<p>“The leadership should admit responsibility for the debacle in the polls that saw the total number of seats of the CPM coming down to 16 from 43,” Chatterjee told a vernacular TV channel here.<br /><br />While reiterating the need for self-introspection, he was more forthwith in his demand for rectification of the mistakes. “If there are mistakes, those must be admitted and rectified,” he said. Chatterjee, however, denied media reports that he demanded the resignation of CPM general secretary Prakash Karat over the party’s dismal performance in the elections.<br /><br />“I was wrongly quoted. I only referred to the leadership and not any individual. If there are mistakes, it is up to the party to take a decision,” Chatterjee averred. <br /><br />He was expelled from the party last year after he “refused” to resign from the high office in the wake of the Left parties withdrawing support to the Congress-led coalition. <br /><br />To a question on whether the drubbing had impaired the Left’s role at the national level, he conceded that the importance (of the Left) has certainly diminished inside Parliament. “But I hope efforts would be made to restore it.”<br /><br />According to him, the results clearly show that the Marxists were losing touch with the people. A number of shortcomings has crept into the (party’s) work at the grassroots. A section of party workers had become too arrogant, he felt.<br /><br />“People have kept this in mind while voting and punished the party. We’ve to remember that even Indira Gandhi had been punished by the people,” he pointed out. <br /><br />Third Front<br /><br />Meanwhile, after the first round of post-poll evaluation meeting, all the Left parties including the big two — CPM and CPI — have admitted that the idea of Third Front was not seen as credible, viable and realistic by the voters. <br /><br />But it is also becoming clearer and clearer that the smaller Left parties reluctantly toed the hard-line politics proposed by Prakash Karat-led CPM and the underlying resentment was out in the open, albeit in a muted form, the leaders felt. <br /><br />The CPI, which always played second fiddle to the CPM, could not resist its barbs at the highhandedness of the CPM. Meanwhile, the statement issued after the National Executive (NE) meeting emphasised the need for humility and total absence of arrogance in the behaviour and attitude of all Left leaders and activists in relation to people. <br /><br />The CPM statement admitted that certain sections of people have been alienated and that it will make all out efforts to regain the support and confidence of those sections. <br /><br />The other Left parties including the CPI blamed the CPM for the poll debacle. The sources in the CPI said that the Nandigram issue is symbolic of the arrogant way that the CPM had come to conduct its politics.<br /><br />The sources also admitted that the loss of minority votes was of serious concern. The loss of votes was attributed to people’s worry that Advani may become the PM. But the actual reasons behind the alienation will only be known after the state committees will present their reports, CPI leader D Raja told Deccan Herald. <br />DH News Service</p>
<p>“The leadership should admit responsibility for the debacle in the polls that saw the total number of seats of the CPM coming down to 16 from 43,” Chatterjee told a vernacular TV channel here.<br /><br />While reiterating the need for self-introspection, he was more forthwith in his demand for rectification of the mistakes. “If there are mistakes, those must be admitted and rectified,” he said. Chatterjee, however, denied media reports that he demanded the resignation of CPM general secretary Prakash Karat over the party’s dismal performance in the elections.<br /><br />“I was wrongly quoted. I only referred to the leadership and not any individual. If there are mistakes, it is up to the party to take a decision,” Chatterjee averred. <br /><br />He was expelled from the party last year after he “refused” to resign from the high office in the wake of the Left parties withdrawing support to the Congress-led coalition. <br /><br />To a question on whether the drubbing had impaired the Left’s role at the national level, he conceded that the importance (of the Left) has certainly diminished inside Parliament. “But I hope efforts would be made to restore it.”<br /><br />According to him, the results clearly show that the Marxists were losing touch with the people. A number of shortcomings has crept into the (party’s) work at the grassroots. A section of party workers had become too arrogant, he felt.<br /><br />“People have kept this in mind while voting and punished the party. We’ve to remember that even Indira Gandhi had been punished by the people,” he pointed out. <br /><br />Third Front<br /><br />Meanwhile, after the first round of post-poll evaluation meeting, all the Left parties including the big two — CPM and CPI — have admitted that the idea of Third Front was not seen as credible, viable and realistic by the voters. <br /><br />But it is also becoming clearer and clearer that the smaller Left parties reluctantly toed the hard-line politics proposed by Prakash Karat-led CPM and the underlying resentment was out in the open, albeit in a muted form, the leaders felt. <br /><br />The CPI, which always played second fiddle to the CPM, could not resist its barbs at the highhandedness of the CPM. Meanwhile, the statement issued after the National Executive (NE) meeting emphasised the need for humility and total absence of arrogance in the behaviour and attitude of all Left leaders and activists in relation to people. <br /><br />The CPM statement admitted that certain sections of people have been alienated and that it will make all out efforts to regain the support and confidence of those sections. <br /><br />The other Left parties including the CPI blamed the CPM for the poll debacle. The sources in the CPI said that the Nandigram issue is symbolic of the arrogant way that the CPM had come to conduct its politics.<br /><br />The sources also admitted that the loss of minority votes was of serious concern. The loss of votes was attributed to people’s worry that Advani may become the PM. But the actual reasons behind the alienation will only be known after the state committees will present their reports, CPI leader D Raja told Deccan Herald. <br />DH News Service</p>