West Bengal comrades dared Politburo

THIRUVANANTHPURAM: A section of top CPM leaders from Bengal had suggested dissolution of state committee and replacing it with a steering committee comprising PB members to run organisational activities.  The reaction came in the wake of sharp criticism of West Bengal unit's decision to ally with the Congress in the recent Assembly polls.

The Bengal comrades wanted the PB members to manage party activities from the line of firing in Bengal to feel the heat personally.  Sources said leaders like Mohammad Salim, Surjaykanta Mishra pointed out that for political tactical line to be implemented, the party needs to exist on the ground and stay alive.

With 176 CPM workers being murdered in five years and nine after the polls, the party workers were carrying out organisational activities at the cost of their lives, they pointed out.  The Bengal comrades criticised a section of PB members saying that it was easy to criticise sitting in Delhi.

But facing the murderous onslaught in ground zero was a different ball game. They defended the tie-up with the Congress saying that it was in line with the party's call for broader possible unity of democratic forces against TMC.  They said the party in West Bengal was being decimated systematically by the TMC using muscle power. 

In the face of such brute violence, the party needed the support of parties like Congress. Congress which contested 92 seats and won 44, is a major force in three districts. At the moment the Left Front needs the support of Congress mainly in Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda and also floor coordination in Assembly.

Though the Left front won only 32 seats of the 199 seats it contested, it could secure 25.9 per cent votes.   The Bengal comrades point out that the CPM had lost miserably in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Assam and many other states. In such a situation, the central leadership will have to stand by the state unit to stage a come back.

It was to avert the decimation of the party in Bengal that the central committee chose to call the deviation as “not in consonance” and not “violation” of the political tactical line  adopted by Vishakhapatnam Party Congress of not having any understanding or tieup up with Congress.