After successive debacles in Lok Sabha and other polls, ideological differences within CPI(M) came to fore with senior leaders on Monday debating reasons for fissures within, after Politburo member Sitaram Yechury moved a note challenging the official document on the political line the party should pursue.
The Central Committee of the party, which began a four-day brain storming session on Sunday, started discussions on the draft political-organisational report which outlines reasons and drawbacks that led to such electoral performance and the internal differences on the tactics to be pursued by CPI(M) in future. The discussion on party organisation was taken up after a section of the almost 100-member CPI(M) panel felt no political-tactical line would work if the organisation was not strong enough, party sources said.
The Central Committee had earlier taken up debate on the official draft political document and a counter moved by Yechury, reflecting differences over how to come out of the political morass. The debate on this issue is likely to be held later, they said. Asked about Yechury's "alternative" note, senior CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia said there was "no alternative note. There is nothing unprecedented about it. There are so many notes which have been moved. Every party member has a right to put forth his or her views in this democratic forum. All views are being discussed here".
Acharia also said the final document emerging out of this debate would "represent all the views" and the party Congress, slated in April 2015, would take a final decision. Another CPI(M) leader said, "We are discussing different political lines and there is nothing individual as is being focussed by the media." At the Central Committee meeting, Yechury had placed a five-page report which is understood to be supportive of the line adopted at the CPI(M)'s Jalandhar Congress in 1978.
As per this line, CPI(M) was to take the lead in forming broad non-Congress, anti-BJP forum of secular, democratic parties. Apparently, it blames the faulty implementation of this line over the last decade, during the tenure of General Secretary Prakash Karat, for the drastic decline in CPI(M)'s national strength.
The overwhelming feeling in the ideological battle behind closed doors now is that the fight against the "right-wing offensive" has to be met by a more united and strengthened Left, with CPI(M) rallying all Left forces to create a broad platform to fight neo-liberal policies, communalism and imperialism through united stand and joint activities. Once the draft is finalised, it would be open for debate among all the rungs of the party -- from the lowest ground- level branches to state committees, over the next four-five months. The final draft, along with amendments moved by any member during this process, would be placed before the party Congress to be held at Visakhapatnam in April next year for adoption. The party Congress would also see Karat handing over the mantle to a new General Secretary at the end of his term.
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