scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomePoliticsCPI(M)’s crucial Party Congress begins amid ‘split’ in the party

CPI(M)’s crucial Party Congress begins amid ‘split’ in the party

Follow Us :
Text Size:

The question whether there should be any poll pact with Congress created a sharp divide between general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his predecessor Prakash Karat. 

New Delhi: The 22nd Party Congress of the CPI(M) that began in Hyderabad Wednesday is set to debate the political line the party should adopt, an issue which created a sharp divide between general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his predecessor Prakash Karat.

The Party Congress, which takes place once in three years, is the highest decision making body of the CPI(M). Besides adopting a political, tactical line for the party, the Congress also elects a general secretary, nominates its politburo — the highest committee of the party — and names the central committee.

This Party Congress would have otherwise been a relatively mundane affair, given Yechury was elected only in the last Congress and would have been due for a second term this time as the party constitution has a term limit of three full terms for the general secretary. However, an open split between Karat and Yechury has put the spotlight on this five-day affair that will conclude Sunday.

The Party Congress also comes at a time when the CPI(M) is at its politically and electorally worst phase, with just nine members in the Lok Sabha, and having recently lost Tripura — one of its last remaining bastions.

The divide

The divide in the party is over the question of whether there should be any electoral alliance or understanding with the Congress. In the central committee meet held in January, Yechury’s line was defeated by a vote of 31 versus 55, with the committee adopting the draft resolution backed by Karat that ruled out any understanding with the Congress whatsoever.

The party’s West Bengal unit strongly backs Yechury’s line and feels the option of an understanding with the Congress must be left open.

In the powerful 16-member politburo, as many as 11 oppose Yechury’s line, making his position weak.

The reasons

The faction supporting an understanding with the Congress is of the view that it is the BJP which is the primary enemy and to defeat it, all “secular” forces, including the Congress, must come together.

This argument, however, might hold little water given the West Bengal unit’s decision to ally with the Congress in the 2016 assembly polls boomeranged with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress winning 211 of the 294 seats, the CPI(M)-led Left Front managing just 28 seats, less than the 44 won by the Congress.

Those who oppose this line believe an alliance between the Congress and Left to defeat BJP does not make sense because the Left anyway isn’t relevant in key regions — north, central, western India, and where the Left is relevant, either BJP isn’t even its primary enemy or Congress has a massively reduced base. In Kerala for instance, it is the Congress which is the main rival for the Left.

In Tripura, while the BJP has now clearly emerged as the main party, it has done so by completely co-opting Congress there, which means that for the Left an alliance with Congress, which now has barely 1.5 per cent vote there, makes little sense.

The West Bengal faction believes that the TMC, given its strong position, will try to co-opt the Congress ultimately, leaving the CPI(M) in a difficult spot.

The Party Congress

With numbers stacked against him, it looks less likely that Yechury’s line in its current form can prevail. If his line is defeated, many in the party wonder whether it would become untenable for him to continue. If he does choose to step down, it could even lead to a split with the West Bengal unit heading out.

Party sources, however, say the CPI(M) leadership will want to avoid such a bitter fight and may come up with “some kind of a middle path”.

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular