For Sitaram Yechury, CPM general secretary newly elected in a rare, divided contest, the challenges ahead are national as well as regional, the elevation having come with the party at perhaps its weakest ever.
Nationally, the CPM has just nine members in the Lok Sabha and keeping it relevant, party leaders say, will be the biggest challenge for Yechury, whose interventions as a Rajya Sabha member have helped the party retain a voice in Parliament in spite of its low numbers. Often described as more flexible with Marxist dogma than many of his comrades, Yechury will also have to preside over an organisational overhaul of the party later this year.
Among the states, the CPM remains in power only in Tripura, is in opposition in Kerala and is struggling in West Bengal, its bastion until recently, and where Yechury is faced with the task of rescuing the party from the threat of oblivion.
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With Bengal headed for polls in 2016, Yechury’s new team faces the task of dealing with a sense of disillusionment among party cadres. The CPM today faces not only a firmly entrenched Trinamool Congress but also a rising BJP. Even if it upstages the BJP in the Kolkata municipal polls and finishes second, it is in a shambles at the grassroots across Bengal. Dropping membership will be another of Yechury’s concerns — state sectretary Biman Bose recently reported a drop of 40,000 members, including that of whole-timers by a third.
What can work in Yechury’s favour is that Bengal leaders identify with him. It is the other way round in Kerala, where the official faction identifies him with rebel leader V S Achuthanandan. And Kerala too heads for assembly elections next year.
Though Yechury is being projected as the CPM’s young face, the BJP has started to connect with the youth in Kerala. As in Bengal, he will have to address the erosion of the party’s support base in Kerala. Another challenge will be to bring back constituents such as RSP and Janata Dal that exited the Left Democratic Front during Prakash Karat’s time.
Within the party, Yechuri will need to win over the confidence of the dominant faction, which wanted S Ramachandran Pillai as the new secretary, even as he maintains his closeness with V S Achuthanandan.
In other states, an old challenge has been creating a base in the Hindi-speaking belt, the absence of which has confined the CPM to only three states. Yechury has underlined the need to look beyond just class politics and understand the importance of fighting both economic and social oppression. The party’s political organisation report concludes there is a decline in the mass base; expanding its political influence and increasing its organisational strength will be the challenge.
Another serious challenge facing the party is expanding its base not just geographically but across sections of society, particularly the youth. The party has admitted it has failed to attract youth, both as members and as a voting constituency. While Yechury has the advantage of being popular, the challenge of getting the youth to engage with the party comes at a crucial juncture, with the BJP and even the Aam Aadmi Party emerging the preferred options for younger voters.
THE ‘BENGAL LINE’
By: Subrata Nagchoudhury
Sitaram Yechury, a Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal for two terms, has long been known as someone who went with the moderate “Bengal ideological line” in the CPM. Insiders say a number of central committee members from Bengal, Tripura and a section of Kerala comrades put their weight behind Yechury. Gautam Deb, central committee member, said: “I don’t understand either the Bengal line or the Kerala line, but Yechury’s appointment comes as good news for the party in West Bengal.” And Somnath Chatterjee, expelled during Prakash Karat’s tenure, said, “The new team will bring in a breath of fresh air. Yechury is far more acceptable to all quarters than anyone else.”
VS CONNECTION
By: Shaju Philip
The official faction of the Kerala CPM was reportedly looking forward to the election of S R Pillai. Yechury’s elevation, some leaders fear, will give elbow room to V S Achuthanandan, who has been running the risk of being removed since he walked out of a recent state conference. Because Yechury is seen as soft to VS, many in the official CPM might be uncomfortable about seeking action against VS for indiscipline. During Prakash Karat’s tenure, Kerala leaders often had their way with the central leadership. For Yechury, a challenge will be getting VS to sail along with the state unit.
Sitaram Yechury addresses the CPM party congress in Visakhapatnam on Sunday after being elected general secretary.(Source: PTI)
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