Fraternal delegates from Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Democratic Socialist Party of Australia (DSP), Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) and Workers Party of Belgium (PTB) as well as from the London-based South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG) attended the Sixth Congress of CPI(ML) at Varanasi. A four-member delegation from CPN(UML) had come from Nepal to participate in the Congress. Madhav Nepal, General Secretary of CPN(UML), led the delegation which also consisted of Comrades Ishwar Pokhrel and Keshav Lal, Central Committee members and Yuvraj Karki, member of the International Department, CPN(UML).

In his address to the Congress, Com. Madhav Nepal said: "I firmly believe that this Congress will prove to be of far-reaching importance for the progress of Indian communist movement, for the national politics in India, for the whole of South Asia and even for the international communist movement". Recalling the very old ties between CPN(UML) and CPI(ML), Comrade Madhav Nepal said that "Since 1972 our relations have been very warm, close, of mutual respect and true equality based on selfless proletarianism. We had been learning from each other's experience and assisting in each other's struggle." "we are happy that you have resolved here to become the main driving force of left movement in India, and we believe you will definitely meet success", he added.

Earlier, in the inaugural session, Ishwar Pokhrel, who was also present in the CPN(UML) delegation to the previous Fifth Congress of CPI(ML) at Calcutta along with Comrade Madan Bhandari, greeted the Congress on behalf of his Party.

John Percy, National Secretary of the Democratic Socialist Party of Australia, in his address to the Congress expressed his warm appreciation to the struggles of CPI(ML). Not only in its practical political struggles but also in theory CPI(ML) has been making important contributions, he said. CPI(ML) has important contributions to make not only for the solidarity of people's struggles in the Asia-Pacific region but for the international communist movement, he added and called for greater cooperation between the two parties. The delegation from the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) was led by Klaus Wallenstein, Member of the Central Committee. He was accompanied by Karsten Krinn, member of the International Department. Dirk De Block, from Workers Party of Belgium (PTB), conveyed his Party's greetings to the Sixth Congress and lauded CPI(ML)'s role in fighting against the new onslaughts of imperialist forces under the guise of globalisation.

The South Asian Solidarity Group in Great Britain which has consistently mobilised support in UK for the democratic struggles in India for the last 10 years was represented at the Congress by Kalpana Wilson. Excerpts from the messages of greetings and solidarity received from other parties and organisations are given below.

Message of Greetings from the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) (Speech delivered by Comrade Ishwar Pokhrel, Member of the Central Committee of CPN(UML) at the inaugural session of the Sixth All-India Congress of the Communist Party of India (ML))

Comrade General Secretary,
Distinguished Members of the Podium
Comrades and delegates,
It gives my delegation a great pleasure to be here in the Sixth All-India Party Congress of Communist Party of India (M-L) in this historic city of Benarus. Please allow me, on behalf of our Party, the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), to express our hearty and comradely gratitude to all of you here for inviting our Party to attend your Party's Sixth Congress.

Dear Comrades,
At this historic moment, I would like to recall your Fifth Congress five years back in Calcutta where I was one of the delegates together with late Comrade Madan Bhandari, then General Secretary of CPN (UML). Innumerable changes have taken place in the past five years. You are organising your Party's Sixth Congress at a time when the world political situation is not so much favourable for the progressive and communist forces of the world. The imperialist forces are aggressively interfering in the internal affairs of developing countries through various means. They have intensified their domination and control of the small and weak countries through the imposition of unjust economic policies.

In spite of this, the communist movement is regaining its strength gradually both in Third World and advanced capitalist countries.

In this context, the successful deliberation of your Party's Sixth Congress will have a historic place not only in the communist movement of India but also in the communist movement of the world in general and South Asian countries in particular. Therefore, we are seriously and eagerly waiting for the successful conclusion of your Party's Sixth Congress.

Dear Comrades,
As we all know, the path of revolution of one country cannot be copied by other countries in the same form. The directive principles of Marxism-Leninism has to be interpreted and implemented taking into account the concrete national situation of a particular country. That is why, the CPN(UML) in its last historic Fifth Congress held in 1993 adopted 'People's Multi-party Democracy' as the programme of Nepalese revolution based on the deeper analysis of existing socio-economic and political situation of Nepal. This programme lays down a concrete and clear path of transformation from the present bourgeois democracy to a socialist society through people's struggle. At the same time the programme also calls for awareness against being bogged down in the parliament struggle only. Party's main focus should always be placed on mass orientation, mass work and class struggle. We are happy that this new programme is gaining popularity day by day among the people of the country. The communist movement in Nepal has emerged as the largest political force committed to democracy and social change. As you know, we formed the minority government for nine months in 1994-95 being the largest Party in the parliament by winning 89 seats out of 205 in 1994 mid-term elections. During the nine-month period our government had introduced various pro-people programs. As a result, all internal and external reactionary forces conspired to overthrow our government and form rightist political alliance.

Again in last April the rightist coalition government failed and our Party joined the coalition government with other forces. The coalition government was formed on the basis of 20-point program. The aim of our Party's joining in the coalition was to protect the people and the country from the suppressive and undemocratic actions of the previous coalition government and to conduct fair elections at local levels for the villages, municipalities and districts. Again, just two weeks back Mr.Lokendra Bahadur Chand-led coalition government resigned after failing to secure the vote of confidence in the parliament during the debate on Vote of No Confidence. Now, the far rightist forces joined together and formed a government under the Premiership of Mr.Surya Bahadur Thapa, another leader of RPP. The unstable political situation of the country has created general frustration among the people and it has given the opportunity to the revivalist forces to spread rumours against the democratic parties and parliamentary multi-party systems. During the past six month period, the outgoing coalition government, with the participation of our Party, successfully held elections for local bodies.

Despite the conspiracies and fallacies spread by the reactionary forces, our Party won 51.02% of seats for Village Development Committees, 56% in the Municipalities and 85% District Development Committees in the recently held local elections.

The results of the local bodies elections have proved again that the People's Multi-party Program adopted by the Fifth Congress of our Party in 1993 is the correct program for the concrete conditions of Nepal which can really carry out the path of the social revolution in our country. The tactics which we have chosen under our program have also been approved by the people several times during the last five years.

Dear Comrades,
It is a happy coincidence that we have also completed five years after the conclusion of the historic Fifth Congress of our Party in 1993. We are planning to hold our Party's Sixth National Congress in coming January in 1998 in Kathmandu. In the threshold of the Sixth Congress, the entire Party is busy preparing for the ensuing Congress. In the past five years, we have not only achieved successes but our Party has faced several political and other problems inside and outside the Party. The increasing right opportunist tendency is the main challenge to our Party and it is expected to be the focus of the debates and discussions during the Sixth Congress. Since last two years, the Nepalese communist movement has also been threatened by the ultra-left terrorist activities in some parts of the country. So, the upcoming Congress of our Party will be focusing on those issues.

Lastly, we call upon the communists of the world to be committed to the fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism. Let us apply Marxism-Leninism on the basis of concrete national situation of our countries. Again, I wish the Congress a grand success.

Thank you.
20-10-97

Message of Greetings from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Philippines (CPP)

20 October, 1997
Central Committee
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation

Dear Comrades,
The Communist Party of Philippines (CPP) conveys its warmest revolutionary greetings of comradeship and solidarity to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation on the occasion of its VI Party Congress.

We are inspired by your resolute and militant adherence to the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism and we congratulate you for your ideological, political and organisational victories since your last Congress. We admire your firm opposition against imperialist globalisation that comes under the signboard of neo-liberalism and the structural adjustment program that it imposes on the Third World.

We fully agree with your policy to revitalise the peasant movement in the wake of the policy of economic liberalisation and to organise armed resistance against the attacks by private armies and armed gangs of the rural bourgeoisie and big landlords.

We support your firm determination to do vigorous work in the trade unions in the wake of the policy of privatisation and deregulation that is closing down thousands of factories, creating massive unemployment, and eroding the trade union movement.

Your revolutionary struggle is of great importance and consequence to the revolutionary struggle of the proletariat and people in the Philippines, in the whole of Asia, and in the whole world because India is the biggest and most populous country in South Asia.

Having been strengthened by a successfully conducted comprehensive rectification movement, the CPP is now resolutely advancing the armed revolution forward, determinedly overcoming its previous difficulties, and capably meeting the challenges imposed by the imperialist new world disorder and its disastrous consequences on the Filipino proletariat and people.

We are happy that the solidarity between the revolutionary struggles of the proletariat and people of India and the Philippines is developing. In the spirit of proletarian internationalism, we look forward to ever closer relations between our two Parties through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. We have much to learn from each other and to contribute towards strengthening the principled relations among Marxist-Leninist parties in the world.

We wish you the utmost success in your VI Congress!
Long live the comradely bonds of the CPP and the CPI(ML) Liberation!

Central Committee
Communist Party of Philippines

Message of Greetings from Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD)
(Presented at the Congress by Klaus Wallenstein, Member of the Central Committee of MLPD)

Dear Comrades, Delegates and Guests of the Party Congress!
I greet you on behalf of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany and convey revolutionary greetings to your Congress! The Central Committee of the MLPD thanks the Central Committee of the CPI(ML) cordially for giving us the opportunity to participate in this Congress. We were pleased to accept this invitation. India is a country of utmost importance for the international struggle for the overthrow of imperialism and the victory of socialism, not only for its size, strategic significance and natural riches. The working people of India have a long tradition of revolutionary struggle. The peasantry is well-tried in forceful struggles such as the Naxalbari uprising whose 30th anniversary is being commemorated. Today, there is probably hardly any other country where Marxist-Leninist parties are able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people. World-wide, the capitalist economy has been caught in a new international structural crisis. The accelerated internationalization of production and the relative completion of the introduction of microelectronics and automation have changed the monopolies' investment activity whose core is the capital export. World-wide, at least 80% of the capital investment is effected in the form of across-frontiers mergers and corporate takeovers. The capital export is the instrument for reorganization of the international division of work of the capitalist production, along with world-wide introduction of lean production. The internationalization of the capital production places new tasks on the agenda of the revolutionary liberation struggle.

As we have understood, your Party Congress will also deal with the tasks and problems of Marxist-Leninist party building and its further development. For us, these are very interesting issues. From our own experience of more than 25 years of Marxist-Leninist party building we know that the struggle between the petty-bourgeois and proletarian modes of thinking has its effect also in the Party itself, as a reflection of the class struggle in society. In the struggle against the petty-bourgeois mode of thinking, the superiority of the proletarian mode of thinking must permanently and consciously be established and organized.

Dear Comrades,
All these questions may differ in concrete terms in India and Germany, but in terms of their general significance they are on the agenda of both the Indian and the German Marxist-Leninists. Let us therefore deepen our cooperation in theory and practice. Let us make a joint contribution for a new upswing of the struggle for genuine socialism.

On behalf of the Central Committee of the MLPD, I wish the 6th Party Congress of CPI(ML) much success!hr color="#000000" size="1" noshade width="75%">

Message of Greetings from People's Democratic Party (PRD), Indonesia

Dear Comrades,
It is with great pleasure that People's Democratic Party of Indonesia (PRD) expresses its fraternal greetings to your Sixth Congress. In doing so, we also wish to emphasise the importance of strengthening the links between our Party and the CPI(ML) Liberation and the PRD.

We have closely followed your Party's struggle against the opportunism of the Indian left as it becomes part of the new ruling class, and your struggle to defend the people's democratic rights in the face of BJP's rising profile and increasing domination by the mafia. These struggles have not been without cost. We note with sadness the loss of two comrades who were at the forefront of this struggle, Comrades Chandrashekhar and Shyam Narain.

The PRD is also facing a similar situation in Indonesia. As the Suharto regime becomes more politically isolated domestically and internationally, as the people's demand for change become more vocal, as more and more people are prepared to take to the streets and challenge the regime, so too has the repression. The crackdown against the PRD in Jakarta last year was just the beginning. 14 PRD members have now been sentenced to long jail terms in Suharto's kangaroo courts. Last month the regime 'officially' banned the PRD and its affiliated mass organisations. New regulations have been enacted giving Suharto greater powers to silence his critics. New and even more repressive labour regulations have become law. None of this however has stemmed the growing tide of resistance by the people.

The PRD also understands that the struggle for democracy in Indonesia is one part of the larger struggle by oppressed people all over the world. For the working class, the rhetoric of 'globalisation' has meant massive cuts to welfare and public sector as capitalism strives for greater and greater profits at the expense of working people and the environment. And, despite more than a decade of neo-liberal austerity, capitalism has failed to return to the relative stability and economic growth of the postwar boom years. Although the impact of this is felt most sharply in the Third World countries, the working class in the imperialist countries are also being hit hard.

Historically, it has always been the left, the socialist and communist movements, which have been at the forefront of defending the living standards of workers and the struggle for a more humane society. Once again, it is upto socialists to build a new working class militancy, to lead workers in an international movement - in a struggle which has no international borders - against capitalism and imperialism. Internationalism has been - and must continue to be - a key part of our political outlook and program. We must stand in solidarity with workers everywhere in the world. It is only through such solidarity, and an understanding that the real source of political oppression and environmental destruction is the capitalist system itself, that we can build a better and more humane society for all.

Finally, on behalf of PRD, I would like to express our warmest greetings to your Party and the hope that his Congress will be a success.
Workers around the world unite!
Long live revolution in Indonesia and India!
Viva the CPI(ML) Liberation, Viva the PRD, Viva Socialisme!
Comradely,
Sd.
Edwin Gozal
Australian Representative of PRD
Sydney
October 19, 1997

Message of Greetings from the Workers Communist Party (AKP), Norway

            Dear Comrades,
Thank you for your invitation for your 6th Congress in October this year. We are honoured by your invitation, and wishing you all successes in preparing and fulfilling the 6th All-India Congress of your Party.

Here we are now in the midst of a national election campaign for parliament. Voting days fall in the middle of September. The political landscape in Norway is rather unstable for the time being. A rightist populist party is gaining quite a lot, but also our election front seems to have a considerable step forward. We will inform you about the results.

With warm revolutionary greetings to all the comrades.

Comradely yours.

Sd.
Arnljot Ask
International Secretary
AKP, Norway

Message of Greetings from Japan Communist League (JCL)

October 10, 1997
Dear comrades of Communist Party of India (ML) Liberation,
On behalf of the Central Committee of Japan Communist League, we would like to send you our revolutionary greetings of celebration of the 6th Congress of your Party. We also express our hearty respect to your efforts to lead the revolutionary movement in India.

Faced with the intensifying offensive of the imperialist forces after the collapse of the Eastern bloc, socialist/communist and anti-imperialist movements are suffering from an unprecedented setback all over the world. However we firmly believe that the genuine socialist and communist parties and forces will never give up their efforts to develop and implement the Marxist-Leninist theory and practice in a correct way under a changing world situation and respective domestic conditions in spite of a disappointing change in the balance of power between imperialism and anti-imperialist forces of the world.

Despite the said situation, we believe that the international communist movement will never lose its vitality and strength because only genuine Marxist-Leninist parties will never waver in their confidence in anti-imperialist and socialist perspective and can consequently lead the widespread people's resistance brought by the intensifying exploitation by imperialism and the local ruling classes to correct direction and final victory.<,p> We are also resolved to organise the Japanese working class in the struggle to overthrow Japanese imperialism and to fight against the reemergence of chauvinist or fascist movements in the Japanese society in order to stop Japan's aggression of the Third World countries.

Let us forge and develop our solidarity and make contribution to the reconstruction of a genuine international communist movement by projecting the spirit of internationalism among anti-imperialist and socialist movements of the world.

We wish you'll have a successful Congress to strengthen people's struggle in India as well as in Asia.

In revolutionary solidarity,
Sd.
Jun Sugiyama
Secretary of International Dept. of
Japan Communist League

Message of Greetings from KPML(r), Sweden

Dear Comrades,
Communist greetings from the Central Committee of the KPML(r) in Sweden, and our best wishes for your Party!

We wish you all the success in your Congress and we will look forward to being informed about your decisions later on!

With revolutionary greetings.
In the name of proletarian internationalism.
Sd.
Teddy-John Frank
International Secretary
KPML(r) Central Committee

Message of Greetings from Communist Party of Denmark M-L

Copenhagen, June 1997
Dear Comrades,
Thank you for inviting us to your 6th All-India Congress. We want to send our warm revolutionary greetings to your 6th Congress and through it to all your militants and wish you success in the proceedings of the Congress and in the implementation of its decisions.

Our Party, which actually is directing our main blow against the reactionary European Union, is very much conscious of the need to strengthen its relations to the international communist movement. We know that among the parties there are different opinions about different questions. Nevertheless, we believe that the time has come to discuss these questions in an open and realistic way and to strengthen relations among the communist parties even in spite of existing differences and without excluding anyone.

We believe that this is a necessity for the benefit of the common struggle against our common enemies, i.e. imperialism and its current neoliberal policy and for national liberation and socialism. Once more, we wish you success in your communist work.

With revolutionary greetings
Sd.
Jorgen Petersen Sven Tarp
Chairman International Secretary

Message of Greetings from the Russian Communist Workers Party

10.10.97
Dear Comrades,
We are happy to send you our congratulations on the occasion of the 6th Congress of your Party. We have strong hopes that the delegates of the CPI(ML) Liberation will elaborate a programme capable to inspire still more people in your beautiful country who are ready to devote their energies for the elimination of social injustices, hunger and diseases.

We are convinced that the concerted action of the CPI(ML) Liberation together with other progressive forces of peasant and urban movements will make a further advance in bringing about a society based on cooperation and brotherhood, not selfish profit-seeking.

Sd.

Victor Tilukin
First Secretary of the
Communist Party of Russia

Message from the New Communist Party of Britain

6.10.97
Dear Comrades,
On behalf of the Central Committee of the New Communist Party of Britain and its newspaper, the New Worker, we thank you for inviting us to your 6th Congress later in the month.

We closely follow the day-to-day struggles of India's workers and peasants for social justice, democracy and socialism and the efforts of India's left forces and communists to unite to present a common front against the feudal landlords and capitalist exploiters.

Capitalism cannot solve the problems of the peoples of India anymore than it can solve the problems of the British workers. It has failed in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where it has brought mass unemployment, poverty and crime in its wake. It has failed in Britain and India, two countries whose destinies were linked by the brutal exploitation of a British Empire which has now gone but replaced by a British imperialism which continues to threaten the world in alliance with the United States and its other NATO partners.

All over the world the people are fighting back for justice, democracy, peace and socialism. The cause of progressive humanity can never be stifled and its ultimate victory is inevitable.

We wish your Congress well and look forward to reading about its conclusions.
With best wishes,
Yours fraternally,
Sd.
Andy Brooks
General Secretary

Message of Greetings from Partija Rada of Yogoslavia PARTIJA RADA BEOGRAD
Centralni komitet

Dear comrades,
We wish you successful work on the Sixth Congress of your Party.
We hope that you will find the good ways to more successful struggle of peoples of India. Also we hope that in that struggle you will always uphold the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism.
We believe that cooperation that began between our two parties will grow in the coming days.
5.10.1997.
Vlado Dapcevic
President of Partija Rada
Belgrade.

Message of Solidarity to the 6th Congress of CPI(ML) from South Asia Solidarity Group(Conveyed to the Congress by Comrade Kalpana Wilson)

Warm Revolutionary greetings to this historic 6th Congress of CPI(ML) from South Asia Solidarity Group Although I am attending this Congress as a guest, in many ways I don't feel that I am a guest here, because during the last five years, I have had the privilege of witnessing the struggle led by the CPI(ML) at close quarters. In particular I have seen the people's movements for land and for justice and democracy in the battlefields of Bihar. I have seen the courage and determination of toiling men and women of Bihar and the huge sacrifices they have made in the cause of a revolutionary transformation. Because of this, I would like to say that I am simply a staunch supporter of the movement.

However I am also here to deliver a message of solidarity on behalf of the South Asia Solidarity Group, which is based in Britain. The work of this organisation takes two forms. Firstly we are involved in supporting and publicising progressive and democratic struggles being waged in South Asia. These days the globalised media, we are told, gets information to every section of the globe in seconds, but it is those who control this media who decide which information is transmitted. So when the queen visits Jalianwalabagh we get to hear all the details, but when the inheritors of the mantle of those martyrs, revolutionaries like Comrade Chandrashekhar, are murdered by forces which have the tacit backing of global capital, it doesn't make the headlines in the West. So one of our main tasks is to try to combat this, and tell the people of Britain what is really happening here.

The second area of our work, which is linked to this, is supporting the struggles of Indians and other South Asians within Britain. Who are these people? In India we hear a lot about the NRIs - that section who have become rich in Britain and America and are now filling the coffers of the VHP and BJP with foreign currency. But the vast majority of South Asians in Britain are part of the most exploited sections of the working class. They are the women who are contracted to clean the streets and offices of London at night. They are the men who worked the steel and textile mills when Britain was booming, and now that these industries have closed down face a lifetime of unemployment. They are the youth with no jobs who are attacked on the streets by fascists and then imprisoned when they fight back. They are the refugees fleeing from wars created by imperialism, who face another round of repression and torture once they reach Britain, and who, because they are denied all civil rights, can be turned into an underclass of superexploited workers.

It is struggles of these people to transform their material conditions which South Asia Solidarity Group is engaged in supporting. We see our task as to strengthen these struggles and in the process give them a revolutionary left orientation. What is the future of the left in Britain? You may know that in May this year the people decisively voted out the Conservative Party which had been in power for the last 18 years. Yet since then we have seen that the new government - which although known as the "Labour" Party is basically a party of the bourgeoisie - has only extended and intensified the attack on the working class. We've seen anti-worker legislation being strengthened; more and more public hospitals and other services being closed down; the introduction of fees for students in higher education; the strengthening of repression through increased powers for the police, prison officers and immigration officers. So what people are beginning to realise is that it is not a question of one party's agenda, but of the agenda of the entire bourgeoisie, the agenda of global capitalism. And that the only alternative to this is a revolutionary alternative. With this realisation, we seeing signs the first of a reemergence of a strong left in Britain. Once again, warm revolutionary greetings from South Asia Solidarity Group. We feel certain that the next five years will see rapid advances and lead on to bigger victories. Inqilab Zindabad!

Message of Greetings from the Lal Nishan Party (Leninist)

18.10.97
Dear Comrades,
On behalf of the Central Committee of the Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) we send revolutionary greetings to your 6th All-India Party Congress.

We consider your Party as the vanguard brigade of devoted cadres representing rural oppressed peasantry in northern states. We salute comrades like Chandrashekhar and others who fell victims to barbarous attacks of landed gentry, their hired goons and the state.

Considering the overall scene of ideological confusions and the rise of revisionism in the world communist movement we particularly feel proud of your endeavour to keep aloft the banner of Marxism-Leninism and trying to adhere to the historic teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao.

We wish your Congress all the success in its deliberations and hope it will give thought to the ways and means of organising the democratic masses to finish the unfinished tasks of India's Democratic Revolution and for onward march to socialism.

We again greet you with the hope to learn from your experiences and gains in the 6th Party Congress. Red salute to all the delegates participating in the Congress!

With revolutionary greetings.
Sd. AD Bhosale
Chairman,
Lal Nishan Party (Leninist)
Maharashtra

Telegraphic Message of Greetings from Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM), Darjeeling

General Secretary,
CPI(ML) Liberation
Dear Comrade,
Hearty thanks for invitation to the Sixth Party Congress. Please convey warm greetings to the Congress and best wishes for its success from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists.