The gale-force BJP wind blowing in the recent Lok Sabha elections, that very few people saw coming, has taken a toll of many flagposts, the Congress — the most salient of the lot — only being the most talked about.
But quite possibly the most devastating impact of the rightward shift seen in Indian politics has been registered against the CPI(M)-led Left Front in its stormtrooping base of West Bengal, the state where it had ruled until recently for an uninterrupted 34 years.
Given the nature of India’s national politics, the Congress can hope to return to stronger form, depending on the quality of its own efforts and, no less crucially, on any serious mistakes committed by the present BJP-led ruling dispensation at the Centre. That is not, however, the case with the CPI(M).
The way matters stand in West Bengal, the leading Left party is likely to wobble badly even if Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress loses some of its grip on the state. It is not unlikely that the BJP may thrust ahead to take the CPM’s place as the Trinamul Congress’ main challenger, provided of course that the Modi government at the Centre delivers even half of what it promised.
Perhaps it is an unpleasant vista such as this for the CPM that recently produced the unthinkable. After the election results came out, a posse of party leaders, including an expelled former minister, took out a demonstration near the party’s Alimuddin Street office in Kolkata to protest against the shortsighted policies of the state party leadership as well as party general secretary Prakash Karat and his politburo faction.
At Friday’s meeting of the CPI(M) politburo, Sitaram Yechury is said to have repeated his offer to quit from his exalted position, as if to accept responsibility for the humiliating defeat. Not unexpectedly, the offer was swiftly turned down, with Mr Karat apparently pleading for “collective responsibility” instead of focusing on individuals.
It is evident that only the party’s triennial congress next year can send the present leadership packing. It is not an unreasonable guess that
Mr Yechury’s stand was aimed at goading the general secretary to own up responsibility.
As the CPI(M) is encountering a rapidly shrinking base, its central leadership has been reduced to a sideshow. The party is still doing very well in the small Northeast state of Tripura, and not too badly in Kerala. But the centre cannot hold, thanks to the sectarian, stridently anti-Congress tactical line espoused by Mr Karat, while giving the BJP during the rise of Narendra Modi a relatively easy ride.
