There are Marxists in India

[ashling]

http://dissidentvoice.org/2012/04/there-are-marxists-in-india/

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In the United States, where people believe Marxism was buried under the rubble of the Berlin Wall and communism can only mean Soviet-style totalitarianism, his political affiliations would guarantee a life on the margins. But India’s political spectrum is considerably wider, and left ideas have a place in the national political discourse there. On the world stage, Patnaik brings an unusual perspective: An experienced economist with a history of political organizing; an Indian who is engaged in the political debates of the West; a leftist who is not afraid to critique the weaknesses of the left tradition.

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“It’s important to understand that capitalism is a spontaneous system, not something that is always necessarily planned or controlled,” Patnaik said. Because the reward for ignoring, evading, or getting around rules is so powerful, the attempts to make capitalism follow ethical norms are bound to fail.

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“This really is a spiritual/cultural question, about what it means to live a good life,” he said, which should not be seen as foreign to socialism. “Marxism shouldn’t be reduced to productionism. The goal of socialism has always been human freedom, which is about much more than material wealth.”


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“The hegemony of finance throttles democracy. The hegemony of finance beats you into shape,” he said. If the goal is to resist that kind of hegemony, then the approach of the old communist movement simply isn’t relevant, Patnaik said, but socialist principles are more relevant than ever.

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Yes, the Naxalites have been around for awhile, and they're not going away.

They have a presence in a big swathe of the country.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. The article is nothing to do with the Naxalites

It's about a Marxist who was in a state government - Kerala. Communists have been in power there frequently - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Kerala . The other Indian state in which communist parties have been in power often is West Bengal.

[Zax2me]

3. Extreme poverty in India

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8214061.stm

[xchrom]

4. Du rec. Nt