Socialist Unity Centre of India

Infobox_Indian_Political_Party
secretary = Nihar Mukherjee
party_name = Socialist Unity Center of India
party_
foundation = 1948
loksabha_seats = None
rajyasabha_seats = None
alliance = Independent
ideology = Marxism-Leninism, Shibdas Ghosh thoughts
publication = English."Proletarian Era"
headquarters = 48 Lenin Sarani, Kolkata - 700 013, India
coord|22|33|49.9|N|88|21|20.1|E
students = All India Democratic Students Organisation
youth = All India Democratic Youth Organisation
women = All India Mahila Sanskritik Sanghathan
labour = All India United Trade Union Centre
peasants = All India Krishak Khet Majdoor Sangathan
website = [http://www.suci.in www.suci.in] The Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) is a communist party in India. The party was founded by Shibdas Ghosh in 1948.

Ideology

SUCI considers itself as the only genuine communist party in India, [ [http://www.marxists.org/archive/shibdas-ghosh/1969/03/18.htm Why SUCI is the only genuine communist party in India] "] and follows a Marxist-Leninist ideological line formulated by Shibdas Ghosh. The party rejects political ideas such as "glasnost" and "perestroika" as revisionist, and claims to uphold the original intent of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Lenin, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, and thoughts of Ghosh. [ [http://suci.in/intro/about/about.htm A brief introduction to the Socialist Unity Centre of India] ]

SUCI holds that India is a capitalist country. In line with that analysis, the party works for Socialist Revolution, rather than People's Democratic Revolution (like CPI(M)), National Democratic Revolution (like CPI) or New Democratic Revolution (like the Naxalites). [ [http://www.cgnet.in/N1/suci SUCI critique on Naxal movement] ]

Parliamentary politics

From its inception, SUCI took part in parliamentary elections and was part of the United Front governments in West Bengal in 1967-1969 and 1969-1970 together with CPI(M) and others. The SUCI had a presence in the legislative assemblies of Assam, Bihar and Orissa at various times. As of 2006, it has two MLAs in West Bengal and one in Orissa. [ [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070720/asp/frontpage/story_8081372.asp Prez poll punches - SUCI member abstains in Orissa; BJP ‘dissidents’ vote for Pratibha in Ahmedabad] ]

In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections SUCI launched 56 candidates, 30 of them from West Bengal.

Current situation

The stronghold of the party is in the South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, in areas such as Jaynagar Mazilpur where it controls certain municipalities.

SUCI is actively involved in the ongoing anti-SEZ movements in India. The most notable of these movements that the party is active in are:
*The Singur movement against the SEZ for the Tata Group's car factory. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/Singur_issue_triggers_protests_in_Howrah/articleshow/867316.cms Singure issue triggers protests in Howrah] ] [http://aidindia.org/main/content/view/323/74/ Singur has turned violent thanks to brutal and anti-people stance of ironic communist government of West Bengal] ] [http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/19singur.htm Singur: Medha Patkar visits dead girl's family] ]

*The Nandigram movement against the SEZ for the Salim Group's chemical hub. [http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=9..111107.nov07 Mamata resigns from LS] ] [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200704021623.htm Extend support to Nandigram people: SUCI] ] [http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/14/stories/2007111456320300.htm SUCI Protests against repression in Nandigram] ] [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Nandigram_turns_blood_red/articleshow/1764786.cms Nandigram turns blood red] ] [http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20070317012248&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0 Cancel SEZs in Bengal, Buddha urged] ] SUCI is one of the main backers of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee.

SUCI analyses the Indian Union Budget of 2008-2009 "to be not for the common man as is serves no purpose for the middle class" and has carried out protests against the budget in various parts of the country [ [http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/21-SUCI-supporters-arrested/280017/ 21 SUCI supporters arrested] ]

The party has formed a political front in West Bengal with All India Trinamool Congress to fight the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on an agreement that the alliance will maintain equidistance from the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. [ [http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/TrinamoolSUCI-front-organises-first-rally/285697/ Trinamool-SUCI front organises first rally] ] [ [http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/15/stories/2008031561081500.htm Trinamool Congress to tie up with SUCI] ]

Campaigns

One of the major campaigns of the party in West Bengal has been its agitations against the educational policy of the Left Front state government. The decision of the Left Front government to remove the English language from primary education sparked a mass movement led by the SUCI for the reinsertion of English. [ [http://india.indymedia.org/en/2003/08/6408.shtml Millions Rise Up For Total Bangla Bandh (total General Strike)] ] [ [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1011212/national.htm#head7 Bandh call banks on past success] ] [ [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-22599125_ITM Twist of the mother tongue] ]

Below is a chronological list of campaigns organized by the SUCI in the West Bengal:

*1953: Tram fare protest movement was organized by the SUCI. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/524909383.cms How much do you know about SUCI?] ]
*1954: In 1954, the SUCI organized the teachers’ movement.
*1956: Banga bihar sanjukti birodhi andolan.
*1958: Students’ movement was organized by the party.
*1959: The SUCI organized food movement.
*1967: Another food movement was led by the party.
*1979: The SUCI organized a movement against various decisions taken by the Government of India.
*1980: The SUCI organized "Bhasha andolan" against the Government of West Bengal which continues till now.
*1983: A movement was led by the party against bus fare hike.
*1988: First Party Congress in Kolkata(24-29March)
*1990: Another movement was organized by the SUCI against the Government of West Bengal for bus fare hike and a "Bangla bandh" in September to protest against the death of Madhai Halder, a party supporter killed in police firing at the Esplanade on August 31, 1990. This was the first "bandh".
*1991: A protest was led by the organization against electricity price hike.
*1991: The SUCI organized a movement against the state education policy.
*1998: "Bangla bandh" on February 3 in order to bring back English at the primary education. This was the second "bandh".
*2000: The SUCI organized a protest movement demanding English as a compulsory subject at primary education.
*2002: A protest was organized against the decision of the Government of West Bengal to increase hospital fee and the increase in electricity charges by the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation and West Bengal State Electricity Board. This was the third "bandh".
*2006-ongoing: The Anti SEZ movements in Singur and Nandigram.
*2008: April 21^st 12-hour state-wide shutdown in West Bengal jointly called by the Trinamool Congress and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) [ [http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14653210 Trinamool-sponsored strike paralyses life in West Bengal] ] , [ [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/12-hour_shutdown_against_price_rise_in_West_Bengal/articleshow/2967584.cms 12-hour shutdown against price rise in West Bengal] ]

A major campaign of the party in Kerala was against the much criticized District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) funded by the World Bank [ [http://www1.worldbank.org/education/globaleducationreform/12.Publications/publications.htm#India Series of Education Reform and Management] ] . The agitation resulted in the setting up of a committee by the state government to review the education policy in 2001. Based on the committee's recommendations, the government revoked the decision of the previous LDF government to extend DPEP curriculum to the 8^th standard. The DPEP textbooks where withdrawn and the previous textbooks as per previous curriculum and syllabus was reinstated. [ [http://www.macroscan.com/anl/jun03/pdf/Education_Kerala_Epilogue.pdf Notes on “Issues in school education in contemporary Kerala” after May 2001] ] [ [http://www.doccentre.net/eldoc/n21_/15aug01pre1.pdf Movement Against DPEP Attains Victory in Kerala] ]

Leadership

After Ghosh's death in 1976 Nihar Mukherjee, a co-founder of SUCI, became the General Secretary. [ [http://suci.in/intro/about/about.htm A brief introduction to the Socialist Unity Centre of India] ] Secretaries of the State Committees of the party are:
*Andhra Pradesh: Kunche Sridhar
*Assam: Kalyan Choudhury
*Bihar: Shiv Shankar
*Haryana: Satyavan
*Karnataka: K. Radhakrishna
*Kerala: C.K Lukose
*Orissa: Tapas Dutta (expired)
*Uttar Pradesh: V.N. Singh
*West Bengal: Provash Ghosh

Secretaries of the State Organizing Committees are:
*Delhi: Pratap Samal [ [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041106/delhi.htm#4 SUCI protest against price hike] ]
*Madhya Pradesh: Uma Prasad [ [http://www.suci.in/download/pe05152005.pdf PE05152005.p65 ] ]
*Tamil Nadu: V.P Nandakumar (Office Secretary) [ [http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/rad-green/2004-December/016899.html Tamil Nadu SUCI on Tsunami] ]
*Gujarat: Dwarika Nath Rath [ [http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=710170552&cat=&n_date=20071017 SUCI will field candidates in Gujarat elections] ]

The MLAs of the party are:
*Sambhunath Naik: Jashipur (ST) constituency, Orissa
*Joykrishna Haldar: Kultali (SC) constituency, West Bengal [ [http://www.eci.gov.in/electionanalysis/AE/S25/partycomp102.htm State Elections 2006 - Partywise Comparision for 102-Kultali Constituency of West Bengal ] ]
*Debaprasad Sarkar: Joynagar constituency, West Bengal [ [http://www.eci.gov.in/electionanalysis/AE/S25/partycomp103.htm State Elections 2006 - Partywise Comparision for 103-Joynagar Constituency of West Bengal ] ]

In 2005 Probodh Purkait, a SUCI MLA who represented Kultali constituency for 30 years, was convicted for murder and sentenced to life term by the Calcutta High Court. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/21/stories/2005072102981300.htm Life-term for MLA, Report in the Hindu] ] SUCI denounced the court ruling as a 'conspiracy of CPI(M)'. [ [http://www.suci.in/download/pe08012005.pdf Why CPI(M) conspires to implicate SUCI MLA and others in a false case] ]

Mass organizations

The principal mass organizations of SUCI are:
*All India United Trade Union Centre
*All India Democratic Students Organisation
*All India Democratic Youth Organisation
*All India Mahila Sanskritik Sanghathan
*All India Krishak Khet Majdoor Sangathan

Publications

The central organ of SUCI is the "Proletarian Era", an English forthnighly published from Kolkata.

The state committees of the party publishes:
*"Ganadabi" (Bangla weekly, published from Kolkata)
*"Unity" (Malayalam monthly, published from Thiruvananthapuram)
*"Ganamukti" (Assamese monthly, published from Guwahati)
*"Karmika Drushtikona" (Kannada monthly, published from Bangalore)
*"Pattali Chinthanai" (Tamil monthly, published from Chennai)
*"Sarbahara" (Oriya monthly, published from Bhubaneswar)
*"Sarbahara Dristhikon" (Hindi forthnighly, published from Delhi)
*"Socialist Viplavam" (Telugu monthly, published from Hyderabad)

References

External links

* " [http://www.marxists.org/archive/shibdas-ghosh/index.htm Marxists Internet Archive: Shibdas Ghosh] " — Marxists Internet Archive
* " [http://suci.in/era/era.htm Proletarian Era] " — a SUCI publication