CPM panel blames loss on 3rd front plan

The idea of a Third Front got a thumbs down from the CPM central committee which is meeting in New Delhi. Party members said the idea was one of the major reasons for the CPM’s worst electoral defeat in 32 years.

The meeting had been called to find reasons for the party’s dismal performance. The state-level meet of the Bengal unit had already blamed the Third Front plan for the Left’s wipeout.

Several members spoke out against the hasty manner in which alliances were patched up, confusing voters and leading to a near wipe out of the all the constituents. “It was the decision of the party congress in March 2008 to pursue a third alternative, but the way it panned out was more of a cut paste job,” a member of the central committee said.

While the CPM’s official line was that the decision to pursue a third alternative was a collective one, endorsed by the party congress, it’s general secretary Prakash Karat received the maximum flak. “He was at the forefront of this policy,” a senior leader said.
Infighting in the Kerala unit was also discussed on Sunday with supporters of chief minister V S Achyutanandan and party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan arguing that the other should step down. When an Achyutanandan supporter pointed out the party’s stand asking Lalu Prasad to step down as Bihar chief minister after being implicated in the fodder scam, Pinarayi supporters said the example did not apply since the party’s state secretary did not occupy a “constitutional post”. “The matter has ended with the understanding that if one steps down, the other will also resign to maintain peace in the Kerala unit,” a senior CPI(M) member said.

Lalgrh also occupied centrestage. Party MPs will write to the PM requesting him not to allow Trinamool to take advantage of the situation.