70 years of Independence: How Communists kept pestering the British throughout the freedom struggle..
As the country commemorates its 70th year of Independence Day, honouring thousands of stalwarts and freedom fighters who laid down lives for the vision of Independent India, only a few would acknowledge the contribution of Communists in the freedom movement up to 1947. Despite generally being ne glected and discarded in the historiography of India’s glorious freedom movement, it has to be accepted that the Communists played a crucial role in the country’s freedom struggle, While the Communists were ideologically at loggerheads with the Indian National Congress (INC), even Viceroy Lord Irwin, in his 1929 speech to the Legislative Assembly, stated that “the disquieting spread of Communist doctrines has been causing anxiety” and declared that the government would take strict measures. But the Communists believed India’s freedom could neither be achieved through British government’s reforms nor by Congress’ idea of peaceful means. For them, socialism was the only way to emanci...