Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat said that Civil society movements can never be an alternative to political parties. He was inaugurating national seminar on ‘Re-reading Marxism' as part of the EMS Namboothirpad Memorail Functions organised by Costford in Thrissur on Thursday. He said civil society was promoting identity politics and thereby negating class unity. The fragmented struggles of civil society would hinder the progress of united movements of the people. A re-reading of Marxism was necessary to face the challenges in the contemporary world.
He added: “Post-modernism has been an influential weapon to counter Marxism in contemporary society. It advocates replacing class [struggle] with identity politics.” Such politics involves people getting together on the basis of a common identity, whether race, ethnicity caste or religion, to put forth their demands or assert their rights. Identity politics rejects any politics based on a common goal of emancipation. Theorists of identity politics say oppression can be understood and experienced only by people of that identity. So others are excluded from the fight against that oppression. “Identity politics has become an important feature of politics across the world,” Com. Karat said.
The advent of an aggressive finance-driven globalised market and the weakening of socialism set the background for the rise of identity politics, he said. “Globalised finance capital encourages identity politics as they find it convenient to deal with people fragmented on the basis of multiple identities. Such movements make it easier for the capitalist forces to penetrate into the market and take control. Fragmentation of identity is harnessed by the market.”
Many non-governmental organisations and voluntary organisations that work among Dalits, Adivasis, women and minority groups, were pursuing the agenda of identity politics, he said. Most of them were funded by organisations in the West. Only a common political forum that goes beyond groups could fight against exploitation by the capitalist order.
The former Vice-Chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board, Prabhat Patnaik; the former Finance Minister, Thomas Isaac; and academic M.V. Narayanan spoke at the event.
On the sidelines of the seminar, Com Karat said there were no plans for the merger of the two leading Left parties. “Merger is not on our agenda. The CPI(M) and the CPI will function in close cooperation with each other to strengthen the party.” Responding to a question on whether the Left parties had failed in moving effectively against corruption, Mr. Karat said: “Since the last 30 years, successive governments have been blocking implementation of the Lokpal Bill giving some reason or the other. Important differences remain even now, especially with regard to bringing the Prime Minister and the members of the higher judiciary under the purview of the Lokpal.”
(courtesy : The Hindu)
No comments:
Post a Comment