There have been two subtle but important recent events which have gone mostly unnoticed from the mainstream media in India. One of the major leftist political parties in India, Communist party of India (Marxist) that incidentally does no longer has any significant say in Indian Parliament (tacitly and explicitly supports China) making demands that controversial Art 370 of Indian Constitution, relating to state of Kashmir be brought back and action against radical, extremist outlawed communists, who are on the run against police forces, be stopped.

It is important to understand that Art 370 was a controversial, disastrous law that was inserted into Indian Constitution mostly due to political face and pressure of Nehru, the then Indian PM. For almost six decades, it kept Jammu & Kashmir virtually separate from India and Indians, consequently no real development happened and extremism flourished, fully funded and supported by Pakistan. After its abrogation in August, 2018 when the world has moved on and even Pakistan has realized the futility of harping on this issue, a sudden demand like this to pressurize the Indian government, looks like more of a Chinese game being played by a handful of leftists in India.

The second event relates to the unprecedented success achieved by the government against extremist leftist elements who had been controlling huge swathes of territories in many central Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Chattisgarh since decades. Lack of political will, corruption and Congress party’s collusion with CPI and CPI(M) has ensured that such elements called Naxalites, continue to intimidate, rule and create anarchy in parts of India while politicians continue to make money. When current Modi government has severely hit out and almost wiped them out, ushering in an era of stability and development in most tribal regions, the sudden political outburst of communists, show their real motive.

The left politics has had always been seen with a degree of skepticism in India. In fact, since the beginning of leftist movement in late 1920s, controversies have always followed leftist movements, policies, actions and people. However, due to varied political reasons and the colouring of its ideology with an idealistic messaging, many in India have had some kind of sympathetic inclination towards leftist political parties and their leaders.

The very messaging of leftism as pro-poor, pro-famer, pro-working class and against exploitation of masses, is all great from prism of idealistic, utopian principles. A deeper analysis of leftism and its rule in varied parts of India since 1950s however, provide a disturbing trend that could broadly classify leftism as anti-people and even anti-Indian since long.

There are credible allegations against Communist Party of India (CPI) leadership of having secretly conniving with the British administration, spying against Indian revolutionaries and playing an active anti-India role during 1940s, more particularly during and after the 1942 Quit India Movement.

In 1950s, communists in India always supported Nehru’s tacit and explicit support to Communist China. It never questioned Indian PM and Congress party over government’s support to China for UNSC permanent seat, on its timid acquiesces to China’s occupation of Tibet, its grandiose anti-imperialism stand notwithstanding.

Even during the India-China war of 1962 that resulted in a humiliating debacle of Indian military and political leadership, communists in India went out all the way in supporting China and its territorial claims against India. So much so, that leftists parties CPI and CPI (M) continue to maintain a tacit silence against China’s oft-repeated territorial claims against Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, even 77-years after independence.

Even in recent years in May 1998 when Vajpayee government conducted nuclear tests, US-led western nations criticized tests mostly as rhetoric for so-called global peace and against expansion of nuclear race with Pakistan but the one country that really became furious was China.  Within hours, not only all communist parties in India but left-leaning trade unions, intellectuals, academicians all went against the government action. None however, talked of how China continuously has been conducting nuclear tests since years with a direct threat to Indian security.

Again in 2006 when Manmohan Singh-led Indian government went all out in finalizing the Indo-US Nuclear Deal in national interest, China again was the only country that raised objections and explicitly challenged the deal. Both CPI (M) and CPI went hammer and tongs, threatened government and even withdrew support to coalition government with the express intention of stopping the deal.

In addition to, constant Chinese support to terrorism in many parts of north-east in form of weapons, training and financial support continue unabated even today. The use of neighboring countries Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar to push infiltration, arms and drugs have taken decades to stabilize and current crisis in Manipur, intel sources attribute significantly to Chinese hand. The bizarre reality is no leftist organizations, political outfits to NGOs, academicians and media have since invasion of Tibet, have anytime challenged or criticized Chinese actions.

The expose of Newsclick and its owner Neville Roy Singham, their Chinese propaganda, information warfare and extensive usage of media, academicians, intellectuals, activists and think tanks all these instances starting from 1940s suggest that communist parties in India are ideologically so blind that they could go to any extent in favour of China, supposedly their mentor and against India’s interests.

The two major communist parties, CPI and CPI (M) have repeatedly used various legal-politico means to talk and disseminate ideas and policies that have been against the interests of the country. Broadly based on their ideology and in favour of violent, illegal anti-establishment struggle CPIM (L) continues to get indirect, helpful support from the parent communist parties. No wonder, communism on the decline all over the country, continues to get some support, spontaneous or coercive, from impoverished pockets of Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Muslim pockets of Kerala.

In one of the latest anti-Indian overtures, CPI (M) in its election manifesto for the recently concluded parliamentary elections declared its intention of reintroducing Art 370 and 35A (special provisions on Kashmir). Fully aware that it won’t be able to form a government on its own, as part of the disparate Congress-led INDI alliance it tactically worked ensuring similar provisions in another form for Kashmir and making sure that the problem remains internationalized for years, helping the cause of China.

It is clear that once the issue of Kashmir as part of India settles down internationally, a stronger, more self-assured Modi-led BJP government will push initially for Pak-Occupied Kashmir (POK) and then Aksai Chin (part of China since 1965 and technically, its status is to be determined post-solution to the Kashmir issue) and China could be in a bit of bother. No wonder, through its political/ social proxies, China is creating pressures on Indian government, trying to get it entangled with varied agitations and upping the ante on Arunachal Pradesh.

In this context, recent conversion of Rahul Gandhi, the current Leader of Opposition and Indian National Congress (INC) leader to an undeclared but evident leftist, his bonhomie with communists in India, a secret one-to-one meeting with rabid anti-India British Labor Party leader Korbyn, extending an implicit message to China during peak of Galwan crisis amidst a midnight visit to Chinese ambassador in New Delhi and signing of an unspecified accord with the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), public support for highly questionable Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that also passes through Pak-Occupied Kashmir (POK), are some of the instances in public domain that puts severe doubts about his understanding and loyalty towards India.

Another issue that Rahul Gandhi-led Congress has started working on is, his public proclamations of India as a Union in a subtle but forceful manner. While the Article 1 of the Indian Constitution declares India as a Union of States and there is nothing wrong in it but given the backdrop of religious, linguistic, social and economic diversities since early 1950s, all governments have tried to ensure a strong central dominance whilst talking of healthy centre-state relations.

No wonder, in India the usage of a Central instead of a Federal government is common in governmental documents, legislative, judicial and media discourse that Rahul Gandhi is trying to change. It is giving rise to suggestions in some quarters that Congress has started seeing India more on the lines of an erstwhile USSR or current European Union instead of a strong centre-led unitary state that could be fatal for country’s unity and integrity.

In global geopolitics too, there has been an upsurge of left-dominant politics in Europe, US, Africa and Asia. Strategically, all leftist political parties are aligning with Islamists elements and are playing a religio-social politics. The Muslim immigrant issue has become so big that France, UK, Germany, Finland, Spain, Sweden are struggling to deal with it. In its backdrop, the explicit encouragement to leftist social and economic ideas by Congress and other mainstream political outfits at the cost of nation state could well cost dearly to India in the years to come.