First it was the minorities and the peasant voters. Now, Left parties in West Bengal, especially the CPI(M), are witnessing a substantial dip in affection among students.
KOLKATA: First it was the minorities and the peasant voters. Now, Left parties in West Bengal, especially the CPI(M), are witnessing a substantial dip in affection among students — hitherto one of the strongest communists bastions.
The trend is evident after successive defeats of the party’s student wing, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in the elections in a number of universities and educational institutions across the state.
Straws in the wind point the same way. An internal CPI(M) review on the debacle in the recent panchayat polls has revealed that student voters, CPI(M) supporters since 1977, are changing their political affiliations in a big way now.
The party’s internal review blamed this on the arrogance that has creeped in among SFI leaders and their tendency of being incommunicado to the public.
According to the political observers, year after year, the SFI got elected unopposed in a majority of educational institutions and universities as in many cases federation leaders used pressure tactics to restrain opposition representatives from filing nominations. “This made the SFI leaders in Bengal totally complacent and they never tried to feel the pulse of the students. That is why the SFI did not have the slightest idea of the growing opposition to them. So it faced shocking defeats in all recent elections,” a senior political analyst said.
To stem the damage, the party has decided to thoroughly streamline the mode of functioning of the SFI as well as reshuffle it rank and file.
Under the new norms, no individual can hold a post in the SFI five years after completing his educational career. At the same time, the CPI(M) leadership will instruct SFI leaders to interact with students in general as ordinary students’ representatives rather than representatives of a union backed by the ruling party.
r_sumanta@dnaindia.net
){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}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}