NEW RED LINE
provided an alternative ,” explains political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty .
Now that the rampaging behemoth the Trinamool has grown to be is bent on extirpating Left influence in Bengal , the CPI ( M ) has been trying to re-unite with the Congress in order to make a stand and fight and , if possible , regain lost ground . The defeat of Yechury ’ s line in the January central committee meeting was a big blow to this plan . Its votaries now rejoice at the changes brought at the party congress . “ A course correction has taken place ,” Deb reiterates . “ But we have also wasted a lot of time .” He will not clarify whether he refers to the defeat of the Left in Tripura after the resolution in Calcutta , but he says that “ democratic and secular parties should unite without any more dilly-dallying ; otherwise it will be difficult to fight the BJP ’ s aggressive advance , far less stamp it out of power .”
FOR a particular section of the Bengal CPI ( M ), the Hyderabad party congress was a ‘ do or die ’ affair . “ We were sure of what we wanted . The option of keeping our door open for the Congress was high on our agenda ,” says a former CPI ( M ) MP , adding that “ even a split in the party was being discussed if the hard line taken by the central committee in Calcutta was not softened ”.
The issue of whether the CPI ( M ) would stick to its political resolution vis-a-vis the Congress became a key focus of the party congress not just for the sake of the party ’ s unity , but because many members felt it would determine the course of regional and national politics . If the saffron tide in Bengal has to be stemmed , they argued , ‘ democratic and secular ’ forces have to unite .
Party members do not confirm if the debacle in Tripura prompted the rethink , but when the steering committee recommended the amendment , the hardliners didn ’ t put up a fight .
In the amended political draft , the words “ without having an understanding with the Congress Party ” was removed , though the phrase “ without having a political alliance with the Congress Party ” was retained . This was felt to be a ‘ middle of the road ’ app roach which , without compromising the ideological or economic position , did not rule out working with other secular parties in order to fight communalism .
Importantly , the subtle change in line is also being seen in the light of the socalled rift between 65-year-old Yechury and influential ideologue Prakash Karat , 70 . Just as the central committee ’ s approval of the earlier political draft was being called a loss for Yechury , some analysts are terming the current changes a defeat for former general secretary Karat , who strongly advocates the party ’ s working independently , without the Congress .
Party insiders , however , deny any rift . CPI ( M ) MP , politburo and central committee member , Mohammed Salim told
“ The Congress-CPI ( M ) alliance in 2016 was premature . We ’ ve to work to gain people ’ s trust and be credible ,” says Mohammed Salim .
Mohammed Salim Nilotpal Basu
“ The Congress and the CPI ( M ) are working together to stand up to bloodshed and anarchy over panchayat polls ,” says Nilotpal Basu .
Outlook , “ There is no truth to reports of a rift between individual members .... There are diverse views and strong opinions , but the party congress in Hyderabad proved that ... though there are heated exchanges and arguments , in the end we speak with a unified voice .” Salim also said that while the party ’ s decision on the Congress was important , it was not the sole agenda : “ It was our party congress and not a congress of the Congress Party ”.
Indeed , the party congress also ushe red in a new central committee and Politburo and re-elected general secretary Yechury to a second term amidst speculation about the split between hardliners and moderates of the Bengal unit , who support him . According to experts , the CPI ( M )’ s Bengal unit stands firmly behind Yechury . “ This is because of his pro-Congress stance ,” explains political commentator Tarun Ganguly . But he adds that the CPI ( M ) politburo and central committee , in spite of the revision in posture , are still reported to be “ tipped in favour of the Prakash Karat line ”.
Truth be told , the Bengal CPI ( M )’ s not strictly adhering to the party line and hobnobbing with other parties have come in for criticism earlier from ideological purists . In an earlier interview to Outlook , former Left minister and CPI ( M ) veteran Ashok Mitra expressed concern that the party was “ fighting against the Congress for 30 days of the month and supporting it in some issue on the 31st . ( He was specifically referring to the CPI-M ’ s support for Pranab Mukherjee as a presidential can di date )”. This , Mitra had said , led the party away from a path of people ’ s movements based on specific principles and ideologies .
However , the just-concluded party congress is supposed to have inducted more supporters of the Yechury camp . Of the 95 members of the central committee , 19 are new entries ; at least half of them are said to belong to the Yechury camp . And newly-elected Politburo members from Bengal include ‘ moderates ’ like Tapan Sen and Nilotpal Basu .
Speaking to Outlook , Basu explains that the Hyderabad party congress rev iewed the last three years and charted the party ’ s political course for the next three . On how far Bengal will be imp acted by the political resolution and whether it will make a significant difference , Basu says , “ The upcoming Panchayat polls and the bloodshed over filing of nominations are indication that democracy is under attack in this state . Congress and CPI ( M ) have already been working together to stand up to such anarchy .”
And the damp squib that was the ‘ unified ’ Congress-CPI ( M ) front in the 2016 assembly elections ? Mohammed Salim explains , “ That was too close to the elections . It was premature . We have to work together in order to gain the trust of the people and to be credible .”
Mistakes have to be learnt from , not dwelt upon obsessively . This time around , Bengal ’ s comrades trust on astute planning for the new political draft to be a game-changer for Bengal in the near future . O
32 OUTLOOK 7 May 2018