Kannur: The draft political organisational report to be presented at the 23rd Party Congress of the CPM which began in Kerala's Kannur on Wednesday says the party members have failed to recognize that their main enemy is the BJP. This observation in the draft report, which will be presented by CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, is deemed to be a warning to the Kerala unit of the party.
To stress the point, the report points out that the vigorous attack launched by the party against Trinamool Congress in West Bengal during the last Assembly elections ignoring the threat posed by the BJP had been disastrous for the CPM.
Bengal, Tripura situations
The CPM is in a pathetic condition in Bengal, says the report. “For the first time since Independence, there isn’t even one party legislator,” it says.
According to the report, the Bengal unit of the CPM wrongly considered the BJP-Trinamool confrontations as a staged drama. As a result, the CPM did not launch a severe campaign against the BJP. This created a perception that the CPM had diluted its stand in favour of secularism, explains the report.
Similarly, in Tripura, the CPM failed to gauge the rapid growth of the BJP-RSS before the 2018 Assembly elections.
Advice to Kerala unit
The report also advises party members in Kerala to desist from displaying arrogance and high-handedness in view of the resounding victory in last year’s Assembly elections, which ensured another term for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.
Party members hold responsible positions in the Cabinet, Assembly, local bodies and cooperative sector. They should earn the trust of the people through their conduct. They have to act independently, without being authoritative. The cadre too should be considerate towards the people, says the report.
BJP’s widening influence
Another observation in the report says the CPM activists have not been able to realize the growing influence of the RSS among the people as a result of the eight-year rule of the BJP at the Centre. In states where BJP is weak, the CPM considers the ruling party there as the main enemy, adds the report.
Many CPM leaders and members believe BJP could be cornered by raising issues affecting the common man and the Centre’s economic policy. However, they are yet to recognize the widespread influence of Hindutva ideology which is wrapped in extreme patriotism.
Delegates meet begins
The delegates' meet of the Party Congress began on Wednesday morning with politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai hoisting the party flag. Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury inaugurted the meet.
The party flag was hoisted on Tuesday at Jawahar Stadium, the venue of the Party Congress, by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also the chairman of the organising committee. Kannur, which has the highest number of party members, is hosting the Party Congress for the first time. While the flag was brought from Vayalar, the pole on which it was hoisted arrived from Kayyur.
