CPI(M) still divided over alliance with Congress.
The debate over aligning with Congress featured majorly at the ongoing CPI(M) two-day state plenum and party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday said there is need to put up an united fight with all the secular and democratic forces including Congress to resist the terror by ruling TMC.
"We have already made our stand clear that in order to resist the fascist attack of TMC there has to be broadest possible unity of secular and democratic forces. We need to fight along with Congress against these terror tactics and undemocratic methods of forcibly taking over elected bodies," Yechury told reporters. The two-day state plenum began yesterday to assess the situation and find ways to strengthen the party organisation.
It was decided in the plenum that although the Bengal unit will not go into any kind of electoral alliance with CPI(M) but the Marxists will continue joint protest and agitation with Congress throughout the state.
"If we constantly keep doing agitation with Congress it will ensure that we are together through thick and thin and not just for electoral alliance," a senior party leader said.
Several leaders at the plenum have raised questions whether it was ethical for Bengal CPI(M) to align with Congress violating the CPI(M)'s official political line adopted in last party Congress. Pro-alliance CPI(M) leaders have countered it saying that had the CPI(M) not opted for the alliance with Congress, the assembly result would have been much worse and the party score would have come down to single digits.
A large section of Bengal CPI(M) state committee leaders, in presence of the party's top leadership, said in order to fight against the brazen attack of TMC and communal politics of BJP, the broadest possible unity is needed and it cannot be achieved without 'secular' Congress in it. In today's plenum it was also decided that the local committee and zonal committees will be disbanded and a new committee will be formed which will directly report to the district committee.
A final report on how to form such a new committee will be submitted to the state committee within next year June. "This new committee will serve two purposes - one it will ensure that the decision making process speeds up and secondly it will help us to remove inactive members from the party," a senior state secretariat member said.
While discussing the organizational lacunae in the party, leaders at the CPI(M) plenum accepted that the quality of party membership and cadre have dipped significantly over the years. Even CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra and Yechury concurred on this issue. "This tendency needs to be checked," they said.
According to a senior state committee member drawing up of a new set of criteria for selection of new cadres has been discussed at the plenum. "A proper background check should be done regarding family, financial dealings and whether the person has any criminal record. Rotten elements have to be removed from the party," he added.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Sitaram Yechury")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}