CPM comrades to adopt pracharak role
Thiruvananthapuram: Having suffered the worst electoral defeat in its history, the CPM is all set to go on a mission mode across the country to revive the organisation.
The party is planning to deploy cadre from strongholds like Kerala in states where the organisation is weak. Comrades from Kerala. Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, West Bengal and Tripura would be given organisational responsibilities in other parts of the country including northern region.
Sources said about 1000 cadre would be drawn from Kerala alone for the exclusive organisational work. The experience of comrades from strong states will be utilized for mobilizing and strengthening party's traditional base - workers, peasants and agricultural workers.
There is widespread anger and disenchantment among poor peasants, farm workers and people in unorganised sectors because of Modi Government's policies. The party believes this anger needs to be channelised in organising mass movements and build the party, leaders said.
With BJP and RSS effectively using their pracharaks across the country to strengthen organisation and boost electoral prospects, many believe the opposition parties too will have to adopt a similar strategy to counter their moves.
The BJP had effectively used organisers like Ajay Jamwal from Himachal Pradesh and Suil Deodhar from Maharashtra who camped in Tripura to chart the historic victory.
Same goes with many other states where the RSS pracharaks had camped for years to build the organisation.
As for non-BJP parties, barring the occasional visits of leaders to states for meetings there is no permanent presence.
The humongous defeat in polls has brought to the fore CPM's declining independent strength and capacity to intervene politically. Many in the party believe that the defeat should be taken as an opportunity.
The cadres from other states will be concentrating on the basic classes who stood with CPM traditionally; working class, peasants and agricultural workers.
It may be recalled that lakhs took part in Maharasthra long march, Kerala's women wall, Kolkata Brigade rally and Rajasthan farmers' siege. But the party could not bridge the gap between the participation in struggles and voting.
For instance Amra Ram who led the farmers' siege in Rajasthan in which lakhs of farmers took part, could secure just 31,000 votes in Sikar Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP bagged 7.7 lakh votes.
The other important task of cadres being deployed in other states would be to strengthen ideological campaigns, focusing on ideologically combating communalism and build scientific temper to counter obscurantism and superstition. They will champion the issues concerning minorities, dalits, women and tribals.