Focus at CPM meet, tug of war with UPA

An entire session of the CPM’s party congress will be devoted to economic issues as hardliners in its rank and file have raised questio...

An entire session of the CPM’s party congress will be devoted to economic issues as hardliners in its rank and file have raised questions about its perceived acquiescence to UPA’s economic policies. The CPM will explain to its functionaries how it is exerting pressure on the UPA leadership to have Left economic thinking accepted.

The party’s draft resolution has already been debated at every level from the branch and local committee stage to the state committee stage in most provinces. And the leadership has received requests for 2,794 amendments and 715 suggestions. In the CPM’s democratic functioning, this process is keenly observed with both central committee and the Politburo sifting through questions and selecting relevant ones.

Senior CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said a number of these amendments and suggestions did concern economic policies or the proposed path the party wanted to chart out on those issues. It is obvious that there are strong sections of hardliners who are not happy with the ‘‘pragmatic’’ economic thinking the party has adopted.

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Yechury agreed that most of these issues concerned involvement of foreign agencies, globalisation, FDI and intellectual property rights issues. He said ‘‘there were also policy-related questions’’.

Others said there were activists who would want the party to adhere to the path of classical Marxism and were wondering if ‘‘serious deviations’’ were happening. ‘‘Revisionism and opportunism’’ have been key words that have been raised repeatedly by a section of powerful Kerala-based functionaries, especially in the context of economic policies being pursued by the party.

Besides, several amendments were suggested by those who want the leadership to have a fresh look at the way the party had been entering into alliances. There are many who have asked questions like what was the point of aligning with Laloo Yadav for 15 years.

Their view: It did not help CPM grow at all. The party’s poll mechanism in Bihar did not take roots as it entered into poll adjustments with RJD and had to be satisfied with the few seats the party was willing to offer. Similar questions are also being raised about the CPM’s previous alliance with TDP.

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Amendments and suggestions also came on the party’s growth in the Hindi heartland. There are questions on how caste and class can be viewed as closely linked issues, even from the Marxist perspective.