CPI’s wisdom after the loss: need absence of arrogance in Left leaders

Several National Executive members who declined to be quoted criticised party general secretary A B Bardhan for blindly toeing the line taken by the CPI(M) and its general secretary Prakash Karat before the elections.

They said the CPI “leadership” (read Bardhan) played into the hands of the CPM on the question of the Third Front,and failed to assert itself in Kerala and West Bengal where the big brother “dictated” terms.

The Third Front,the CPI said,was not seen by voters “as (a) viable,stable and realistic alternative”.

CPI leaders from Kerala said the LDF’s electoral adjustments with the PDP,forged mainly at the instance of CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan,played a major role in the rout as it alienated both secular and Hindu voters and the moderates within the Muslim community. The CPI drew a blank in Kerala.

The leaders said the CPI central leadership should have taken up the Kerala unit’s opposition to the PDP alliance with their CPM counterparts in Delhi.

The CPM,they said,was “arrogant” in its dealings with allies. “We followed the agenda set by the CPM. We were humiliated. We were forced to take another seat instead of Ponnani. Besides the differences within the LDF,the problems in the CPM also went against us,” a senior Kerala leader said after the meeting.

“Had the central leadership put enough pressure on the CPM,the alliance (with the PDP) would have been off… PDP is clearly a communal outfit and the CPM should have realized this. Our leadership also remained a mute spectator,” he told The Indian Express.

National Executive member Atul Kumar Anjaan referred to the problems within the Kerala CPM as having contributed to the defeat.

“The Kerala chief minister’s relation with some of his party leaders is well known. The problems within the CPM have not been seen in good light. As far as West Bengal is concerned,the whole approach on Singur and Nandigram cost us dearly,” Anjaan said.

Another senior leader echoed the point about Nandigram and Singur: “There were differences in the Left Front and there should have been discussions to ensure better coordination. The CPM kept saying it was a state issue and we kept quiet,” the leader said.