Constitution

ARTICLE-I

NAME & Flag 

    The name of the Party shall be Revolutionary Marxist Party of India; and its flag shall be a Red Flag of which the length shall be one-and-a-half times its width, with a crossed hammer and sickle, in white, in its centre and words RMPI, written vertically on its Left side.
 

ARTICLE -II
AIMS & OBJECTS  

1.     The Revolutionary Marxist Party of India is the revolutionary vanguard of the Indian working class and its aim is to transform the present Indian society into a classless and  casteless society, free from all types of social, ethnic and gender oppression and discriminations.
 

2.     (a) In all its activites, the Party will be guided by the philosophy and principles of Marxism-Leninism and it will earnestly strive for the establishment of Socialism and Communism, through a State led by working class.
 

(b)      The Party shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, and to the principles of socialism, secularism, democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
 

3.     The Party will remain firmly committed to keep high the banner of proletarian-internationalism and world peace.
 

    ARTICLE -III
         MEMBERSHIP 

1.         Any Indian citizen, 18 years of age or above, who accepts the Programme and Constitution of the Party, agrees to work in one of the Party organisations, to pay regularly the party membership dues (fee and levy as may be prescribed) and to carry out decisions of the Party shall be eligible for Party membership.
 

2.     (a) New members shall normally be admitted to the Party Branch through individual application on the recommendation of two Party members.
        Every person joining the Party shall sign the Party pledge. This pledge shall be :
        “I accept the aims and objectives of the Party and agree to abide by its Constitution and to loyally carry out decisions of the Party.
        I shall strive to live up to the ideals of communism and shall selflessly serve the working class, the toiling masses and the country, always placing the interests of the Party and the people above my personal interests.”
 

(b)      All Party committees, higher to the Party Branch and up to
      the Central Committee level, will have the power to directly admit new members to the Party in special circumstances.
 

(c)      The new entrants shall be regarded as a candidate members for a period of one year commencing from the date of their admission.
 

(d)      If a leading member from another Left political party comes
     over to the Party, they can be admitted to the full membership of the Party.
 

(e)      Members once expelled from the Party can be re-admitted only by the decision of the Party Committee which  confirmed their expulsion or by higher committee.
 

3.      (a)  Candidate members have the same duties and rights as full members except that they have no right to elect or be elected or to vote on any motion.
 

(b)       The Party Branch or the Party Committee admitting candidate members shall arrange for their elementary education on the Programme, Constitution and the current policies of the Party and observe their development, through providing for their functioning as members of a Party Branch or unit.
 

(c)      By the end of the period of candidature, the Party Branch or Party Committee concerned shall discuss whether the candidate member is qualified to full membership. If a candidate member is found unfit, the Party Branch or Committee shall cancel his or her candidate membership. A report on admission to full membership shall be regularly forwarded by the Branch or the Party Committee concerned to the next higher committee.
 

4.     A Party member may transfer his or her membership from one unit to another, with the approval of his or her unit and by sending his or her application through his or her unit to the higher unit under whose jurisdiction the concerned units function.
 

5.      (a) All membership records shall be kept under the supervision of the District Committee.
 

(b)      There shall be annual check-up of Party membership by the Party organisation to which the Party member belongs. Any Party Member who for a continuous period of six months and without proper reason has failed to take part in Party life and activity or to pay Party dues shall be dropped from Party membership.
 

(c)      A Party member wishing to resign from the Party shall submit his or her resignation to the Party Branch or to the Party unit to which he or she belongs. The unit concerned may accept the same and decide to strike his or her name off the rolls and report the matter to the next higher committee.
 

MEMBERSHIP FEE & LEVY 

6.     (a) All Party  members as well as candidates shall pay the Party membership fee as decided by the Central Committee  from time to time. This annual Party fee shall be paid at the time of admission into the Party and by March end of each year to the Branch or Unit Secretary by the member concerned. The Central Committee may extend this date if the circumstances warrant such an extension.
 

(b)   All Party fees collected from Party members by Party Branches or Units will be deposited with the Central Committee through the appropriate Party Committees.
 

(c)      Every Party member must pay a monthly levy as laid down by the Central Committee. Those whose incomes are of annual or of seasonal character have to pay their levy at the beginning of the season or at the beginning of every quarter on the same percentage basis.
 

DUTIES OF PARTY MEMBERS 

7.     (a)  The duties of the Party members are as follows :
 

        (i) To regularly participate in the activity of the Party organisation to which they belong and to faithfully carry out the policy, decisions and the directives of the Party;
 

(ii)      To study Marxism-Leninism and endeavour to raise their level of understanding;
 

(iii)      To read, support and popularise the Party journals and Party publications;
 

(iv)      To observe the Party Constitution and Party discipline in accordance with the noble ideals of communism;
 

(v)      To place the interests of the people and the Party above personal interests;
 

(vi)      To devotedly serve the masses and consistently strengthen their bonds with them, to learn from the masses and report their opinions and demands to the Party, to work in a mass organisation, unless exempted, under the guidance of the Party;
 

(vii)  To cultivate comradely relations towards one another and constantly develop a fraternal spirit within the Party;
 

(viii)  To practise criticism and self-criticism with a view to helping each other and improving individual and collective work;
 

(ix)       To be frank, honest and truthful to the Party and not to betray the confidence of the Party;
 

(x)      To safeguard the unity and solidarity of the Party and to be vigilant against the enemies of the working class and the country;
 

(xi)      To defend the Party and uphold its cause against the onslaught of the enemies of the Party, the working class and the country.
 

(b)       It shall be the task of the Party organisation to ensure the fulfilment of the above duties by Party members and help them in every possible way in the discharge of these duties.
 

RIGHTS OF PARTY MEMBERS 

8.      (a)  Rights of the Party members are as follows :
 

(i)      To elect Party organs and Party Committees and be elected to them;
 

(ii)      To participate in discussion in order to contribute to the
    formation of the Party policy and of the decisions of the Party;
 

 (iii)  To make proposals regarding one’s own work in the Party;
 

 (iv) To make criticism about Party Committees and Party functionaries at Party meetings;
 

 (v)      To be heard in person in his or her unit when a Party unit discusses disciplinary action against him or her;
 

(vi)     When any Party member disagrees with any decision of a Party Committee on organisation he or she has a right to submit his or her opinion to the next higher committee. In case of political difference a member has the right to submit his or her opinion to the higher committee up to the Central Committee. In all such cases the Party member shall, of course, carry out the Party decisions and the differences shall be sought to be resolved through the test of practice and through comradely discussions;
 

(vii)      To address any statement, appeal or complaint to any higher Party organisation up to and including the Central committee.
 

(b)      It shall be the duty of Party organisations and Party functionaries to see that these rights are respected.
 

ARTICLE -IV
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 

1.      The organisational structure of the Party is based on, and its internal life will be guided by, the principles of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism means centralised leadership based on inner-Party democracy and democracy practised under the guidance of the centralised leadership.
        In the sphere of the Party structure, the guiding principles of democratic centralism are:
 

(a)      All Party organs from top to bottom shall be elected :
 

(b)      The minority shall carry out the decisions of the majority; the lower Party organisations shall carry out the decisions and directives of the higher Party organs, the individual shall subordinate himself to the will of the collective. All Party organisations shall carry out the decisions and directives of the All India Party Conference and of the Central Committee;
 

(c)      All Party committees shall function strictly on the principles
     of collective decisions and check-up combined with individual responsibility;
 

(d)     All questions of international affairs, questions of all-India character, or questions concerning more than one State or questions requiring uniform decisions for the whole country, shall be decided upon by the all-India Party organisations. All questions of a State or district character shall be ordinarily decided upon by the corresponding Party organisations. But in no case shall such decisions run counter to the decisions of a higher Party organisation.
 

2.      Basing itself upon the experience of the entire Party membership and of the popular movement, in the sphere of the internal life of the Party, the following principles of democratic centralism shall be applied :
 

(a)      Free and frank discussion within the Party unit on all questions affecting the Party, its policy and work;
 

(b)     Sustained efforts to activise the Party members in popularising and implementing the Party policies, to raise their ideological-political level and improve their general education so that they can effectively participate in the life and work of the Party.
 

(c)      When serious differences arise in a Party Committee, every effort should be made to arrive at an agreement. Failing this, the decision should be postponed with a view to resolving differences through further discussions, unless an immediate decision is called for by the needs of the Party and the mass movement. In such cases the decisions will invariably be taken by majority vote, with  secret ballot if demanded by any of the members, and there will be no place for veto power; It will also be ensured that differences on political issues must not reflect in the isolation or exclusion of the minority in the organisation;
 

(d)      Encouragement of criticism and self-criticism at all levels, from top to bottom, especially criticism from below;
 

(e)      Consistent struggle against bureaucratic tendencies at all
     levels; collective leadership will be developed and strengthened at all levels through proper division of work and responsibilities; due vigilance will be maintained against harmful tendencies as promote individualism, arbitrariness, personality-cult and fissiprous traits.
 

(f)     Impermissibility of factionalism and factional groupings inside the Party in any form;
 

(g)     Strengthening of the Party spirit by developing fraternal relations and mutual help, correcting mistakes by treating comrades sympathetically, judging them and their work not on the basis of isolated mistakes or incidents, but taking into account their whole record of service to the party as well as to the working class movement.
 

ARTICLE -V
POWERS & FUNCTIONS 

1.      The supreme organ of the Party for the whole country shall be the All-India Party Conference.
 

(a)     The regular All India Party conference shall be convened by the Central Committee ordinarily every three years.
 

(b)     The date and venue of the All India Party conference shall be decided by the Central Committee at a meeting especially called for the purpose. It will also decide the schedule for the conferences to be held at the lower levels, in preparations for the All India Conference.
 

(c)      All India Party Conference shall be composed of delegates
     elected by the State Conferences as well as by Conferences of Party units directly under the All-India Party Centre.
 

(d)     The basis of representation at the All India Party Conference shall be  decided by the Central Committee on the basis of total Party membership, strength of the mass movement led by the Party, strength of the Party in the respective States.
 

(e)     The members of the outgoing Central Committee shall have the right to participate as full delegates in the All India Party Conference.
 

2.     Functions and powers of the All India Party Conference are as follows :
 

(a)     To discuss and act on the political and organisational report of the Central Committee;
 

(b)     To revise and change the Party Programme and the Party Constitution;
 

(c)      To determine the Party line on current situation;
 

(d)    To elect the Central Committee as well as Central control commission by secret ballot.
 

CENTRAL COMMITTEE 

3.1     (a)  The Central Committee shall be elected at the All India Party Conference, the number of its members being decided by that Party Conference.
 

(b)     The outgoing Central Committee shall propose to the Conference a panel of candidates.
 

(c)      The panel of candidates shall be prepared with a view to creating a capable leadership, closely linked with the masses, firm in the revolutionary outlook of the working class and educated in Marxism-Leninism.
 

(d)     Any delegate can raise objection with regard to any name in the panel proposed as well as propose any new name or names, but the prior approval of the member whose name is proposed is necessary.
 

(e)     Any one whose name has been proposed shall have the right to withdraw.
 

(f)    The panel proposed, together with the additional nominations by the delegates, shall be voted upon by secret ballot, and by the method of single distributive vote. In case there is no additional nomination, approval of the delegates will be taken by show of hands.
 

3.2     The Central Committee shall be the highest authority of the Party between two All-India Party Conferences.
 

3.3     It will be responsible for enforcing the Party Constitution and carrying out the political line and decisions adopted by the Party Conference.
 

3.4     The Central Committee shall represent the Party as a whole
     and shall be responsible for directing the entire work of the Party. The Central Committee shall have right to take decisions with full authority on any question facing the Party.
 

3.5     The Central Committee shall elect from among its members
     a Standing Committee, comprising not more than one third of its total members including its Chairman, General Secretary and Treasurer. The number of members in the Standing Committee shall be decided by the Central Committee. The Standing Committee carries on the work of the Central committee between its two sessions and has the right to take political and organisational decisions in between two meetings of the Central Committee which will be ratified by the Central Committee.
 

3.6     (a) The Central Committee shall remove any member from itself for gross breach of discipline, misconduct or for anti-Party activity by two-thirds of the members present and voting and in any case by more than half the total strength of the Central Committee voting for such removal.
 

(b)     It can fill up any vacancy ocurring in its composition by simple majority of its total members.
 

3.7     The time between two meetings of the Central Committee as well as Lower Committees shall not normally exceed three months. The minimum quorum for all the meetings will be one half of the total members.
 

3.8     The Central Committee shall be responsible for the Party finances and will adopt the statement of accounts submitted to it by the Standing Committee, once a year.
 

STATE AND DISTRICT PARTY ORGANS 

4.1      The highest organ in the State or District shall be the State or
     the District Conference which elects a State or District Committee.
 

4.2    (a) The organisational structure, the rights and functions of the State or District Party organs are similar to those enumerated in the articles concerning the Party structure and functions at the All-India level, their functions being confined to the State or District issues and their decisions being within the limit of the decisions taken by the next higher Party organ. In case it becomes necessary to increase the number of members of these Party Committees they can do so with the permission of the next higher committee.
 

(b)     The State or District Committee shall elect a Secretariat including its President, Secretary and Treasurer. But the State or district Committee may not have a Secretariat if permitted by the next higher committee.
 

(c)     The State or District Committee shall remove any member from itself for gross breach of discipline, misconduct or for anti-party activity by a decision of majority of the total members of the State Committee or District Committee.
 

(d)     The State Committee shall decide on the area of the District Committee taking into account the needs of the movement. It may not necessarily be confined to administrative division.
 

(e)     The State Committee shall decide on the various Party
     organs to be set up between the primary unit (the Branch) and the District or the region and shall make necessary provisions relating to their composition and functioning. This will be done in accordance with the rules laid down by the Central Committee. These lower Committees will also elect their Presidents and Secretaries.
 

PRIMARY UNIT 

5.1 (a)    The primary unit of the Party is the Party Branch organised on the basis of profession or territory;
 

(b)        Party members are to be organised on the basis of their occupation or vocation, when they are working in a factory or an institute or any industry. When such Branches are organised the members of such branches shall be associate members of the Party Branches in place of their residence or organised as auxiliary Branches there. The work to be allotted in their place of residence shall not be detrimental to the work allotted to them by  their basic units in the factory or institute or occupation;
 

(c)     The number of members in a Branch shall not be less than five and more than fifteen. They will elect a Secretary and an Asstt. Secretary of the Party Branch.
 

5.2     The Branch is the living link between the masses of workers, peasants and other sections of the people within its areas or sphere and the leading committee of the Party.
      Its tasks are :
 

(a)     To carry out the directives of the higher committee;
 

(b)    Win the masses in the factory, institute or locality for the
    political and organisational decisions of the Party;
 

(c)    Draw in Party sympathisers into activity and to enrole them as new members and educate them politically;
 

(d)    Help the District, Area, Local Town Committee in its day-to-day organisational and agitation work.
 

FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFICE BEARERS. 

6.1        An office in a Revolutionary Party carries only certain additional responsibilities and not any status or privilege.
 

6.2       The elected office bearers, mentioned in the foregoing clauses, will have the responsibilities as under :
 

(a)   Chairman :  Organisational head of the Party; will preside over and conduct all the meetings of CC and Standing Committee; look after the organisational expansion and strengthening of the Party, including building up a substantive Party Education System.
 

(b) General Secretary : Chief spokesman of the Party; custodian of the Party records;  look after all the ideological and political initiatives required to strengthen the mass base of the Party; monitor the proper implementation of the party decisions in general, and preparation of  reports concerning these issues.
 

(c)      Treasurer :   Responsible for the proper maintainence of the Party Accounts;  look after the financial and other logistic needs of the Party.
 

(d)     President :      Preside over the meetings of the respective committees, and look after the expansion of the Party and
      mass organisations under the jurisdiction of the committee.
 

(e)       Secretary :    Responsible for the maintainence and proper upkeep of the party records of the committee; workout and initiate discussion in the meetings on ideological-political tasks; prepare reports on their implementation.
 

(f)      Asstt. Secretary : Responsible for the sale and distribution of party literature and for the accounts of all the collections made by the Branch.
 

CENTRAL AND STATE CONTROL COMMISSION 

7.1      The All India Party Conference shall directly elect a Central Control Commission consisting of not more than five members. The Chairperson of the Central Control Commission will be an ex-officio member of the Central Committee.
 

7.2    The Control Commission shall take up :
 

(a)     Cases of disciplinary action referred to it by the Central Committee or Standing Committee;
 

(b)     Cases of appeal where disciplinary action has been taken by the State Committee;
 

(c)     Cases involving expulsion against which an appeal has been made to the State Committee or State Control Commission and rejected.
 

7.3     The detailed rules for the functioning of the Control Commission shall be framed by the Central Committee after consultation with the Control Commission. In the eventuality of a vacancy arising in the Central Control Commission between two Party Conference, the Central Committee shall have the right to fill the vacancy.
 

7.4     The State Conference may elect a State Control Commission to go into the cases of disciplinary action. In whichever State the State Control Comission is set up, the functions and authority will be similar to that of the Central Control Commission, but within its own State.
 

ARTICLE -VI
PARTY DISCIPLINE  

1     Discipline is indispensable for preserving and strengthening the unity of the Party, for enhancing its strength, its fighting ability and its prestige, and for enforcing the principles of democratic centralism. Without strict adherence to Party discipline, the Party cannot lead the masses in struggles and actions nor discharge its responsibility towards them.
 

2.     Discipline is based on conscious acceptance of the aims, the Programme and the policies of the Party. All members of the Party are equally bound by Party discipline irrespective
     of their status in the Party organisation or in public life.
 

3.     Violation of the Party Constitution and decisions of the Party as well as any other action and behaviours unworthy of a member of the Party shall constitute a breach of Party discipline and is liable to disciplinary action.
 

4.     The disciplinary actions are :
(a)     Warning;
(b)     Censure;
(c)     Public censure;
(d)     Removal from the post in the Party;
(e)    Suspension from full Party membership for any period but not exceeding one year;
(f)    Expulsion.
 

5.    Disciplinary action shall normally be taken where other methods, including methods of persuasion, have failed to correct the member concerned. But even where disciplinary measure has been taken, the efforts to help the member to correct himself/herself shall continue. In case where the breach of discipline is such that it warrants an immediate disciplinary measure to protect the interests of the Party or its prestige, the disciplinary action shall be taken promptly.
 

6.     Expulsion from the Party is the severest of all disciplinary measures and this shall be applied with utmost caution, deliberation and judgement.
 

7.     No disciplinary measure involving expulsion of a Party member shall come into effect without confirmation by the next higher committee. In case of expulsion, the penalised Party member shall be removed from all Party activities pending confirmation. The expelled member stands suspended from the Party till the expulsion is confirmed by the next higher committee. The higher committee will have to communicate its decision within six months.
 

8.     The member against whom a disciplinary measure is proposed shall be fully informed of the allegations, charges and other relevant facts against him or her. He or she shall have the right to be heard in person by the Party unit to which he or she belongs and shall have the right to submit his or her explanation to any other unit which takes action against him or her.
 

9.    When a member is simultaneously a member of two Party units, the lower unit can recommend disciplinary action against him or her but it shall not come into operation unless, accepted by his or her higher unit.
 

10.    Party members found to be strike-breakers, drunkards, moral degenerates, betrayers of Party confidence, guilty of grave financial corruption can be summarily suspended from Party membership and removed from all responsible positions in the Party by the Party unit to which he or she belongs or by a higher Party body, pending the issue of the
    charge-sheet to him/her and getting his/her explanation.
 

11.     There shall be right of appeal in all cases of disciplinary action.
 

12.    The Central, State or District Committee has the right to dissolve and appoint new committees or take disciplinary action against a lower committee in cases where a persistent defiance of Party decisions and policy, serious factionalism, or a breach of Party discipline is involved. But the State and District Committee will immediately report such action to the next higher committee for whatever action it deems necessary.
 

13.     In exceptional circumstances Party Committees in their discretion may resort to summary procedure in expelling
    members for grave anti-Party activities.
 

ARTICLE -VII
CONDUCT OF BUSINESS 

1.      The decision making business inside the Party at all levels shall strictly be governed by democratic norms and forms. Every decision shall invariably be the product of collective opinion expressed in unanimity or by majority of votes. None in the Party shall have a veto power.
 

2.      (a) In the case of regular meetings, the concerned secretary will have to give notice for the meeting, including its venue and date, well in time. In the case of Central Committee it may be at least 15 days, but for the lower level committees it may be 5 days.
 

(b)     In case of any emergency, the notice period can be reduced to two days.
 

3.    The minimum quoram for a meeting at all levels, will be 50%.
 

4.    Party Committees, at all levels can constitute sub-committes for specific tasks. The functioning of those sub-committees will be governed by these rules.
 

ARTICLE -VIII
FUNDS & ACCOUNTS 

1.    (a) The ultimate responsibility for the maintenence of Accounts of Party funds shall lie with the Central Committee. It will adopt the statement of Accounts, submitted to it by the Standing Committee, once a year.
 

(b)      The Party will open an account in a nationalised bank with an authorisation for operation by any two of the three authorised signatories elected by the respective committee.
 

(c)      Similar approach will be adopted for the Accounts at State and Distt. levels.
 

2.    The Party accounts, at all levels, will be maintained on accrual system.
 

3.    The Party  Funds will be utilised only for political activities and for physical infrastructure required to carry forward these activities.
 

4.    The Central Committee will get the Party Accounts audited annually by a Chartered Accountant and submit its report to the Election Commission of India, within six months after
     the end of each financial year.
 

ARTICLE -IX
AMENDMENTS & BYE-LAWS. 

1.     Amendments in the Party constitution can be made only by the All India Party Conference. The notice of proposals for such amendments shall have to be given to the Central Committee at least two months before  the said Conference.
 

2.     The Central Committee may frame rules & bye-laws under the Party constitution and in conformity with it.
 

ARTICLE -X
MERGER & DISSOLUTION 

1.     The Central Committee, with at least two third majority of its total members, can adopt a resolution for merging the Party with any other Left Party wedded to Marxism-Leninism or to dissolve the Party. In the case of dissolution, prior approval from at least half of the State Committees will be necessary. Thereafter, the resolution in this regard will has to be approved by the All India Party Conference.
 

ARTICLE -XI 

1.     The Revolutionary Marxist Party of India, here by, declares that :
 

(a)     The Party will hold periodic regular elections for all its committees and office bearers;
 

(b)     The Party will adhere to the principles of democracy,
     socialism and secularism as its basic tenants;
 

(c)     The Party will not, in any manner, promote or instigate or participate in violence;
 

(d)     The Party will hold periodic elections for all organs of the Party and for all the office bearers at least once within a period of 4 years.
 

(e)      The Party will invariably contest the elections conducted by the Election Commission of India, henceforth.
 

(f)        The Party will get its accounts audited annually, by a Chartered Accountant and submit its copy to the ECI within a period of six months after the end of each financial year.

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