Communist Party of India memorandum — closing page, signed by P.C. Joshi

                                9

and Forward Bloc illegal handbills and journals is "The struggle failed
because of Communist treachery".

        From the ranks of the people we are the only political party that
FIGHTS the Fifth Column. Government repression feeds the Fifth Column, our
propaganda and work isolated the Fifth Column from the honest patriots.

        We succeed because we agitate on the plane of patriotism and are able
to expose the Fifth Column as treacherous agents of Fascist imperialists
and not let the Fifth Column get the chance to malign us as agents of the
British imperialists. We succeed because we are able to show that our prac-
tice strengthens the nation, serves the daily interests of the people and
that the Fifth Column's practical slogans mean the destruction of nation's
defence, and inflicting sufferings, economic and political, on the shoulders
of our own people.

        The National War Front line does not touch the Fifth Column while our
policy makes it squeal.

        In such a situation, to deny free and legal opportunities to our Party
only helps the Fifth Column. Our growth can't be restricted because our
policy is the embodiment of the best traditions of our great national move-
ment and is in the interest of our people and of all peoples, because our
comrades have the intelligence, strength and self-descipline to take it to
the people.

        Our policy of course does not help the Government but it hits the
Fifth Column and helps save the home front from [struck: national] {ms. insertion: internal} crack-up and
rouses the patriotism of the people against the Fascist aggressor.

        It is futile to expect us to toe the loyalist line. We are a patriotic
Party and shall remain so whatever policy the Government adopts towards us.

        The basis of our approach to the Government is based on the realisation
that it is the Government for the time being and pledged to defend the coun-
tyr. Despite our most serious political differences with the Government,
we offer our cooperation wherever we think it is fighting the Fascists or
rallying the people, in short, strengthening national defence. We have,
we think, the right to ask the Government to observe the rule of the road
in relations with us. Our policy we realise can never be to the liking
of the Government because we talk in terms of flaming patriotism and relate
every issue to the freedom of our country but the [struck-over word] guiding principle
of every one of our practical activities is our desire to defend the country,
and they all can be reduced to:

        - Strengthen the morale by rousing patriotism

        - Strengthen the means of national defence by keeping the people con-
          tented and at their jobs. Reduce people's demands to irreduceable
          minimum and work out constructive suggestions for every measure.

        The economic crisis has got intertwined with the political crisis,
worse and not better days are ahead, the way the situation is drifting.
Would the Fifth Column get another chance to exploit the economic situation
and create another round of disturbances which because they would be based on
people's needs will be more violent and destructive than the earlier ones;
OR will the Government give us at least the chance to fight the policy
and practice of the Fifth Column in the ranks of the people without expecting
us to line up with its policy and with freedom to criticise its activities
where in our opinion and experience they hit our people?

        Quite a lot in coming months will depend upon what attitude the Central
Government takes, what the Provincial Governments actually do in practice,
what attitude the local officials adopt towards the people and their daily

                                                [signed] P.C. Joshi