Opinion Unapologetic CPM

Karat says the defeat had led to a barrage of anti-Left propaganda in the corporate media against the CPM. The results were being portrayed as a catastrophe from which the party could not recover,the ideology of the Communist parties was declared anachronistic,and it was said that the verdict pointed to the irrelevance of socialism and Marxism worldwide. “That these are patently false assertions can be understood by the fact that the fall of the Soviet Union had no material impact on the CPM. In fact,in the 1990s,the party grew and developed stronger,both in Bengal and Kerala. As far as ideology is concerned,the CPM draws on the theory and practice of Marxism by creatively applying it to Indian conditions. This is not a static position but one which evolves constantly,” he says.

Karat says another form of attack is to slander the entire record of the Left Front and portray the CPM \as an authoritarian force. He says that the CPM and the Left won between 45 to 50 per cent of the vote in all previous elections. “The vilification of the CPM cadres,painting them as despotic and corrupt is a motivated effort to disarm the party,as it is its dedicated and selfless cadres who are the backbone of the organisation,” he says.

Introspective CPI

The CPI,on the other hand,is of the opinion that while there will be a thorough review of the reasons that led to the Left’s electoral defeat,there are certain aspects that need immediate attention. “There are the basic issues of our connectivity with the masses,the transparency in administration,arrogance of power and to a certain extent,the corruption that has crept in our outfits at different levels on which the Left needs to introspect,since the very masses that supported us all these 30 years are getting disenchanted,” says the editorial in CPI journal New Age.

It says that certain segments of the electorate shifted sides and the most obvious shift is in the Muslim community that constitutes 27 per cent of theBengal electorate. “Even after voting against the Left Front,an ordinary Muslim will be ready to swear that it is only the Communists whose commitment to secularism can not be questioned. But then,the security of life and property that the Left Front government has provided… is not enough. Like others,they too need to share benefits of developments… Unfortunately,the Left Front,despite repeated reminders by partners like the CPI,ignored their urge for basic requirements like education,public health and employment. This is one area that needs to be tackled,not when we come back to power,but in our total approach ,” it says.

The editorial adds that the Left Front has to be more transparent and democratic in its functioning so that the opinion of all partners,big or small,are given due importance. “Constituents’ participation should reflect the ground reality of their influence. Big brotherly attitude will continue to harm the Left Front as well as the people.”

Compiled by Manoj C.G.