Communist Party of French India
Encyclopedia
The Communist Party of French India was a political party
in French India
. V. Subbiah
was the secretary of the party.
had called for support to the Allied war effort.
The communists came to dominate the National Democratic Front
. On March 6, 1947 the Communist Party launched a students' wing, the Students' Federation
.
in protesting against the ban. The Communist Party of French India issued a call to all municipal authorities to haul down the tricolor
on August 15, 1947 and hoist the flag of India
.
(the leading pro-French politician in the colony) and V. Subbiah. Goubert's henchmen conducted lynchings of communist activists. In 1948 the French authorities served an arrest warrant against V. Subbiah. In January 1950 the office of the Communist Party, located in the private residence of V. Subbiah, was burnt down. The police chief was present at the scene, but police did not intervene. The houses of Communist Party of French India leaders Clemenceau and Annousamy were also torched by goondas.
The Communist Party contested the October 1948 municipal polls as part of the Progressive Democratic Party (a coalition between the communists and the Dravidar Kazhagam
).
In mid-1951 the arrest warrant against V. Subbiah was withdrawn. V. Subbiah emerged as a major leader of the independence movement. In a public statement he called for the formation of a united front
compromising the Communist Party and other pro-independence groups. The Tamil language
weekly newspaper Sutantiram, published in India, became an important organ of the movement led by V. Subbiah.
demanding immediate merger with the Indian Union. On April 7, 1954 the Communist Party mobilized protests, as the colonial government called out military forces on the streets of Pondicherry. V. Subbiah called upon the thousands of the refugees that had crossed into India to return to take part in the freedom struggle.
Tirubhuvanai was liberated by the communists on April 6, 1954, marking the climax of the freedom movement. Together with the French India Socialist Party
and the Merger Congress a temporary united government for the area was set up by the Communist Party in Tirubhuvanai.
The strength of the communists in the struggle caught the attention of the international press, for example the New York Times warned of the possibility of a communist take-over in Pondicherry. The French communist newspaper l'Humanité
on the other hand praised the people of French India for their courage in the struggle against colonial domination.
In the midst of the struggle, a proposal that the colony be converted into a French-Indian condominium was floated from French quarters. The Communist Party immediately rejected the proposal.
On April 26, 1954 the Communist Party took part in an All Party Conference. The conference condemned the violent repression against protestors in French India. On April 29, 1954 the Communist Party, Central Merger Congress and other leftist groups launched a joint front to coordinate struggles. At the meeting a decision was adopted that the struggles would be conducted along the lines of Gandhian non-violence.
On August 9, 1954 Pondicherry observed a hartal
after a call from the Communist Party and the Youth Congress. V. Subbiah met with Jawaharlal Nehru
on August 13, 1954 to discuss the prospects of the resistance struggle. On November 1, 1954 France left French India. V. Subbiah returned from exile, meeting a hero's welcome from jubilant masses.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in French India
French India
French India is a general name for the former French possessions in India These included Pondichéry , Karikal and Yanaon on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal...
. V. Subbiah
V. Subbiah
V. Subbiah was an Indian communist politician from Pondicherry . Subbiah was the secretary of the Communist Party of French India. He is regarded as the founder of the trade union movement in the union territory...
was the secretary of the party.
World War and the National Democratic Front
The Communist Party of French India rose in prominence during the Second World War. At the time of the outbreak of the war the party was banned and its assets seized. However, the ban was lifted in September 1940 as the French Communist PartyFrench Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
had called for support to the Allied war effort.
The communists came to dominate the National Democratic Front
National Democratic Front (French India)
The National Democratic Front was a political coalition in French India. The movement dominated the political scene in the colony for a brief period until the emergence of a split between the socialists and communists in the coalition....
. On March 6, 1947 the Communist Party launched a students' wing, the Students' Federation
Students' Federation (French India)
The Students' Federation was a student movement in French India, founded by the Communist Party of French India on March 6, 1947. The launching of the Students' Federation came some months after the French India Students Congress had been formed. The Students' Federation took part in the...
.
Struggle for Independence
Around in August 1947, as independence of British India drew nearer, the Communist Party of French India changed its policy regarding independence and began advocating immediate merger with the Indian Union. Until this point the party had advocated union with France in the short term, and integration with India in the long term. French authorities issued a ban on pro-independence rallies in French India. The Communist Party of French India joined trade unions, the French India National Congress, and the French India Students CongressFrench India Students Congress
The French India Students Congress was a student movement in French India, which fought for independence of the colony from French rule. The foundation of the French India Students Congress was preceded by the formation of the French India National Congress...
in protesting against the ban. The Communist Party of French India issued a call to all municipal authorities to haul down the tricolor
Tricolor
Tricolor or tricolor may refer to something with three colors :* Tricolour flag, any flag or banner having three colours, particularly in bands of approximately equal width** Tricolour, the flag of France, commonly called the Tricolour in English...
on August 15, 1947 and hoist the flag of India
Flag of India
The National flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of deep saffron, white and India green; with the Ashok Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, when it became the...
.
Persecution of the Communist Party
The communists were persecuted in French India, partly due to the rivalry between Edouard GoubertEdouard Goubert
Clemencedu Edouard Goubert was former mayor and first chief minister of Pondichéry between July 1, 1963 - September 11, 1964...
(the leading pro-French politician in the colony) and V. Subbiah. Goubert's henchmen conducted lynchings of communist activists. In 1948 the French authorities served an arrest warrant against V. Subbiah. In January 1950 the office of the Communist Party, located in the private residence of V. Subbiah, was burnt down. The police chief was present at the scene, but police did not intervene. The houses of Communist Party of French India leaders Clemenceau and Annousamy were also torched by goondas.
The Communist Party contested the October 1948 municipal polls as part of the Progressive Democratic Party (a coalition between the communists and the Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam was the first fully Dravidian party in India. It was a radical party formed by E. V. Ramaswamy, also called Thanthai Periyar of erstwhile Madras Presidency...
).
In mid-1951 the arrest warrant against V. Subbiah was withdrawn. V. Subbiah emerged as a major leader of the independence movement. In a public statement he called for the formation of a united front
United front
The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. The basic theory of the united front tactic was first developed by the Comintern, an international communist organisation created by revolutionaries in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.According to the theses of...
compromising the Communist Party and other pro-independence groups. The Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
weekly newspaper Sutantiram, published in India, became an important organ of the movement led by V. Subbiah.
1954: Final phase of independence struggle
In early 1954 V. Subbiah addressed a mass meeting in the peripheries of Pondicherry, appealing on the population of the colony to leave past differences behind and unite in the struggle for independence. As tension in French India rose in March 1954, the Communist Party began to prepare a campaign of popular direct actionDirect action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
demanding immediate merger with the Indian Union. On April 7, 1954 the Communist Party mobilized protests, as the colonial government called out military forces on the streets of Pondicherry. V. Subbiah called upon the thousands of the refugees that had crossed into India to return to take part in the freedom struggle.
Tirubhuvanai was liberated by the communists on April 6, 1954, marking the climax of the freedom movement. Together with the French India Socialist Party
French India Socialist Party
The French India Socialist Party was a political party in French India. The party was led by Edouard Goubert, Minister for General Administration for French India. The party played a dominant role in the political life in the colony, being backed by the French administration...
and the Merger Congress a temporary united government for the area was set up by the Communist Party in Tirubhuvanai.
The strength of the communists in the struggle caught the attention of the international press, for example the New York Times warned of the possibility of a communist take-over in Pondicherry. The French communist newspaper l'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
on the other hand praised the people of French India for their courage in the struggle against colonial domination.
In the midst of the struggle, a proposal that the colony be converted into a French-Indian condominium was floated from French quarters. The Communist Party immediately rejected the proposal.
On April 26, 1954 the Communist Party took part in an All Party Conference. The conference condemned the violent repression against protestors in French India. On April 29, 1954 the Communist Party, Central Merger Congress and other leftist groups launched a joint front to coordinate struggles. At the meeting a decision was adopted that the struggles would be conducted along the lines of Gandhian non-violence.
On August 9, 1954 Pondicherry observed a hartal
Hartal
Hartal is a term in many Indian languages for strike action, used often during the Indian Independence Movement. It is mass protest often involving a total shutdown of workplaces, offices, shops, courts of law as a form of civil disobedience...
after a call from the Communist Party and the Youth Congress. V. Subbiah met with Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
on August 13, 1954 to discuss the prospects of the resistance struggle. On November 1, 1954 France left French India. V. Subbiah returned from exile, meeting a hero's welcome from jubilant masses.