Dazed CPM sees the light: Third Front not ‘credible nor viable’

In its first formal admission that its pre-poll strategy of which CPM general secretary Prakash Karat was the chief architect....

In its first formal admission that its pre-poll strategy of which CPM general secretary Prakash Karat was the chief architect was a failure,the CPM Politburo today admitted that the Third Front was seen as neither credible nor viable.

After an eight-hour meeting yesterday,where leaders from West Bengal were said to attributed their rout to the Third Front fancy and the decision to withdraw support to the UPA,the Politburo decided to share the blame saying state-specific factors were also responsible for the defeat.

Clearly,the idea was to protect each other in this hour of crisis. In a fine balancing act,it did not name the Third Front but admitted: The Left parties had allied with certain non-Congress,non-BJP parties in various states. This was required so that a secular electoral alternative emerged. However,these alliances forged in some states on the eve of the elections were not seen by the people as a credible and viable alternative at the national level.

The Politburos assessment was that the Third Front failed to emerge as a serious player and it could not attract the secular and anti-BJP votes. The Congress party also gained more support amongst the minorities and sections of secular minded people who were keen to ensure that the BJP does not make a comeback, the Politburo said.

This was in stark contrast to Karats statements,days before the counting,that the Third Front would form the government. Less than a month ago,he wrote: Contrary to what the Congress and the BJP hoped would be a contest between the two parties and their respective allies,the coming together of the non-Congress,non-BJP parties are challenging both the Congress and the BJP in a number of states. Even after the rout,the CPM said that it would continue its cooperation with the non-Congress,non-BJP secular parties.

Ironically,the Politburo statement came when the Third Front is rapidly melting away: its pivot,Mayawati,announced unconditional support to the Congress; the JD(S) is gearing up to join the government. The BJD had sent feelers to the Congress but with its numbers secure in the state has said it will do no business with it. The TDP and AIAMDK are silent by virtue of their poor performance in the elections.

With elections in Kerala and West Bengal barely two years away,the Politburo accepted that state-specific factors played a role,alluding to the infighting in Kerala,the Singur land acquisition mess and the violence unleashed by CPM cadres in Nandigram.

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The serious reverses suffered by the CPM and the Left parties in West Bengal and Kerala are of deep concern…There should be a serious examination of the reasons for these reverses. Both national and state specific factors are responsible for the poor performance, the Politburo said.

The consensus was that no individual should be blamed for the debacle. So Karat will stay on as will West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. A self-critical review will be conducted by the concerned state committees and the Central Committee which should form the basis for corrective steps. The party will make all out efforts to regain the support and confidence of those sections of the people who have been alienated, the PB concluded.

The Politburo had some salve for its wounds. It claimed that what helped the Congress were measures like the NREGA,the Forest Tribal Act and other social welfare measures pushed through under Left pressure.