4

Jan

Left Looks to Cultural Roots to Regain Lost Political Clout

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The decline and marginalisation of once-powerful Left forces from India’s political landscape is as intriguing as it is troubling for a democratic polity. Over the past few decades, several explanations have been offered to account for this erosion, yet no single, convincing answer has emerged. This persistent weakening appears particularly paradoxical because the objective social conditions—rising inequality, joblessness, agrarian distress, and concentration of wealth—should, in theory, provide fertile ground for socialist and secular politics.

The surprising victory of young Zohran Mamdani as mayor of the powerful New York City has once again triggered debate among liberal intellectuals and Left thinkers. It has prompted renewed reflection on why socialist forces have lost relevance despite the deepening crises of capitalism and democracy, both globally and in India.

One obvious factor behind the marginalisation of India’s Communist parties has been their earlier ideological posture, which often appeared out of sync with popular sentiment. For the average Indian, the overt allegiance to distant ideological centres in the former Soviet Union or China was difficult to comprehend. Political opponents exploited this disconnect, portraying the Left as detached from national realities. The idea of an international struggle against monopoly capitalism failed to resonate with large sections of society, who were more immediately rooted in their own cultural and historical contexts. Over time, this fed the perception that Communist parties were indifferent, if not hostile, to India’s ancient and diverse cultural traditions—something most Indians take pride in.

There is now a growing realisation within the Left that culture cannot be treated as peripheral. In a country like India, culture is not merely an aesthetic domain; it is central to identity, community, and political mobilisation. It can serve as a powerful instrument of resistance, especially at a time when democratic values are under sustained assault.

 

The steady decline of India’s Left parties is paradoxical, given rising inequality, unemployment and agrarian distress that should favour socialist politics. While many explanations exist, a key factor has been the Left’s earlier ideological disconnect from popular sentiment and India’s cultural realities, allowing opponents to portray it as detached and alien. Recent debates, sparked by global socialist revivals, have renewed introspection within the Left.

Obvious and Offbeat

By Pradeep Mathur

This shift was evident in Kerala, where Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a national Cultural Congress, acknowledging that culture is central to political mobilisation and resistance. Vijayan warned that communal and authoritarian forces are eroding constitutional values, secularism and federalism through laws, institutional control and suppression of dissent. He argued that culture is often the first target of authoritarianism and must therefore be defended. The Congress signals a recognition that without reclaiming the cultural sphere, the Left’s political revival in India will remain incomplete.

 

This new thinking found expression in Kerala late last month when Chief Minister Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a first-of-its-kind, three-day Cultural Congress. In his candid inaugural address, Vijayan acknowledged that a Cultural Congress was a new initiative for the Communist movement. While science congresses, history congresses, and similar forums were familiar terrain, a nationwide gathering devoted exclusively to culture marked a significant departure. Yet, he argued, prevailing conditions in India made such an initiative not only relevant but urgent.

Vijayan warned that communal forces are actively seeking to tear apart the secular cultural fabric that has historically ensured peaceful coexistence among people of diverse beliefs and ways of life. What is at stake, he said, is the very inclusiveness of India’s social existence. This poses a grave danger to national unity. Against this backdrop, the Cultural Congress acquires heightened significance. He expressed satisfaction that the organisers recognised this historic necessity and, with the Kerala government’s support, convened a large gathering under the joint aegis of multiple cultural institutions and academies.

The chief minister hoped the congress would send a clear message across the country—that the people of India will resist every attempt to divide the nation along communal lines. Holding the event in Kerala was itself symbolic, given the state’s long secular tradition and sustained struggles against communalism.

Vijayan situated the present moment as a decisive one in India’s history. Forces that reject the core values of the Constitution, he argued, are steadily gaining strength. The centenary of the RSS in 2025 has been used not for introspection but to aggressively advance a divisive political project aimed at reshaping India into a narrow, exclusionary nation. Such a project, he warned, threatens the foundations of secularism, democracy, federalism, and social justice.

This assault, he stressed, is neither abstract nor hidden. Laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act seek to redefine citizenship on religious lines. Proposals such as “One Nation, One Election” aim to weaken federalism and centralise power. Large-scale and arbitrary revisions of electoral rolls threaten the voting rights of millions. Institutions meant to safeguard knowledge, culture, and history are being reshaped to fit a particular ideological agenda. When the state itself becomes an instrument to erode pluralism and suppress dissent, resistance becomes not just a choice but a duty.

At such a juncture, culture assumes a central political role. History shows that authoritarian and fascist forces strike first at culture. Mussolini banned folk knowledge; Hitler feared art, burning books and destroying works that challenged narrow worldviews. Writers, artists, historians, and rational thinkers are targeted precisely because culture nurtures critical thinking, collective memory, and moral courage.

India has witnessed this fear translate into violence. Rationalists and intellectuals like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh were murdered for questioning superstition, caste hierarchies, and communal politics. Others, such as writer Perumal Murugan, were hounded into silence through threats and intimidation. Activists like Stan Swamy were denied dignity even in their final days, illustrating how state machinery and fabricated cases are used to crush dissent. These are not isolated incidents but warnings of an atmosphere where independent thought itself is criminalised.

Simultaneously, there is a systematic saffronisation of history and knowledge. Renowned secular historians are being sidelined, academic institutions restructured, and advisory bodies dismantled to install ideologically aligned individuals. Research is pressured to abandon evidence-based inquiry in favour of simplistic communal narratives. This is an attempt not merely to control the past but to shape the consciousness of future generations.

Against this grim backdrop, Vijayan invoked Kerala’s own history as a counter-example. The state’s social progress is inseparable from its vibrant cultural and intellectual traditions—from the renaissance movements led by Sree Narayana Guru and Ayyankali to progressive literature, theatre, and folk arts that carried ideas to villages and streets. Culture in Kerala was never confined to elites; it became a mass force intertwined with struggles against caste oppression and exploitation. The Communist movement provided continuity to these cultural currents, translating them into transformative policies such as land reforms, education, and labour rights.

Yet, Vijayan cautioned, this legacy cannot be taken for granted. Attempts to separate culture from politics are dangerous illusions. Every cultural act has a political context, and silence in times of injustice only strengthens oppression.

In his concluding remarks, he observed that history tests every generation, and this is the test facing ours. It must be met with clarity, courage, and unwavering resolve.

Whether this Cultural Congress and Vijayan’s forthright address signal a well-thought-out strategic course correction to reclaim lost political ground, or remain a largely intellectual exercise, only time will tell. What is clear, however, is that the Left has begun to recognise that without reclaiming the cultural terrain, its political revival will remain elusive.

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