Bengal: CPM to use presenters to counter RSS, BJP

In a bid to counter the alleged “divisive campaign” by the RSS and the BJP in West Bengal, the state leadership of CPM has decided to train selected party members as “’utthapaks” (presenters) to make people aware about the dangers of communalism.

Party sources told DH that the utthapaks are being deployed with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections.

“Statewide workshops for utthapaks were held in Bengal earlier this month. The state leadership has made it clear that those who were not able to attend these workshops due to prior engagement have to participate in them today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday),” a senior CPM state committee member said.

Party sources revealed that among the participants of the workshop those who are “eloquent and well versed in public speaking” will be selected as utthapaks. The utthapaks will be tasked with the responsibility of reaching out to the masses at the ground level and make them aware of the dangers of communalism. The CPM state leadership is keen on preparing the utthapaks by end of November.

“The agenda of these workshops is titled ‘ Facing the challenge of communalism and the danger of RSS and BJP. The aim is to ensure that in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections our cadres are well prepared to ideologically counter communal politics,” the CPM state committee leader said. However, the number of utthapaks are yet to be decided.

According to party sources, the decision to field utthapaks is the outcome of a recent letter by the state committee to the district leadership. In the letter, the CPM leadership expressed concern about the “’increasing activity of the BJP and the RSS” in Bengal and also stated that “ideologically the Left parties are the biggest hurdle to BJP and Trinamool Congress (TMC). So both of them have resorted to communal politics.”

Party sources said that the CPM leadership has emphasised that “the people are unable to see through the covert understanding between the BJP and the TMC which is having an adverse effect on the electoral prospect of Left parties.” They also said that the role of utthapaks is primarily to make people aware of this “covert understanding”’ and expose the BJP and the TMC.