Communist Party of India(Marxist) The CPI(M) combines the fine heritage of the anti-imperialist struggle and the revolutionary legacy of the undivided Communist Party which was founded in 1920 Party Structure Party Constitution Programme Resolutions Mass Organisations Publications Elections State Government

EXCERPTS
PARTY CONSTITUTION

Extracts From the Constitution of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

The Party adopted its constitution was adopted at the Eighth Congress of the CPI(M) held Cochin in December 1968 and incorporates all amendments made to it upto the 15th Congress held in April 1995.

ARTICLE II
AIM

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. 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 emancipation. The Party keeps high the banner of proletarian internationalism.

 ARTICLE III
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.

 ARTICLE IV
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 (fees and levy as may be prescribed) and to carry out decisions of the Party shall be eligible for Party membership.

 ARTICLE V
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."

 ARTICLE XIII
PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM

1. The structure of the Party is based on, and its internal life is guided by, the principles of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism means centralised leadership based on inner-Party democracy and democracy under the guidance of the centralised leadership.

 In the sphere of the Party structure, the guiding principles of democratic centralism are:

  All Party organs from top to bottom shall be elected;

The minority shall carry out the decisions of the majority; the lower Party organisations shall carry out the decision and directives of the higher Party organs, the individual shall subordinate himself to the will of the collective. All Party organisations shall carry out the decisions and directives of the Party Congress and of the Central Committee;

All Party Committees shall periodically report their work to the Party organisation immediately below and all lower committees shall likewise report to their immediate higher committees;

All Party committees, particularly the leading Party committees, shall pay constant heed to the opinions and criticisms of the lower Party organisations and the rank-and-file Party members.

All Party Committees shall function strictly on the principles of collective decisions and check-up combined with individual responsibility.

All questions of international affairs, questions of all-India character, or questions concerning more than one State or questions requiring uniform decisions for the whole country, shall be decided upon by the all-India Party organisations. But in no case shall such decisions run counter to the decisions of a higher Party organisation. When the Central Party leadership has to take a decision on any issue of major State importance, it shall do so normally after consultation with the State Party organisation concerned. The State organisation shall do likewise in relation to the districts;

On issues which affect the policy of the Party on an all-India scale, but on which the Party’s standpoint is to be expressed for the first time, only the Central leadership of the Party is entitled to make a policy statement. The lower committees can and should send their opinions and suggestions in time for consideration by the Central leadership.

 2. Basing itself upon the experience of the entire Party membership and of the popular movement, in the sphere of the internal life of the Party, the following principles of democratic centralism are applied:

Free and frank discussion within the Party unit on all questions affecting the Party, its policy and work;

Sustained efforts to activise the Party members in popularising and implementing the Party policies, to raise their ideological-political level and improve their general education so that they can effectively participate in the life and work of the Party:

When serious differences arise in a Party committee, every effort should be made to arrive at an agreement. Failing this, the decision should be postponed with a view to resolving differences through further discussions, unless an immediate decision is called for by the needs of the Party and the mass movement;

Encouragement of criticism and self-criticism at all levels, from top to bottom, especially criticism from below;

Consistent struggle against bureaucratic tendencies at all levels;

Impermissibility of factionalism and factional groupings inside the Party in any form;

Strengthening of the Party spirit by developing fraternal relations and mutual help, correcting mistakes by treating comrades sympathetically; judging them and their work not on the basis of isolated mistakes or incidents, but taking into account their whole record of service to the Party.

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