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Communist Parties, India

Last modified: 2008-04-19 by ian macdonald
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All India Forward Bloc

[All India Forward Bloc Flag] image by Roman Kogovsek, 8 July 2005 and António Martins-Tuválkin, 31 March 2006

I have seen this flag during a party meeting in Kolkata and also on propaganda material. It is plain red with a yellow-black-striped tiger. Above the tiger’s back is well known communist symbol in white.
Roman Kogovsek, 8 July 2005

The All India Forward Bloc or Forward Bloc (FB), an ally of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the West Bengal government, and with 3 members in the Lok Sabha, uses a red flag with a white hammer and sickle and a leaping tiger. One can see the elements, unfortunately in flash animation and not in flag form, at
this site (the lion on the site is their party symbol as given by the Electoral Commission).  Party posters with versions of the flag can be seen here and here. As one will notice the party is based on the political heritage of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who split from Congess and founded the FB in 1939. After WWII the party split, and the present FB is the left wing, the FB (Marxist). The right wing, FB (Ruiker) is said to have used an Indian tricolour with a leaping tiger on the white stripe, and gained 0.13% of the vote for the 1951 Lok Sabha. Given that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose commanded the "Indian National Army" the connection between these two flags is clear, if not clearly understood.
"Knut A. Berg", 20 October 2004

Trade Union Coordination Committee - India

[Trade Union Coordination Committee Flag] image by  J.A. Sommansson

TUCC is the central trade union attached to the All India Forward Bloc. The flag is identical in textile use. It is identical to the party flag, except for the letters "TUCC" added.
J.A. Sommansson, 24 January 2005

Communist Party of India

 From the party's constitution:

Art. III - The flag of the party shall be a red flag of which the length shall be one-and-a-half times its width. At the centre of the flag there shall be a crossed hammer and sickle in white. Source: http://www.cpofindia.org/cp2.htm
Joe McMillan, 18 August 2003

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

 [Communist Party of India (marxist)] by Roman Kogovsek, 8 July 2005

From the party's constitution (http://www.cpim.org/documents/constitution.htm):

ARTICLE III
FLAG
The flag of the Party shall be a red flag of which the length shall be one-and-a-half times its width. At the centre of the flag there shall be a crossed hammer and sickle in white.
Nitesh Dave, 19 Feb 2000

The Indian Communist Party - Marxist has a seven pointed white star in the canton and the hammer and sickle is a bit different. In the logo, the hammer and sickle is golden bordered white with a black shadow over a red background, and the star (five-pointed is touching the upper part of the hammer. But sometimes the star in the flag is missing or is fivepointed. The flag posted seems to be the flag of the Indian Communist Party (pro-Soviet) or at least the design is very close.
Jaume Ollé, 27 Feb 2000

I noticed this report I sent in 2000 seemed to be out of line. The flag with seven pointed star was published in Flaggenmitteilung. I also saw a photo with a five pointed star and without star. I wrote to the party and I received an answer several months ago. A correction was issued in Flag Report 25:

"The executive board of the Communist Party of Marxist India, having received a copy of FR #21, makes it known that the organization's official flag does not contain the star in the canton as shown in the image of FR #21, having just the white hammer-and-sickle in the centre. The star appeared in a photo of the flag taken in a demonstration, a flag that obviously was not of the official model".

This can be because several communist parties have very similar flags and people use an electoral emblem to differentiate themselves, or due to a poor identification, or even because of regional variants. Later I collected more photos that confirm the red flag with hammer and sickle, without star.
Jaume Ollé, 18 August 2003

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)

 From the party's constitution:

Art. 2 - The flag of the Party is the red flag of rectangular size, the ratio of length and breadth being 3:2, with hammer and sickle in white inscribed in it in the middle. Source: http://cpiml.org/pgs/partyconst/const.htm
Joe McMillan, 18 August 2003

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) New Democracy

 From the party's constitution:

Art. II - The flag of the Party is the red flag with a white hammer and sickle. The ratio of length and breadth will be 3:2. Source: http://geocities.com/cpimlnd/constitution.htm
Joe McMillan, 18 August 2003

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Red Flag

From the party's constitution:

Art. II - The Flag of the Party shall be red flag with white hammer and sickle in the centre of one-fourth portion on top left hand corner. The ratio of length and breadth of the flag shall be 3:2. Source: http://www.cpimlredflag.org/doc3.htm
Joe McMillan, 18 August 2003

Of all these communist parties, only the last would seem to be significantly different from any of the others, unless there are variations in the drawing of the hamer and sickle. There are also a Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War and an Indian Communist Party. I found no information on their flags; the first seems to be an underground Maoist group.
Joe McMillan, 18 August 2003

Democratic Youth Federation of India

[Democratic Youth Federation of India Flag] by  J.A. Sommansson

Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist). DYFI is probably the largest political youth organization in any multiparty state in the world. DYFI was founded in 1980.
J.A. Sommansson, 25 January 2005

Ganamukti Parishad

[Ganamukti Parishad Flag] by Ivan Sache, 26 January 2005

The flag of Tripura Rajaer Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (Tripura State Tribal Popular Liberation Council, generally just called Ganamukti Parishad). The movement was led an armed insurgency against the monarchy in Tripura 1949-1951. Today the organization is the tribal mass front of Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the state.
J.A. Sommansson, 24 January 2005

Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy, Kerala

[Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra Flag] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 31 March 2006

JSS is a political party in Kerala (currently sitting in the state government), formed through a split in CPI(M).
J.A. Sommansson, 25 January 2005

Red flag with stylized white earth globe with black meridians and parallels charged with a red 5-pointed star on the upper hoist.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 31 March 2006

Raitu Coolie Sangam (Andhra Pradesh)

[Trade Union Coordination Committee Flag] by  J.A. Sommansson

RCS(A.P.) is the peasants organization politically attached Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (the one led by Kanu Sanyal) in Andhra Pradesh. The flag is red, with white print. It carries a hammer & sickle on the left side and the letters Rai Koo San in Telugu (రై కూ సం) on the right side.
J.A. Sommansson, 24 January 2005

Revolutionary Socialist Party

[Revolutionary Socialist Party Flag] image by  J.A. Sommansson

A red flag with a white disk in the upper hoist bearing a hammer and sickle.
J.A. Sommansson, 24 January 2005