CPM's north push is a non-starter

More clout at the Centre has not helped the CPI(M) expand in northern India, where the number of its members has stagnated for the last three years.

According to a report on the party's programmes, presented at the Central Committee meeting last month, the party is finding it difficult to recruit cadres and wholetimers.

So much so that the Uttar Pradesh unit could not even collect Rs 20,000 for party activities, the amount fixed by the committee in September last year. What's worse is that the party could not collect a penny in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Sikkim and J&K.

Referring to the poor fund collection in these states, a party document said, "If the party committees are inactive and fail to take up the issues of the common people and win their confidence, it is difficult to collect funds from them."

The paper noted that in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, young cadres are not willing to work as wholetimers.

Also, young comrades are not coming forward to join the cadre. The paper asked state units to start student and youth movements, ensure regular payment of minimum wages to cadres and collect special funds for wages to wholetimers.

Although the countrywide membership of the CPI(M) increased from over 8.67 lakh in 2004 to over 9.45 lakh in 2006, a 8.95 per cent increase, there was not much to cheer in Uttar Pradesh, where the number increased by 469, Punjab (492), Bihar (60), Delhi (377), Haryana (10).

This has come as disappointment to the CPI(M) leadership, which is planning to intensify its agitational programmes in these areas to expand out of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.