A century of Left in India, built on enterprise

As the CPI turns 100 next month, Shine Jacob looks at how the evolution of Left parties in the country has been fuelled by cooperatives, media ventures and unconventional business model

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A key milestone in the Left's cooperative story came in 1957, when dismissed Coffee Board workers, regrouped by CPI leader A K Gopalan, launched the Indian Coffee House

Communism tookearly rootin Indiain the 1920s, spurred by the October Revolution in Russia and a generation of young idealists. Yet many mark December 26, 1925, whena Kanpurconference gave birth tothe Communist Party of India (CPI), asthe true beginning.

‘After the 1964 split, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), emerged asthe biggest party among Left formations. As the communist movement prepares to mark its centenary, it carries the weight of class struggles, legal prohibitions, electoral highs and lows, and moments of political drama — most famously Jyoti Basu’s refusal of the prime ministership in 1996, declined in the name of principle.

Despite championing worker control and state ownership, the Left has, over the decades, built an unexpected record in “business” — from collective enterprises and cooperatives to party media outfits. Movie production, amusement parks, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, FMCG units, beedi factories, umbrella makers: The list is long and eclectic.

By 2025, these ventures span new terrain: Al-supported camerasystems, dronepilot training and apparel exports. Some drew criticism initially but later stabilised or turned profitable, besides doubling as propaganda platforms.