 "Arm chair communism does not yield result")
The Indian National Congress (INC) wasn't the only party to have suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Question are now being raised about the credibility of the Left front as a viable opposition in Indian politics. The main Left parties, CPI and CPI(M) have just 10 seats between them, with CPI tally being limited to a solitary seat.
CPI (M) has been able to save some face in Kerala and Tripura, with five and two wins respectively, but in West Bengal where it ruled consistently for 25 years, it managed to get just just two of 42 seats.
Compare this with the situation in 2004, when the UPA had formed its first government at the centre. The Left parties were in top gear with 67 members in Parliament, and CPI(M) leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri and CPI leader A B Bardhan were calling the shots. This election, however, has questioned the relevance of the Left stream of politics in the country.
This is so even in the case of CPI, after the demise of leaders like C Rajeshwar Rao and Indrajit Gupta. The main handicap that the Left parties are now facing is that their national level leaders do not seem to enjoy a good equation with the people. Of course, they are more intellectual and academically qualified than their predecessors, but they do not have the experiences of a people’s struggle in various parts of the country.
As one CPI(M) worker says, most of their present leaders are armchair communists who have hardly any connect with the people. They are more mechanical in their approach and do not analyse the mindset of the electorate. Most of the struggles in recent times are mechanical and bereft of any political enthusiasm and political credibility. The secretariat blockade in Kerala is a classic example.
In this election, CPI(M) strategy in Kerala failed miserably, and resulted in a humiliating defeat for M.A. Baby, a politbureau member at Kollam constituency. RSP, an ally in the Left Front, had demanded Kollam seat for N K Premachandran, an energetic leader and former minister for water resources.
CPI(M) categorically rejected it and unilaterally announced M A Baby as candidate for the seat. This provoked the RSP, which broke off its long standing relations with the Left front and joined United Democratic Front (UDF). As a UDF candidate, Premachandran defeated Baby by a margin of roughly 33,000 votes. This was a heavy blow to the CPI(M) leadership as they never expected such a defeat at Kollam.
In the 2009 elections, Janata Dal had also parted ways with the LDF, yet the CPI(M) leadership had not learnt any lesson. It was the absence of a faction of the Janata Dal that caused the narrow defeat in the assembly elections in 2012. The party also did not have the confidence to field candidates from the party rank and file, but searched for independents who had no affinity to politics and had little credibility as political leaders.
The party lost Ernakulam constituency as a result. CPI also fielded a doctor at Thiruvananthapuram who now stands at third spot after BJP. There were allegations that his candidature was on ‘payment’ basis. Whatever the truth may be, he had no credibility at all and failed to grab people’s mandate. This is the only seat in Kerala where LDF had a disappointing performance.
Interestingly, CPI(M) leadership is yet open its eyes and understand the truth. Surprisingly, Pinarayi Vijayan, secretary of Kerala unit opines that it is not their fault that minority communities like Muslims and Christians favoured Congress, in order to prevent BJP and Narendra Modi from power. Congress mobilized the minority votes, by portraying Modi as a threat to the secular fabric of the country.
CPI(M) leadership is also not ready to accept its humiliating defeat in West Bengal. The Left parties were almost wiped out in the state, and Mamata Banerji did not see the CPI(M) as her main opponent. Instead of attacking the Left parties she mainly locked horns with BJP as the saffron party was emerging as a threat to her.
This will be obvious after Modi takes the oath and in the next assembly polls. One can see that the position of CPI(M) is more pathetic in the next assembly elections as the party has not true and honest leadership not only in West Bengal and at the national level.
There are no stalwarts like EMS, Harkishen Surjit, A.K. Gopalan and Jyoti Basu, who won the massive popular support. There are no political strategists like EMS in the party. Armchair communism will not yield results in elections. Even Aam Admi Party (AAP) could conquer the mindset of the people of Delhi and they occupy the slot of Left rebellions at least in Delhi and nearby places.
CPI once had won around 80 seats in Andhrapradesh, but having no address in the state in this election. CPI which has been functioning in India from 1920 onwards is now having just one member in the parliament. Their candidate has won the Thrissur seat in Kerala. They had even won 5-10 seats in various elections in Bihar.
Interestingly, Suhashini Ali, who was defeated in Kolkata this time, had once won the Kanpur seat in UP. Even in the midst of Modi wave, they dream for a third front government, which will not happen in India. How parties having diversified interests and targets unite, from a government and govern the country?
How the common man of India will have confidence in such a front ? These are the questions which the common man raises. Unfortunately, instead of analyzing their humiliating defeat with honesty and self criticism, the Left Parties are more active finding faults with the people now. If this is the style of functioning it may extinct Left politics from India in near future.
CPI (M) has been able to save some face in Kerala and Tripura, with five and two wins respectively, but in West Bengal where it ruled consistently for 25 years, it managed to get just just two of 42 seats.
Compare this with the situation in 2004, when the UPA had formed its first government at the centre. The Left parties were in top gear with 67 members in Parliament, and CPI(M) leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri and CPI leader A B Bardhan were calling the shots. This election, however, has questioned the relevance of the Left stream of politics in the country.
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Both the Communist parties now face the threat of losing the status of National party for the first time in the history of the Communist movement in India. Left politics has been gradually losing sheen after the demise of leaders like EMS Namboothiripad, Harkishen Singh Surjit and Jyothi Basu.
This is so even in the case of CPI, after the demise of leaders like C Rajeshwar Rao and Indrajit Gupta. The main handicap that the Left parties are now facing is that their national level leaders do not seem to enjoy a good equation with the people. Of course, they are more intellectual and academically qualified than their predecessors, but they do not have the experiences of a people’s struggle in various parts of the country.
As one CPI(M) worker says, most of their present leaders are armchair communists who have hardly any connect with the people. They are more mechanical in their approach and do not analyse the mindset of the electorate. Most of the struggles in recent times are mechanical and bereft of any political enthusiasm and political credibility. The secretariat blockade in Kerala is a classic example.
In this election, CPI(M) strategy in Kerala failed miserably, and resulted in a humiliating defeat for M.A. Baby, a politbureau member at Kollam constituency. RSP, an ally in the Left Front, had demanded Kollam seat for N K Premachandran, an energetic leader and former minister for water resources.
CPI(M) categorically rejected it and unilaterally announced M A Baby as candidate for the seat. This provoked the RSP, which broke off its long standing relations with the Left front and joined United Democratic Front (UDF). As a UDF candidate, Premachandran defeated Baby by a margin of roughly 33,000 votes. This was a heavy blow to the CPI(M) leadership as they never expected such a defeat at Kollam.
In the 2009 elections, Janata Dal had also parted ways with the LDF, yet the CPI(M) leadership had not learnt any lesson. It was the absence of a faction of the Janata Dal that caused the narrow defeat in the assembly elections in 2012. The party also did not have the confidence to field candidates from the party rank and file, but searched for independents who had no affinity to politics and had little credibility as political leaders.
The party lost Ernakulam constituency as a result. CPI also fielded a doctor at Thiruvananthapuram who now stands at third spot after BJP. There were allegations that his candidature was on ‘payment’ basis. Whatever the truth may be, he had no credibility at all and failed to grab people’s mandate. This is the only seat in Kerala where LDF had a disappointing performance.
Interestingly, CPI(M) leadership is yet open its eyes and understand the truth. Surprisingly, Pinarayi Vijayan, secretary of Kerala unit opines that it is not their fault that minority communities like Muslims and Christians favoured Congress, in order to prevent BJP and Narendra Modi from power. Congress mobilized the minority votes, by portraying Modi as a threat to the secular fabric of the country.
CPI(M) leadership is also not ready to accept its humiliating defeat in West Bengal. The Left parties were almost wiped out in the state, and Mamata Banerji did not see the CPI(M) as her main opponent. Instead of attacking the Left parties she mainly locked horns with BJP as the saffron party was emerging as a threat to her.
This will be obvious after Modi takes the oath and in the next assembly polls. One can see that the position of CPI(M) is more pathetic in the next assembly elections as the party has not true and honest leadership not only in West Bengal and at the national level.
There are no stalwarts like EMS, Harkishen Surjit, A.K. Gopalan and Jyoti Basu, who won the massive popular support. There are no political strategists like EMS in the party. Armchair communism will not yield results in elections. Even Aam Admi Party (AAP) could conquer the mindset of the people of Delhi and they occupy the slot of Left rebellions at least in Delhi and nearby places.
CPI once had won around 80 seats in Andhrapradesh, but having no address in the state in this election. CPI which has been functioning in India from 1920 onwards is now having just one member in the parliament. Their candidate has won the Thrissur seat in Kerala. They had even won 5-10 seats in various elections in Bihar.
Interestingly, Suhashini Ali, who was defeated in Kolkata this time, had once won the Kanpur seat in UP. Even in the midst of Modi wave, they dream for a third front government, which will not happen in India. How parties having diversified interests and targets unite, from a government and govern the country?
How the common man of India will have confidence in such a front ? These are the questions which the common man raises. Unfortunately, instead of analyzing their humiliating defeat with honesty and self criticism, the Left Parties are more active finding faults with the people now. If this is the style of functioning it may extinct Left politics from India in near future.