Socialism in India
The movement grew quickly in popularity as it espoused the causes of India's farmers and labourers against the zamindars, the princely class and the landed gentry.
[3][4] In 1871 a group in Calcutta had contacted Karl Marx with the purpose of organizing an Indian section of the First International.
[5] The first article in an Indian publication (in English) that mentions the names of Marx & Engels printed in the Modern Review in March 1912.
The short biographical article titled Karl Marx – a modern Rishi was written by the German-based Indian revolutionary Lala Har Dayal.
[citation needed] Of particular interest to many Indian papers and magazines was the Bolshevik policy of right to self-determination of all nations.
Bipin Chandra Pal and Bal Gangadhar Tilak were amongst the prominent Indians who expressed their admiration of Lenin and the new rulers in Russia.
The Russian Revolution also affected émigré Indian revolutionaries, such as the Ghadar Party in North America.
Among the twenty-one conditions drafted by Lenin ahead of the congress was the 11th thesis, which stipulated that all communist parties must support the bourgeois-democratic liberation movements in the colonies.
Some of the delegates opposed the idea of alliance with the bourgeoisie, and preferred support to communist movements of these countries instead.
[19] The émigré CPI, which probably had little organic character anyway, was effectively substituted by the organisation now operating inside India.
At the 1931 Karachi session of the Indian National Congress, socialist pattern of development was set as the goal for India.
Through the 1955 Avadi Resolution of the Indian National Congress, a socialistic pattern of development was presented as the goal of the party.
Social equality in this context means the absence of discrimination on the grounds only of caste, colour, creed, sex, religion, or language.
[21] Communists were also active in the Indian independence movement and have played a significant role in India's political life, although they are fragmented into a multitude of different parties.
