, labor rights, and social equality would only replace foreign rulers with indigenous elites.
Land redistribution, zamindari abolition, tenants’ protection, trade union rights, minimum wages and social security were included in the national agenda through communist-led movements. The CPI expressed the vision of a classless and casteless India, recognizing caste not as a cultural relic but as a material system deeply associated with class exploitation. By linking caste oppression to economic structures, the party broadened the meaning of social justice and gave a transformative content to the freedom struggle. Many of these demands were reflected in the constitution and post-independence policy debates, bearing the lasting imprint of communist intervention.
global conflict
Internationalism was an integral part of the CPI’s political worldview. The party consistently opposed imperialist wars, fascism and militarism and took the lead in building solidarity with anti-colonial and progressive movements around the world. Whether opposing war as a means of imperialist domination or standing in solidarity with peoples struggling for peace and self-determination, CPI affirmed that the fight for justice in India is inseparable from the global struggle against exploitation and aggression.
The final phase of the struggle against British rule saw the dramatic intervention of the working class in the form of the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946. CPI considered this rebellion as the last war of Indian independence. Indian sailors rose up against racist treatment and colonial power, and their rebellion quickly gained support from workers and students, especially in Bombay. Despite facing brutal repression, the communists played an important role in organizing solidarity strikes and mobilizing public support. The rebellion exposed the erosion of colonial control over the armed forces and convinced the British that their rule was no longer sustainable. It underlined the CPI’s belief that organized mass action, especially by the working class, could decisively change the balance of power.
CPI’s struggle did not end with independence in 1947. This marked the beginning of a new phase focused on eliminating feudal structures, opposing monopolistic capitalism, and strengthening democracy. The party led historic peasant struggles against the zamindari system and played a decisive role in pursuing land reforms in states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Tripura and Bihar. In parliamentary and extra-parliamentary spheres, the CPI supported public ownership of key sectors of the economy and consistently advocated nationalization of banks, coal, insurance and other key industries, arguing that strategic resources should serve national development and social welfare rather than private accumulation.
CPI was also a strong defender of federalism and linguistic and cultural diversity while strengthening the democratic fabric of India. Its commitment to social justice found expression in its protection of the rights of Dalits, tribals, minorities and women, as well as its strong adherence to secularism and rational thought. For decades, the red flag has been a symbol of reform, progress, and resistance to reactionary forces. It was a symbol of unity against orthodox scientific thinking and divisive communal politics.
serious challenges
Today, as CPI enters its second century, India faces serious challenges. Communalism and rising fascism threaten the foundations of the republic. Along with economic growth has also come high unemployment, uncertainty and rising inequalities. Ecological crises induced by unregulated capitalism threaten livelihoods and the future itself. New technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are transforming work in ways that increase insecurity and weaken labor protections, raising urgent questions about ownership, control, and human dignity in the age of automation.
The challenge for the Left is to once again become synonymous with the aspirations of the people. This requires renewing our understanding of contemporary capitalism while sticking to its core values of equality, democracy and justice. Technological change cannot be accepted as inevitable progress divorced from social responsibility; It must be critically analyzed and politically opposed so that human advancement provides collective welfare rather than deepening exploitation.
At this critical juncture in our history, the centenary of CPI is not just a moment of remembrance but a call to action. Democracy itself is under attack, people’s rights and livelihoods are being systematically destroyed, and the achievements of the freedom movement are being deliberately destroyed. The RSS-BJP alliance wants to dismantle our social cohesion, hollow out our economic sovereignty, and destroy the Constitution to impose an authoritarian, exclusionary order. This threat cannot be resisted piecemeal. The CPI and the Left must be strengthened and brought together to build a comprehensive democratic resistance. Class exploitation, caste oppression and patriarchy remain formidable structures of domination, which demand organized and uncompromising struggle. The task before us is clear: free the institutions from their destructive influence, reclaim the republic, and rebuild India on the foundation of equality, secularism and justice. We should unite and protest. We should move forward unitedly. United, we must build a new India: egalitarian, democratic and prosperous. The red flag should rise high. People must prevail. The future should be ours.
As the Communist Party of India turns 100, its history stands as a record of courage and sacrifice. From its inception in Kanpur to its role in anti-colonial struggles, from radicalizing the independence movement to shaping post-independence reforms, the CPI has consistently sought to link national sovereignty with social transformation. The challenges ahead are great, but a century of legacy confirms that organized people guided by communist ideas can change history. In times of uncertainty and crisis, the red flag must rise again as a symbol of hope, reminding India that a just, democratic, classless and casteless socialist society is not just a dream but a necessary and achievable future.
Freeing the country from BJP-RSS rule, uniting Left and Communist forces and strengthening CPI are the tasks ahead.
(The author is General Secretary of the Communist Party of India)
