Hyderabad: CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday said that he would be replaced at the party’s 21st congress to be held at Visakhapatnam in April.
“The general secretary will change because our constitution provides for only three terms for a secretary at any level,” he said.
Mr Karat said that many of state secretaries who completed three terms had been replaced at state conferences.
“When the (new) central committee is elected, there will be a new general secretary. Who it will be is up to the new central committee and the party congress,” Mr Karat said.
Mr Karat, who is here to participate in the CPM’s central committee meeting. was speaking to media at Pragatinagar. He also launched the party’s “Intintiki CPM (CPM at every house)” programme at HMT Colony here.
The names of Mr B.V. Raghavulu, Sitaram Yechury and S.R. Pillai were doing the rounds as the possible successor to Mr Karat; however, Mr Raghavulu has reportedly opted out. Mr Karat dismissed reports of differences within the party.
When asked about CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy’s suggestion regarding the merger of Communist parties, Mr Karat said the matter was not on the agenda at the Hyderabad conference. He, however, favoured a broad unity among Left parties on people’s issues.
The committee on the second day of its Hyderabad meeting adopted a draft review report on the political tactical line.
The draft political resolution is expected to be adopted on Wednesday. Both of them will be discussed at the Visakhapatnam meeting.
To a question on whether the party had identified the reasons for the electoral setbacks last year, Mr Karat said a report was being prepared on the subject.
In the draft political resolution, the CPM alleged that with the BJP coming to power at the Centre, the stage was set for a “right-wing offensive comprising an aggressive pursuit of neo-liberal policy and a full-scale attempt by the RSS-led Hindutva forces to advance communal agenda.”
It condemned steps to curtail the MNREGA, cuts in expenditure on the health and education, and four-fold increase in excise duty which prevents the benefit of falling oil prices from reaching the consumer.
Mr Karat asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu not to establish the capital in prime agricultural lands following protests from farmers.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, he said Mr Narendra Modi was backing corporates and bigwigs. Mr Karat said the party along with other Left parties would stage countrywide protests against the visit of US President Barak Obama to India on January 24.
