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CPI-M steadily going down in Maharashtra politics, says Solapur MLA Narsayya Adam 'Master'

The state which produced stalwarts like SA Dange, Godavari and Shamrao Parulekar, BT Randive and SS Mirajkar today has just one representative in the assembly – Solapur MLA Narsayya Adam 'Master'.

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Narsayya Adam (Image credit: mahacpim.in)
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The robust grassroots support for its labour unions notwithstanding, CPI-M has seen a steady decline in Maharashtra politics.

The state which produced stalwarts like SA Dange, Godavari and Shamrao Parulekar, BT Randive and SS Mirajkar today has just one representative in the assembly – Solapur MLA Narsayya Adam 'Master'.

Speaking to Dhaval Kulkarni, Adam, who is known for his base in Solapur's bidi workers for whom he executed a housing project, admitted that he had a tough task at hand with regard to stemming the downfall of Left in Maharashtra.

Edited excerpts:

Q: What are your priorities?
The priority is to strengthen the party organisation. There are many issues in Maharashtra which we will focus on. This includes the proposed land acquisition act which will destroy farmers, the state's plans to dilute labour laws for its 'Make in Maharashtra' campaign, which will eventually throw workers into slavery, the bull slaughter ban, which will affect around 30 lakh people and the demand to include the Dhangar community in the scheduled tribes category, which will hurt adivasis. We will also fight for rights of powerloom workers, bidi workers and the unorganised sector.

Q: The youth, which once formed a strong catchment for the Left, are seen slipping away...
We will strengthen the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) to attract the youth. In a couple of years, you will witness a perceptible change with thousands of youth flocking to us in Mumbai and Maharashtra. Youngsters are depressed due to issues like joblessness and are also in the throes of consumerism. We will try to wean them away from it.

Q: Though the Left enjoys a strong social base, it fails to encash this support in the elections. Why?
The people and workers are divided on grounds of caste and religion. Muslims have shifted to the AIMIM, Hindus to the Shiv Sena and BJP and the Congress and NCP fight elections based on their money power. It is not possible to win polls without organising and creating political awareness among the youth. For instance, we have a turnout of around 40,000 for our morchas, but get just 15,000 votes! We will also expand among women for success.

Q: After Dr Narendra Dabholkar's unsolved murder, CPI leader Govindrao Pansare was killed in broad daylight. His killers too are yet to be traced...
They were people reputed in the country and had fought against religious obscurantists. This hurt Hindutva hardliners who had them killed. The BJP and Shiv Sena government, which believes in this (Hindutva) ideology has come to power. How honestly they will look for the killers is a question. We will try to zero-down on the culprits based on the strength of the people. We will unite the people to create such a movement that the hands of the government will be forced.

Q: Has the Left's class-based praxis fallen short of reconciling itself to caste-based realities in Indian society?
This is the biggest challenge before us. The people are divided on grounds of caste and religion, and only see temporary gains. We will need to create class-consciousness in them.

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