CONSTITUTION
OF
REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNIST
PARTY OF INDIA
(RCPI)
1.
Name:
The Party shall be called the Revolutionary Communist Party
of India (RCPI).
2.
Objective:
a)
The Party shall
strive for building Socialism in India as a part of the world social order by
organising the Indian working class, the poor and middle peasantry, the lower
middle class, intellectuals, urban petty-bourgeoisie and exploited humanity
inculcating the ideals of Marxism, to build political struggle, aiming at
changing the oppressive and exploitative social order dominated by the Indian
capitalist and exploiter classes.
b)
The party shall
strive to build socialism under the leadership of the proletariat with active cooperation
of other exploited strata of the humanity, including peasants, working
intellectuals and non-manual working sections of people.
3.
Principles of Party Organisation:
The Party shall be built on the principles of
Democratic Centralism, the fundamental tenets of which are:
a)
Right of free
expression of opinion within the Party till a decision is arrived at by a
competent committee;
b)
Election of
leading committees of the Party, at all levels by periodical conference of the
members of the Party or their elected delegates;
c)
Periodical reports
of activity by all committees to their constituents and vice versa;
d)
Decisions of a
higher committee to be binding on the lower committees;
e)
Strict
observation of the Party discipline and prompt execution of the decisions of
the Party committee;
f)
Constant living
association of the membership with the masses through their various organs of
struggle.
All questions affecting the Party and its activities shall
be freely discussed by the members in the proper forum (e.g. committees,
intra-party bulletins and conference), in strict conformity with the rules for
guidance of the members in such matters, that may be framed by the leading
party committees, till such time as a decision on the subject, is taken by a
competent committee or conference, and its decision made known to the members,
through proper channels. A decision made once by a committee or a conference
must be unreservedly carried out, even if any member or lower committee be in
disagreement with it. Against any decision an appeal may be made to a higher
competent body with the right of hearing; but until and unless the standing
decisions are annulled, they are to be carried out unreservedly.
The right of members to free discussion and dissemination
of views to members outside the proper forum shall be ensured by the
publication of an intra-party paper.
The higher committees shall have the power to remove lower
committees and appoint ad hoc bodies in their places subject to the subsequent
endorsement by their higher committees. In any case the Central Committee of
the Party shall be the final authority in all matters, between the two
conferences of the party.
4.
Membership: The
Party membership is granted to a person who:
a)
Accepts in its
entirety the party programme,
b)
Acts in a mass
organisation and actively participates in mass-movement,
c)
Diligently
carries on day-to-day party activities functioning through a party
organisation.
d)
Obeys
unreservedly party discipline.
e)
Can read and
write.
f)
Applies for
granting party membership and pass a period of probation, normally of six
months and shall be eligible for regular membership of the party.
5.
Probationary Membership:
Any member may recommend a person who is active in
his/her own field of activity, supports the party programme, willing to join
the party and obeys its discipline, and to be enrolled as a candidate, on
signing of an application for membership.
On receipt of such an application by the party, it shall
take necessary steps to enrol and put the applicant member in a Primary
Committee or a cell as probationer and arrange for training. The Local
Committee shall review the progress of the probationer from time to time, and
recommend to the higher committee, at the expiry of six months for granting
membership to the deserving candidate; non-granting of membership by the higher
committee shall not mean rejection unless specified, but may again he sent up
for reconsideration.
6.
Rights and duties of Party Members:
a)
Every Party
member is entitled to the following rights:
i.
To participate
in free and fair discussion in Party meetings concerning problems of carrying
out party policies, decisions and directions.
ii.
To elect and be
elected within the party.
iii.
To criticise in
party meetings and party functionary in a constructive manner.
iv.
To submit
proposals or views in writing to any party organisation up to and including
Central Committee.
v.
To be protected
in case of holding minority view.
b)
Every party
member shall discharge the following duties to the Party:
i.
He/She shall
constantly endeavour to raise the level of political and ideological
consciousness and acquire knowledge of fundamental teachings of Marx, Engels
and Lenin and acquaint with historical developments of the party.
ii.
He/She shall
strictly observe party discipline and actively participate in day-to-day
political activities of the party.
iii.
He/She shall
regularly pay party dues, levies and subscription to the party paper and sell
party literature.
iv.
He/She shall
generally work through mass organisation and participate in mass movement.
v.
He/She shall
actively participate in inner-party political life and uphold party interest in
and out of the party.
vi.
He/She shall
attend meetings of the Party.
7.
Structure of the Party Organisation:
a)
Primary Committee:
The Primary Committee shall be the lowest unit of
the party, which will consist of nine to thirty-one members including applicant
members. The area of the Primary Committee will be determined by the Local
Committee.
Each Primary Committee shall have a primary
executive committee, comprising of five to nine members, elected by
General body of the Party members. The Primary Executive Committee shall be
headed by a Secretary who will co-ordinate and guide the party members in their
day-to-day party activities, and will be responsible to the Local Committee.
The Secretary of the Primary Committee shall collect membership dues, levies to
be deposited to the Secretary L.C. and arrange sale and distribution of party
literature, collect reports of activities of the members, and submit them to
the higher committee.
b)
In case there are fewer than nine members in an
area, there may be a ‘Party Cell’ to function under a local or higher
committee.
8.
Discussion and Secrecy:
Discussions on matters of theory and Practice of
Revolutionary Marxism by the party shall be held freely among members and
express their opinion in the POC, which will be confined to them only excepting
the representative of higher committees participating in the discussions. Every
member has right to communicate any differing views or opinion to the higher
committee through the Secretary P.C. All such communications will be properly
attended to by higher committee.
9.
Local Committee:
Two or more Primary Committees shall constitute a Local
Committee of the Party in an area or locality, as may be determined by the
Party District Committee consisting of seven or more members elected in a conference
of all the members of the Primary Committee or their delegates as may be
decided by DC brought under the Local Committee.
The Local Committee will have a Secretary:
i.
To guide to
coordinate and to control all party activities in the area defined for it, and
ii.
To collect party
dues, levies and reports from the Primary Committees under it, to be submitted
to Party District Committee.
iii.
The Secretary of
the Local Committee shall be directly responsible to DC for communication and
implementation of directions on political and organisational activities of the
party.
10.
District Committee:
There shall be a Party District within the
jurisdiction of existing administrative district or so, as may be determined by
the State Committee of the Party, if there are two or more functioning Local
Committees of the party in the district.
11.
District
Conference:
The District Conference of the Party shall be held to take
up the agenda approved by the State Committee. The procedure of participation
of delegates to the District Conference shall be decided by the State
Committee. There may be two categories of delegates to District Conference:-
a)
Regular delegate
with the right to vote,
b)
Visitor delegate
with the right to participate in discussion without voting right.
There shall be a Steering Committee consisting of three to
five members of the District Committee to advise the Presidium in conducting
the deliberations and proceeding of the District Conference.
The delegates assembled for the conference shall elect a
presidium to conduct its business. The Presidium of the District Conference
shall appoint a Commission of which the President of the Presidium will be a
member to conduct the election of members to the District Committee and a
commission for scrutinisation of the fund of the Party District Committee. The
Presidium of the District Conference shall maintain the details of
deliberations in the conference, and the whole proceeding will be sent to the
State Committee for approval, within seven days of the end of the conference.
No decision of the conference shall be in force, until and unless it is ratified
by the State Committee.
12.
The District Committee of the party shall
consist of nine or more regular members as may be determined by the Conference
and two or more candidate members. The Election of District Committee members
shall be held by secret ballot and the votes shall be counted by the authorised
representative of the higher Committee. On completion, the chairman of the
Election Commission will call a meeting of the newly elected District Committee
member, to elect a Secretary of the District Committee.
13.
The District Committee elected by the District
Conference shall begin to function only after the election is approved by State
Committee within fifteen days. In default of e decision by the State Committee
within the period, the approval shall be taken for granted.
14.
Charge
Take-over:
The Secretary of the newly elected District
Committee shall take over the charges of office from the Secretary of the
outgoing District Committee, on receipt of its approval from the State
Committee. Till the charge is handed over, the outgoing District Committee and
its Secretary shall continue to function.
The Charge shall consist of all papers, documents, party
literature, funds, accounts, proceedings of the meetings of the previous
committee and all such information is necessary for the proper functioning of
the new Committee.
15.
Functions:
a)
The District
Committee shall elect in-charges for respective frontal organisations from its
members and form sub-committees with its members, and if necessary with members
outside the District Committee. The District Committee shall be entirely
responsible for the activities of the party in the District and shall carry out
decisions of the State and the Central Committees, without any reservation. In
the event of any disagreement with the decisions of higher Committee, the
District Committee may appeal to the higher Committee stating the reasons for
disagreement, but pending reconsideration of the standing decisions shall be
carried out.
i.
The District
Committee shall prepare a monthly report of the party activities of all fronts in
the district, and a monthly account of all its receipts and expenditure and
submit them to the higher Committee.
ii.
The District
Committee shall collect the party dues as may be determined by the Central
Committee, and such levy from the party members and probationers.
iii.
The District
Committee shall constantly endeavour to educate and raise ideological and
political standard of the party members for which it shall evolve necessary
measures and implement them tenaciously.
iv.
The District Committee
shall be responsible for frontal organisations of the party and their
activities in the district.
v.
The District
Committee shall enforce discipline in the party and maintain it.
b)
There may be a
Secretariat of three to five members of the District Committee to manage the
day-to-day affairs of the Party in the District.
16.
District
Organising Committee:
The State Committee may appoint a District
Organising Committee with five or more members in a party district. The
District Organising Committee shall function in a district till it builds up
two or more Local Committees. The State Conference shall appoint a Secretary of
a DOC, who shall function under the State Committee, till the regular District
Committee is formed.
17.
Ad-hoc District
Committee:
In an exigency, the State Committee or the Central
Committee may dissolve the regular District Committee, and form Ad-hoc District
Committee and appoint a Secretary who shall function till it is replaced by
regular District Committee.
18.
Leave and
Transfer:
i.
No member or
probationer shall be granted leave for more than a month by the District
Committee. Applications for longer leave shall be considered by the Higher
Committee.
ii.
Whenever a
member or probationer moves from one district to another with the intention of
residing there for a period exceeding three months, a transfer of membership or
probationership shall be effected through the State Committee. For a shorter
period, the comrade concerned shall take introductory letter from the District
Committee to the new one and carry on political activities under it. In the
event of the new place having no Party Committee, the comrade shall be under
the direction and guidance of the State or Central Committee as the case may
be.
19.
Disciplinary Powers:
All matters involving breach of party discipline
shall be investigated by the District Committee and in no case, the imposition
of punitive measure upon a member exceed suspension for a period of one month,
subject to the approval of the higher Committee. For any stringent measure, the
District Committee shall move to the higher Committee
A member, if aggrieved by the decision of the District
Committee, may prefer an appeal to the higher Committees for its review or
rescind the decision, but until then, the decision will stand, and must be
obeyed.
20.
State Party Organisation:
a)
A State
Conference shall be held normally before every plenary Congress of the party
only with due permission of the Central Committee. A State Conference shall be
required to obtain prior approval of its agenda from the Central Committee. The
Central Committee shall determine the basis of delegation to State Conference.
b)
The Central
Committee may direct a State Conference
to be held any time it considers necessary.
21.
a) To conduct and control the deliberations of the
conference in the light of the provisions of the constitution and the
directions of the Central Committee, the delegates shall elect a Presidium of
the Conference. The Conference shall discuss the whole agenda and take decisions
in the form of resolutions. The Presidium of the Conference shall keep minutes
of deliberations and proceedings of the conference. At the conclusion of the
conference, the proceedings signed by the President of the Presidium shall be
sent to the Central Committee for ratification. In course of deliberations, any
decision entailing to the Presidium shall not exercise casting vote, but shall
refer to the Central Committee.
There shall be a Steering Committee with five members of
the State Committee, to advise the Presidium in conducting deliberations and
proceedings of State Conference.
b) The State Conference
shall elect a State Committee of Seven or more members as may be determined by
it, by secret ballot vote. The President shall appoint a three-membered
Election Commission including the representative of the Central Committee and
the President. The counting of votes shall be done by the representative of the
Central Committee. The election is subject to the approval of the Central
Committee.
The representative of the Central Committee shall convene
the first sitting of the newly elected members to the State Committee, and
elect a Secretary of the State Committee subject to the approval of the Central
Committee.
c) The newly elected
State Committee shall be operative only after obtaining approval of the Central
Committee of its election, within 15 days from the conclusion of the
Conference. In absence of a decision of the Central Committee within the
stipulated period, the approval shall be taken for granted. The State Committee
shall have power to co-opt not more than one-third of its, elected members
strength.
d) There may a
Secretariat consisting of three to five members of the State Committee to
manage the running of the day-to-day activities of the State Party.
22.
Charge
Take-over:
The Secretary of the newly-elected State Committee
shall take over charges of the office from the outgoing Secretary immediately
after the approval of the Central Committee and shall begin to operate. The
charges shall be taken within 15 days from the date of election. The charges
takeover and handover shall mean all papers, documents, party literature,
funds, accounts, records, party property, and all information as are necessary
for proper functioning of the Committee.
23.
Function of
State Committee:
The State Committee shall form sub-committees to
carry on both frontal and organisational activities of the Party with the
members from outside it, and shall elect in-charge for each sub-committee.
The State Committee shall be entirely responsible for all
party activities in the state, which shall be carried on in accordance with the
politico-organisational line of the Party Congress, Party Constitution, and
directives of the Central Committee. On any disagreement with the Central Committee
in matters of policy and working decisions, the State Committee may refer it
back to the Central Committee for review or reconsideration, pending which it
is obligatory to accept them unless the Secretary of the Central Committee
exempt the State Committee concerned from immediate enforcement in apprehension
of harmful consequences.
i.
The State
Committee shall prepare a quarterly report of the activities of the party in
the State, in all fronts and the party organisations including accounts of all
its collections and receipts and expenditures and submit them to the Central
Committee.
ii.
The State
Committee shall raise party fund and remit twenty per cent of the collection to
the Central Committee which is obligatory.
iii.
The State
Committee shall maintain accounts of its collection of money and expenditures
in proper form and shall prepare an annual budget for the maintenance of the
apparatus and defraying expenses for party activities.
iv.
The State
Committee shall evolve policy and programme to (a) maintain (b) strengthen (c)
expand the party organisation in the state.
v.
The State
Committee shall be alive to the political-economic and socio-cultural
development in the state and formulate necessary policy and line of actions of
the party apprising the Central Committee.
vi.
The State
Committee shall make to bring out party journals, mouthpieces in the state
languages and political and agitational literature, and such propaganda
materials.
vii.
The State
Committee shall take necessary regular measure to train and to educate the
party cadres to raise the level of political and ideological consciousness on
the basis of Marxism in the state in co-ordination with the District Committee.
24.
Leaves and
Transfers:
a) The
State Committee shall not grant to any member or probationer leave for more
than three months. The application for a longer period of leave shall be referred
to the Central Committee.
b) Any
member or probationer member intending to reside in another state for a period
of more than three months shall be granted transfer of membership or
probationership to the new state through the Central Committee. For a shorter
period, the comrade concerned shall take introductory letter from the State
Committee, and carry on political activities in accordance with the directives
of the party organisation in the new place. If there is no party organisation,
the member shall act under the direction of the Central Committee.
25.
Disciplinary
Powers:
i.
The State
Committee shall have the power to suspend a party member or probationer for a
period of not more than two months on grounds of:
a)
Gross breach of
party discipline,
b)
Indulgence in
anti-party activities, and
c)
Commission of
anti-people activities.
ii.
The State
Committee may initiate disciplinary measure against a party member of its own
if and when situation demands.
iii.
The State
Committee shall have power to expel a party member below the rank of the State
Committee on grave of charges of indulgence in anti-party, or anti-people
activities after making a thorough investigation into the charges so-levelled.
The concurrence of the Central Committee in matters of
disciplinary measures by the State Committee is obligatory.
26.
State
Organising Committee:
The Central Committee shall appoint an Organising
Committee of the party with seven or more members, to be called as the State
Organising Committee, which shall carry on political and organisational
activities under the control and with the direction of the Central Committee
till it is so needed.
27.
State Ad-hoc
Committee:
In exigence, the Central Committee may appoint an Ad-hoc
State Committee of the Party for a specified period, consisting of seven to
nine members and appoint a Secretary among them. The Ad-hoc State Committee
shall function till a regular State Committee is elected.
28.
Party
Congress:
a)
The Party
Congress shall be held every four years and it shall be convened by the Central
Committee. The basis of election of delegates to the Party Congress shall be
determined on the strength of the current membership by the Central Committee,
who shall be elected in the District Conference. The time and place of the
Party Congress shall be fixed by the Central Committee. Six months ahead of the
Party Congress, the Central Committee shall invite political and organisational
materials in the form of resolutions to be discussed in the plenary session,
from the members of the Party, which are to be received at a date fixed by it.
Such materials, if needed, be along with the political-organisational document
prepared by the Central Committee, shall be circulated in the party for
discussions to be organised in the Local Committee’s Conference and District
Conference/Conventions. In case of the Special Party Congress, such procedure
shall not be followed.
b)
On the first
assembly of delegates to the Party Congress, after its inauguration, shall
elect a presidium, who shall conduct and control deliberations on the items in
the agenda as adopted by it in accordance with the provisions of the Party
Constitution. Over and above their voting rights as delegates, the presidium shall
have one casting vote in case of tie.
c)
Also, it shall
appoint two members Committee to examine financial accounts of the Central
Committee and place to the congress.
d)
The Secretary of
the Central Committee shall read out the political and organizational reports.
The Party Congress shall freely discuss issues relating to
the principles, strategy, and tactics political and organizational as placed in the
agenda and decide on each item of the agenda in the form of resolutions, by
majority of the vote. All the decisions of the Party Congress shall be obligatory
for the entire Party organizations.
The Presidium shall keep full proceedings of deliberations
and decisions of the Party Congress in writing duly signed by it.
The Party Congress' being the sole authority to determine and
decide on ideological, political, strategic, tactical and organizational
courses to be traversed by the Party, the policies formulated and the programme
evolved by it cannot be altered, unless an extraordinary circumstance arises
to convoke a special party-Congress to review or change them. If, in an
extra-ordinary situation, a decision to be taken on matters of strategy and
programme by the Central committee, that shall have to be ratified by a 2/3rd
majority of the state parties.
e)
The Party Congress
shall elect a new Central Committee consisting of nine or more regular members
and four or more as candidate members, or as may be decided by the Party
Congress in session, by secret ballot. To conduct this election the plenary
session shall appoint a three-membered Election Commission including the
President of the Presidium.
f)
The Party
Congress shall elect a three-membered Control Commission, and the election will
be conducted by the same Commission.
29.
Central
Committee:
The president of the Presidium of the Party Congress
shall convene the first meeting of the new Central Committee of the newly
elected members to elect its Secretary.
30.
Charge
take-over:
The new Central Committee shall take over the charge
from the outgoing Central Committee, within seven days of its election.
a) Charge
shall mean, (i) All Documents, (ii) Papers, (iii) Property of the Party, (iv)
Office, (v) Funds, (vi) Accounts, (vii) Literature, (viii) Resource, (ix)
Contacts, (x) Information, (xi) Political Reports, and (xii) Records.
b)
Co-option:
The Central Committee shall have power to co-opt members
not exceeding a fourth of its elective strength.
c) Powers:
The Central Committee shall be the highest authority
of the Party between the two Congresses and shall bear the full and ultimate
responsibility of the entire work of the Party.
31.
Function of
Central Committee:
The Central Committee in order to facilitate its smooth
functioning may constitute the following bureaus and commissions:
a)
Political Bureau:
The Central Committee may constitute a Political
Bureau by electing three or more of its members which shall discharge the task
of implementation and working of the political line of the party. It shall guide
the entire political views in between the two sittings of the Central Committee.
The entire party political literature shall be
edited by the Political Bureau. No member shall publish any political documents
contravening the Party line. The Secretary of the Central Committee shall be in charge of the Political Bureau.
b)
Agitation and Propaganda Bureau:
To guide and to organise entire agitational and
propaganda work of the party, the Central Committee shall form an Agitation and
Propaganda Bureau with three of its members to function under the Secretary of
the Central Committee.
c)
The Organisation Bureau:
To look after, to guide and to conduct functioning
of party organisation, the Central Committee shall form an Organisation Bureau
with three or more of its members and appoint an in-charge of the bureau.
d)
Finance Commission:
The Central Committee shall constitute a Finance
Commission with three of its members to deal with collection and disbursement
of the party funds and approval of accounts. The Finance Commission shall have
a convenor.
e)
The Central
Committee shall form sub-committees with its members, and if needed, be with
outside members for mass fronts of the party, which shall conduct
and control mass organisations of the labour, the peasants, the youths, the
students, the women, the intelligentsia, and such other strata of people in the
country.
32.
Special
Powers:
For the maintenance of the discipline and safety of
the party, the Central Committee shall have the power to suspend or dissolve
any party committee and appoint ad-hoc bodies are to function under the
directions of the higher committee. The Central Committee shall have power to
carry out a system of scrutiny of membership according to a standard fixed by
it from time to time.
The Central Committee
shall have power to alter, in special cases, the probationary period for
any entrant to the Party.
In times of extreme persecutions, when conditions render
the proper functioning of the constitution impossible, the Central Committee
shall have the power to suspend the constitution or any part of it by
two-third majority of the members present and concentrate in its hands the
entire power. Such a decision shall have to be ratified by the majority of the
State Committees.
33.
Party
Secretary:
The Secretary of the Central Committee is the highest Executive
of the Party. He shall prevail on all matters between the two sittings of the
Central Committee. The Secretary of the Central Committee shall guide and
coordinate the entire work of the party through the party machinery. He shall
coordinate the works of all the party Bureaus and sub-committees and its
Bureaus shall be communicated under his signature. He shall keep contact and
issue such direction to the Control Commission as the Central Committee might
issue.
34.
Control Commission:
The Control Commission shall keep vigilance over the
entire party machinery and its functioning. It shall see that the party line
and the directives of its leading bodies and are carried out. It shall
investigate the affairs of all committees, individual members, except those of the
Central Committee when reported to by any committee or its member. The
Commission shall investigate and recommend action but shall not decide on
action by itself, that being the function of the regular party committees.
There shall be a Secretary of the Commission elected by itself.
The Control Commission shall be in charge of the intra-party
paper.
35.
Convention:
a)
A Convention of
the Party members can be held, as and when, it is deemed necessary, by any of
the party organisation, at any level with prior permission of the higher
committee with specific agenda and mode of participation. The role of the
convention shall be consultative and advisory.
A Convention, when called, shall elect its own president or
presidium who will guide the deliberation according to the provisions of the constitution,
and the directive of the higher committee. A complete proceeding of the
convention shall be kept and signed by the president or presidium for its
submission to higher committee for necessary action.
b)
Extended Meeting:
For wider understanding and operational facility, an
extended meeting of any committee may be called, by inviting such members who
are desirable by the committee concerned without their voting rights.
c)
There may be ‘Cell’
of the Party with three to five members under any of the party structures to
facilitate party activities in fronts and mass organisation, whenever it is
deemed necessary.
36.
Any matter not explicitly covered by the above
provisions shall be decided by the Central Committee.
37.
There shall be rules for the guidance of
members under the Constitution, which shall detail out the concrete working of
the Constitution. The rules shall be framed by the Central Committee.
Long Live RCPI
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