CPM to continue with I.N.D.I.A but against Cong’s economic policies, soft Hindutva

New Delhi: CPI(M) should continue to associate with the I.N.D.I.A bloc “for elections” and on “issues of common concern against the communal agenda” of the BJP-RSS but should demarcate itself from the Congress on economic policy and when it “compromises” with Hindutva, a review report adopted ahead of its ‘Party Congress’ has said.

The party’s Central Committee, which met here between Sunday and Tuesday here, adopted the Draft Political Review Report that examined the Political-Tactical Line (PTL) pursued in the past three year and this would form the basis for the Draft Political Resolution  for  the 24th Party Congress in Madurai in April next year.

The adoption of the draft review quells questions on the future relations of CPI(M) with the Congress and I.N.D.I.A bloc following the death of its General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who had argued for mobilisation of all secular and democratic forces to fight the rising Hindutva forces. Sources said two of 85 leaders voted against the draft while three abstained.

While calling the formation of I.N.D.I.A as an “important step” in the fight against Hindutva forces, the review said the bloc as a loose platform to gather secular Opposition parties, mainly for uniting and pooling anti-BJP votes “should continue” but warned against the “tendency to substitute the independent role and activities of the party” with group.

The report also expressed its reservations about Congress, saying it should be clear about the class character of the main party in the I.N.D.I.A bloc. “We should demarcate from the Congress on elements of neo-liberal policies which they advocate in their national economic policies or which are being pursued by its state governments. We have to also be critical of any compromising stand it takes on Hindutva communal issues,” it said.

While acknowledging that its existing political-tactical line of having electoral adjustments with I.N.D.I.A was right, the review said the party’s independent strength and mass base have not grown.

On Kerala, where it has the “strongest base”, the review said the Lok Sabha results have revealed “weakness” as it has lost around 7% votes in ten years. It said the CPI(M) should counter the BJP-RSS strategy of using temples and religious activities as well as its penetration of caste and sub-caste groups. 

At a time the party unit in Kerala is facing allegations of appeasing minorities, the report also said the CPI(M) and its mass organisations should also counter activities of Muslim fundamentalists and extremist groups.

In West Bengal, it said the party should pay “more attention” to counter the BJP politically and ideologically.

“We must self-critically note that in our three strong states, the BJP and the RSS were able to make advances at our expense,” it said.

“In Tripura, we lost the assembly elections to the BJP in 2018 and since then, our Party has been under severe assault from these forces; in West Bengal, after our defeat in the 2011 assembly election, the BJP has grown to be the main opposition at our expense; in Kerala, to a lesser extent, the BJP has been able to make some headway as seen in the recent Lok Sabha election,” it said.

The review also expressed concerns over the trend of giving a go-by to the exercise of building struggles and movements and giving prominence only to electoral activities.