“Being with Cuba is joining the struggle against imperialism and in defense of socialism,” says one of the resolutions adopted at the 24th Congress of India’s largest communist party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), held in Madurai, in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The conference, which went on for four days, concluded on Sunday, April 6 with the election of its new general secretary and 84 other members to its highest decision-making body, the Central Committee, for the next three years.
Glimpses from the Red Volunteer march currently underway in Madurai on the last day of the #CPIM24thPartyCongress pic.twitter.com/piaJX6BGx5
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) April 6, 2025
The Congress adopted several resolutions on issues relevant to the working-class movement today, including resolutions against rising imperialist assaults on Palestine and Cuba.
Palestine resolution demands sanctions on Israel
The resolution on Palestine demands an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemning Israel’s war and genocide which has killed over 50,000 Palestinians in the last 16 months. The resolution notes that more than 60% of the Palestinians killed are women and children.
The resolution noted that Israel is a settler-colonial state which continues to occupy more and more Palestinian land in the West Bank everyday. It accuses Israel of having the objective of creating a “greater Israel”. It demands that Israel be declared an apartheid state and international sanctions be imposed against it.
It also condemned the support provided to Israel by countries in the imperialist bloc such as the US and its European allies. Their support helps Israel to escape accountability for its crimes at international forums, such as the UN Security Council, it says. The resolution also notes that the constant supply of weapons from the US and Europe helps Israel to carry out its occupation and genocide of Palestinians.
At the time of the presentation of the resolution, all the delegates raised slogans in support of Palestine while wearing the Keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf which has come to symbolize resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Condemnation of BJP support for Israel
CPI (M) also condemned the Indian government, led by the ultra-right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for abandoning the country’s long-held solidarity and support for the Palestinian people and their struggle and instead supporting the “zionist entity”. It asserted that such changes in India’s foreign policy are not acceptable to the Indian people.
The resolution claims that the BJP government has used the media to vilify Palestinian solidarity in the country by portraying the Palestinian issue as religious and the solidarity movements as sectarian.
It asserted that the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is the only way a lasting peace in the region is possible.
India, once known for its long-standing support for anti-colonial movements, has come to the point where the Narendra Modi-led BJP government “without any shame extends its solidarity to the genocidal attacks carried out by the zionist regime with the support of American war machines. This is disgraceful, this is reprehensible,” said M A Baby, newly elected general secretary of the CPI (M) in a video message after the adoption of the resolution.
Cuba is a symbol of resistance against imperialism
The CPI (M) Congress also adopted a resolution expressing solidarity with Cuba and called for the mobilization of “maximum financial assistance” for the country which has been suffering under the decades-long sanctions and illegal blockade unilaterally imposed by the US.
Hailing Cuba as the symbol of hope and resistance which continues to inspire global anti-imperialist and working-class movements, India’s largest communist party called for an end to the US blockade on the island. It termed the blockade as “genocidal”, as it has caused immense suffering for millions of Cubans and deprived them of essential resources such as medicine, food, and electricity.
The resolution underlines that the US continues to spend millions of dollars every year to fund terrorism and anti-Cuba forces in its criminal attempt to stage a coup.
“The US always considered the whole of Latin America as its backyard, and cannot tolerate even the slightest assertion of sovereignty by any country. Ever since the Cuban revolution declared itself to be socialist, the US has been trying hard to break the spirit of the Cuban people and ensure the country’s collapse,” the resolution reads.
The CPI (M) however expressed its admiration for the steadfastness of the Cubans and their achievements amidst deep hostility and attacks. The Cuban government continues to maintain the rights of people to have free education, health, and other basic amenities and Cubans continue to excel in sports, arts, and culture, the resolution emphasizes.
It notes the Cuban contributions to global medicine as an excellent example of the country’s commitments to humanity. Despite the shortages of medicine and energy resources in the country.
The resolution called for a special campaign to mobilize resources for Cuba. It asked CPI(M) cadres to contribute to the fund and lead the campaign claiming “being with Cuba is joining the struggle against imperialism and in defense of socialism.”
Noting how Cuba is losing “millions of dollars every minute due to the US blockade”, Arun Kumar, newly elected member of the CPI(M) polit bureau, said, “if this money was provided to Cuba it could provide vaccines for various diseases which could be useful for the entire world.” The money could also provide basic necessities to Cuban people, including food and electricity, he said. He appealed to the people of India to contribute generously to the Cuba solidarity fund.
Glimpses of cultural events at #CPIM24thPartyCongress pic.twitter.com/DBMRPcv6PF
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) April 5, 2025
