I read carefully the article written by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy under the title Lessons from Bihar. As usual he attempted to shower allegations on CPM and other leftist parties.
Chandy has raised mainly three charges. One, CPM did not join the Grand Alliance formed in Bihar to defeat communal fascism. By contesting on their own, leftist parties helped BJP in Bihar.
Of the 53 seats that BJP won, the secular front lost more than 10 seats because leftist parties contested separately. BJP won in Chainpur and Pipra assembly constituencies, where CPM contested, because secular votes got split. This shows that the time has come for secular forces to come together and drop the blind hatred towards Congress. Two, CPM supported the Morarji Desai ministry in 1977 and the V.P. Singh ministry in 1989 along with BJP. Three, leftist parties joined BJP and voted against the first UPA government in parliament.
Chandy’s argument that the secular front lost more than 10 seats in Bihar because leftist parties contested on their own and indirectly helped BJP is not valid. The criticism that he raised against leftist parties can be raised against the grand alliance too. If the Grand Alliance had supported leftist parties in these constituencies, BJP could have been defeated.
Leftist parties contested in Bihar as an independent block on the basis of clear political policies. What BJP and Congress, political parties of the ruling class, along with regional parties and corporates are trying is to polarise Indian political forces into a communal fascist alliance that implements anti-people neo-liberal economic policies on one side, and a secular alliance that enforces similar policies on the other side.
CPM and leftist parties do not like political forces in India parting into two camps that have pledged to implement neo-liberal economic policies. Such polarisation is not helpful for the progress of broader alliances forming among workers and farming community against these policies. Such a schism will lead to the return of communal fascist forces like in 2014. CPM does not believe that BJP’s growth can be prevented by forming alliances with Congress and regional political parties. Two decades of political developments in India since 1996 make this clear.
Chandy’s claim that the Grand Alliance lost more than 10 seats in Bihar because leftist parties contested separately is an exaggerated one. Of the 243 constituencies, except in Banmankhi, Chanpatia, Goh, Jale and Pipra, nowhere else BJP can be defeated by giving only leftist parties’ votes to the grand alliance. In other constituencies where BJP won, the Grand Alliance’s votes will exceed that of BJP only if the votes of all other candidates are transferred to it. Even if that is done, BJP cannot be defeated in some rare constituencies.
CPM supported Morarji Desai government in 1977 to end the emergency declared by Indira Gandhi and to restore democratic rights and people’s liberty. When the Morarji ministry turned into a cabinet that relied only on Jan Sangh members, CPM withdrew its support in July 1979. In 1989, CPM supported V.P. Singh government on the condition that BJP should be kept away from the Union cabinet.
Another criticism of Chandy is that CPM voted in Parliament to bring down the first UPA government. How did the first UPA government come into power? That happened only because of the support of more than 60 leftist members in Parliament. Leftist parties decided to support the formation of a government led by a party defeated by us to attain the goal of keeping BJP away from power.
Leftist parties withdrew support to the UPA after the Union government decided to violate the common minimum programme, sign a nuclear deal by succumbing to the United States, and implement neo-liberal economic policies by allying with BJP. No one has forgotten that Congress and BJP cooperated during the term of the first and second UPA governments to implement anti-people economic liberalisation policies.
The people of Bihar have enthusiastically supported leftist parties’ efforts to fight against communalism and liberalisation policies. Today leftist parties are trying to broaden this support of the people and bring together forces that are against communalism and neo-liberalisation at the all-India level.
(The writer is a member of CPM politburo)
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