Viswam's comments come amid an internal CPI(M) debate on whether the Modi government is fascist or neo-fascist. The CPI(M) has stated it is not fascist but has "neo-fascist characteristics"
Published Mar 06, 2025 | 4:05 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 06, 2025 | 4:05 PM
Binoy Viswam, CPI Kerala State Committee secretary. (Binoy Viswam/Facebook)
Synopsis: CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam criticized the hesitation to label fascism in India, citing lynchings, religious hatred, and violence as modern signs of it. His remarks come amid ongoing debate within CPI(M) on whether the Modi government should be labeled fascist or neo-fascist. While the CPI(M) acknowledges neo-fascist traits, it refrains from calling the BJP-led government explicitly fascist
CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam has indirectly criticised political discussions that shy away from labelling the rise of fascism in India.
He argued that fascism should not only be associated with concentration camps and gas chambers, but that modern signs of fascism include lynchings, religious hatred, the destruction of places of worship, and sexual violence.
Viswam’s remarks come amid an ongoing internal debate within the CPI(M) about whether the Modi government should be classified as fascist, neo-fascist, or merely exhibiting neo-fascist tendencies.
The CPI(M) had previously clarified in a note that while the BJP-led central government is not considered fascist or neo-fascist, it is an “overbearing Hindutva-corporate regime” with “neo-fascist characteristics.”
The debate intensified after CPI(M) Central Committee member AK Balan’s recent statement, where he denied that the BJP government at the Centre could be classified as fascist.
Balan stressed that if fascism were to emerge in India, it would significantly alter the country’s political structure, and therefore, the current government does not fit the description.
However, the CPI(M)’s position seems at odds with statements made by senior party leaders in the past. In 2016, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury had compared the Modi government to Adolf Hitler’s fascism, accusing it of openly advancing the fascist agenda of the RSS.
Yechury’s remarks contrasted with those of his predecessor, Prakash Karat, who termed the Modi government “right-wing authoritarian” rather than fascist.
Balan, in his defence of the party’s current stance, also quoted communist theorist Georgi Dimitrov, who had warned against underestimating reactionary measures that could eventually lead to fascism.
However, Balan maintained that the BJP-led government does not qualify as a fascist or neo-fascist regime.
Viswam also reaffirmed the historical significance of the Communist Party in India, recalling its early call for Poorna Swaraj and the evolution of its organisational structure.
He stressed the importance of maintaining a strong relationship between the CPI and CPI(M) in Kerala, urging the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to uphold its values and serve as a model for alternative politics in India.
As the debate within CPI(M) continues, it highlights the varying views among party leaders on how to classify the current political climate in India.
(Edited by Ananya Rao with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
