At the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of India held in Chandigarh, Annie Raja emphasised the party’s steadfast commitment to its ideology of socialism, equality and justice, even amid the rising influence of the RSS–BJP. She spoke about CPI’s efforts to connect with India’s youth without compromising on its core principles, shared her views on Kanhaiya Kumar’s exit from Left politics and reiterated the party’s focus on livelihood, gender equality and democratic rights. Annie Raja also reflected on the CPI’s evolving relationship with the Congress, both in Kerala and at the national level. This 25th Congress is especially significant as it coincides with the centenary year of the CPI, marking 100 years of its political journey in India.
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00:00The team of One India is right now in Chandigarh where the 25th Congress of the CPI is taking place.
00:08This is not just a 25th Congress, but this is the centenary year of the CPI and we have spoken to many dignitaries, party workers and delegates from all across the country.
00:20Right now I'm going to introduce you to such a luminary who does not need actually any introduction.
00:27She is none other than Eni Raja who gave a hard fight to Rahul Gandhi in Wainard in 2024, Lok Sabha election and Eni Raja is a stalwart leader of the CPI.
00:43It is a pleasure of One India that we are having her to speak with us.
00:48Do you feel that a party like CPI needs to fine-tune its political programs in the wake of emerging social trends in the country?
00:59The Communist Party is not ruled or guided by the changing trends.
01:06We have an ideology. That ideology is for socialism. That is equality and justice irrespective of caste and religion and the region.
01:16So that principle is guiding us, not the trends. Today it is RSS trend or tomorrow some other trend will come.
01:23We are not working as a party which is following the trends, but based on an ideology.
01:30Now that is what I said. What is the trend? The trend, the latest trend of RSS and BJP is now they have infiltrated into war for pillars of Indian democracy, legislature, executive judiciary and the press.
01:49And like termites, they have weakened all those things and they are dividing the people.
01:55We are against that. We are for uniting the people. We are for a very, very secular and that solidarity and that friendship, unity in diversity.
02:10We strongly believe in that. But the trend is that they don't believe. They believe unity in oneness.
02:17We are, we are opposing that. We are struggling against that.
02:22Ma'am, let me correct myself. I did not refer to the RSS trend, but the changing social trends.
02:30And let me put it in a context, like a youth, like Kanhaya Kumar, he leaves the left party and joins Congress.
02:37So maybe there is something that the left parties have to think upon, like how to attract the youth to the party.
02:46That is, that is one thing. We will have to, that we are also realizing that being a young country, we need to bring in, attract young people to into the party.
02:56And we are trying and we are doing it. But that doesn't mean that we cannot, we dilute our ideology.
03:06We dilute our positions. We bring in the divisive policies of RSS or somebody else. So that is why, if you are mentioning Kanhaya Kumar, he might not be comfortable with the ideology which we are for equality and justice and a socialist society.
03:24So he, he may not be, but he grew up in that, he grew up in that culture.
03:29He grew up, Kanhaya Kumar became Kanhaya Kumar, because he was in our AISF.
03:35Otherwise, and he was in our AISF and we fought for the, for the rights of the students in JNU and other universities.
03:43Through that struggle he emerged, that with us he emerged. Otherwise, who knows Kanhaya Kumar as Kanhaya Kumar.
03:50Now he grew as a national struggling student and with AISF. Now he, he thought that this is not a proper platform for him.
04:01So he shifted. That is his right. That is his freedom. But that doesn't mean that the Communist Party dilutes its ideology.
04:09The Communist Party dilutes its positions on the values of our constitution.
04:17The Communist Party go after the trends which are emerging in the country every now and then.
04:23No, we are not such a party. We are, we may be, we are very proud that we may be very less present in, in Parliament and the assemblies.
04:34But we are there in almost every state of this country, with people, struggling for the issues of people.
04:42Whether there is livelihood issues, gender issues or for the other issues. We are there for the people and with their struggle.
04:51So we are trying to, that is what, we don't have money to give them and bring them here and there and offer them biryani and offer them sadis and all.
05:02No, we have, we have only, we have commitment and we have will to fight for their issues, standing with them.
05:09It is not that you go ahead, we will be standing in back. No, we are in the forefront of the struggle for the people and their issues.
05:18That is why we, we, they may not, or, that is why, that may be one reason. Because now everyone, every, now what are we witnessing in the Delhi Assembly election?
05:31We are asking, it is helpful for women, we are not saying. But do you have any policy and programme to ensure the, ensure the people of the country, including women, a right to life with dignity?
05:58We are not buggers. We are, as citizens, we have every right to have a dignified life. Can you ensure that? Our struggle is for that.
06:09And I am asking a difficult question, maybe too easy for you. If the current ruling compensation fulfills all those promises, all the fights that you are putting through, will be taken aback?
06:24No, actually their ideology is not that. Their ideology is not for that. Their ideology, one nation, one nation, one nation, one election, one nation, one leader.
06:35So, every, that, that, that, that authoritarian and fascist. Now, even yesterday we intervened in a case in Rajasthan sitting here.
06:44On Sunday, on Sunday they were having their prayer Christians. The Bajrangkal people attacked them. And we had to intervene to, to ensure them justice. So this is what they are for. They don't, they don't, they think that these minorities, whether it is Christian or Islam and the communists, they, we, these forces are the biggest enemies.
07:12In their effort to establish Hindutawarashtra.
07:17Okay.
07:18After any, the, the, the, the, the, when, even when, even then only a one person of CPI with a red flag is alive. We will not allow. We will fight against this.
07:32Just one more question from your very own state. In Kerala, you fight against Congress. In India, you fight with Congress.
07:41You see, in Kerala, Kerala, Kerala, yes, no, no, there is no contradiction or anything. You know, you should know Kerala politics.
07:49Kerala, there are two, uh, fronts. One is LDF. Left Democratic Front. And the other one is United Democratic Front.
07:58So that was led by Congress. We always contest against each other. Last election also, CPI contested against. It is like Congress contested against CPI. That is, uh, and every left seat, a Congress, uh, candidate will be, or every Congress, uh, uh, uh, uh, allies, uh, seat, uh, left will be contested. That is the, uh, uh, I don't know what, that is the, uh, uh, political, um, system or, uh, alliances, which is working.
08:16Uh, so as part of it, we contested.
08:30It's a broad sense.
08:32It's why we contested.
08:36We contested.
08:40We contested.
08:42It's in the world with Congress and everything.
08:44I see how to confirm that responsibility.
08:46There's a broad sense in many situations where we Un brochure.
08:48We persist.
08:49We now see how to go towards Uh, what we get.
08:52There's a broad sense about, uh, logic through any sort of tool.
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