Sitaram Yechury will arrest the CPM decline, bring in fresh air: Somnath Chatterjee
Chatterjee showered praises saying, “Yechury was far more acceptable to all quarters than anyone else."
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury at the party’s 21st National Congress in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. (Source: PTI Photo)
Somnath Chatterjee, a former communist and Speaker of the Lok Sabha during the Congress led UPA- II government on Sunday welcomed the unanimous appointment of Sitaram Yechury as the new all India general secretary of the party.
“The new team will bring in a breath of fresh air,” said Chatterjee who was expelled from the CPM by the politburo when Prakash Karat was the party general secretary over the civil nuclear issue and Chatterjee’s reluctance to step down from the post of the Speaker at the diktat of the party politburo in July 2008.
Talking to the Indian Express, the former Speaker said, “I am no more in the party. But I continue to be a well wisher of the Communist party. I have seen the new formation of the committee with induction of new faces into the politburo as well as the central committee.
It is an important day for the CPM party which should now be breathing in some fresh air. There should be much enthusiasm and an open minded approach to deal with the problems that the CPM party is facing,” said Chatterjee.
Referring to Sitaram Yechury’s appointment, Chatterjee showered praises saying,“Yechury was far more acceptable to all quarters than anyone else. He had the political acumen to deal with varied political outfits and personalities and had the political maturity to lead the party to greater heights.
He would be truly a cementing factor in the party and bring in positivity. People in general would find in him a vastly acceptable leader.”
“Unfortunately, the CPM party had landed into a political quicksand of steady decline. It had fallen into a vicious circle of stagnation and status quo. I congratulate Yechury on his nomination to this new post along with the new team members like young and enterprising Md. Salim and experienced Hannan Mollah who had the capability to bring in the much needed changes in the party,” said Chatterjee.
Sadly, the Left movement in the country had become very weak and there was no one who could have communicated with the working class, the peasants and farmers. “The CPM’s acceptability and credibility had suffered severe erosions during the earlier period. The new committee will definitely be able to arrest that slide and bring in positive changes,” said Chatterjee. “There is new hope,” he added.
A comrade for over 40 years, Chattejee’s ouster from the CPM had caused serious repercussions in the West Bengal CPM with top most state leaders disapproving of the action.
Late Subhas Chakravarty- the West Bengal sport and youth minister was one who had come out openly against the decision and had invited censures for his criticism of the politburo. There were other senior leaders in Bengal who were by his side and for long fought within the party for Chatterjee’s re-induction into the CPM.
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