Following poll reverses in West Bengal and Kerala, precipitating a crisis that had begun in the 2009 after the general election, the CPI(M) will discuss its role in the society and economy it wants to change.
The party’s 20th Party Congress in Kozhikode will begin on Wednesday, and for the first time since 1992, following the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Communist regimes in eastern Europe, it will consider a new ideological resolution.
CPI has already decided to “strengthen its connect with the masses and intensify its struggles at the grassroots to fight neo-liberal forces and policies that hold sway now,” at a similar brainstorming session in Patna, last week.
The status of the Left parties has undergone a sea change; from rendering outside support to UPA I and forcing it to reverse several of its policies, it has now lost power in its bastions — West Bengal and Kerala — and has only managed to hold onto Tripura. The changed political scenario has also brought into the forefront strong regional parties, which are now redefining the very nature of federalism.
In this changed scenario, in its draft ideological resolution the CPI(M) has set for itself the task of setting up a true “people’s democracy”. Working within the framework of parliamentary system, the party has stressed the need to combine parliamentary work with extra-parliamentary activities and “struggles to develop a powerful (mass)movement”. It has warned against the illusory nature of the parliamentary system.
While the CPI party resolution at the Patna Congress is on similar lines, there are contradictions within the party's senior leadership on the political course to be taken.
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Stating the CPI's view, D Raja said, “Since the BJP and Congress have failed, it is now time for the Left and democratic forces to provide a clear credible alternative.”
However, his party colleague Gurudas Dasgupta holds a different view and is in favour of aligning with all those who are ready to fight the neo-liberal forces. The success of the strike called by labour unions on February 28, irrespective of their political affiliation, had given Dasgupta hope of forging a more broad-based unity among parties. But others dismiss it as unrealistic at the political level.
Apart from the ideological crisis facing the Left parties, the depleting numbers of its MPs in Parliament has also became a major cause for worry. After the 2009 elections, the number of Left MPs in the Lok Sabha has dwindled from 61 to 24. The CPI alone has been reduced to four members from 10 and is down to three in the Rajya Sabha from five.
Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, speaking to a news channel on Sunday, observed one of the major reasons behind the Left debacle in the state after its 34 year;s rule, was its growing disconnect with the common man. He said even in the 2008 panchayat polls, the party did not realise the poor were getting alienated from the party.
Bhattacharjee said the “mistakes” of the Left in Bengal would be discussed at the Kozhikode Congress as an important lesson for the party. He said, with the land acquisitions at Singur and Nandigram going wrong, it was ironic the Left, which was hailed for its land reforms, stood discredited as anti-farmer. “People have to be taken on board,” reiterated Bhattacharjee.
The Left parties are acutely aware of the need to reconnect with their core constituency, the labour class and the agrarian workers to align itself with local issues and take up issues in its struggle for the common man.
As D Raja said, “The new decade of neo-liberalism has proved to be a disaster. Although the influx of money power and other reasons have led to electoral setbacks for us, we need to work on bridging the gap between electoral performance and ideological influence.”