Governmentality or Class Politics: The Path Ahead for Indian Communists

Mukherjee, Ananyo

Abstract

Considering the June 2024 general parliamentary election results in India, this article undertakes a broad discursive analysis of the parliamentary Communists, tracing their trajectory from the inception of independent India to the present day. It argues that the Communists have continued to oscillate between liberal and neo-liberal notions of “governmentality,” constrained by its perpetuation of “capitalo-parliamentarian” hegemony. Drawing parallels with B.R. Ambedkar’s dichotomies on liberal democracy, the article highlights that the shifts in capital–labour dynamics have further deepened this ideological vacillation of the Communists. The article suggests that to move forward, Indian Communists must choose between constitutional governmentality and extra-parliamentary interventions rooted in transformative class politics.

Citation

Mukherjee, A. (online). Governmentality or Class Politics: The Path Ahead for Indian Communists. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472336.2024.2433738

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 2, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Dec 4, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 14, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 14, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Contemporary Asia
• Print ISSN: 0047-2336
• Electronic ISSN: 1752-7554
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-12
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00472336.2024.2433738
• Keywords: class politics; communism in India; constitutionalism; governmentality; liberal democracy
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472336.2024.2433738