Sitaram Yechury rides on multiple expectations
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) must be hoping for a grand revival of its fortunes with the election of Mr Sitaram Yechury as its general secretary. There are two reasons for the optimism. The first is that the party possibly cannot go electorally further down than it already has, and so a new leader at least cannot destroy what is already in tatters. The second reason is Mr Yechury's persona.
He is articulate and knowledgeable, and well-connected across the political spectrum, especially to the Congress. It may be recalled that when the CPI(M) under Mr Prakash Karat's leadership withdrew support to the Manmohan Singh Government in protest against the regime's civil nuclear deal with the US, Mr Yechury had opposed the decision. Although he was not alone in the party over the posture, the so-called hardliners led by Mr Karat had their way and Mr Yechury fell in line like a loyal soldier of the party would. Nevertheless, he has since those days nurtured a soft corner for the Congress.
This was on full display when, soon after being elected the party's general secretary in place of Mr Karat, who served for a decade in that position, Mr Yechury avoided criticising the Congress and instead launched a broadside against the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance Government. He vowed to fight the “communal agenda unleashed by the Modi Government”. All this is par for the course. It is possible that, with this seasoned networker at the helm, the CPI(M) will strike a more elaborate working relationship with the Congress to corner the Modi Government in the months to come.
This would be part of Mr Yechury's strategy to recover the mindspace his party has lost over the last few years, even if it means latching on to a bigger, national party for survival. But an over-dependence on the Congress has its pitfalls and challenges. After all, Mr Yechury cannot claim that his mandate is merely to stem the rise of the BJP; he has to bring his party back into the reckoning. This cannot be done by ranting against the ruling combine at the Centre all the time or tagging along with a discredited Congress. He has to look within for solutions while he seeks support from outside.
It is difficult to understand how he can revive the party in West Bengal, where Ms Mamata Banerjee has wiped the CPI(M) out and where the BJP is gaining ground, by being close to the Congress. If the CPI(M) is to recover in the State, it has to do so on its own. For that, Mr Yechury has to rebuild the communist cadre and promote strong local leaderships. In the other State where the party has a significant presence, Kerala, the CPI(M) is in a shambles due to deep internal rifts — a consequence of the perennial war between the Pinarayi Vijayan and the VS Achuthanandan factions, and which has allowed a weak Congress regime to survive.
Mr Yechury's challenge is to heal the divide; glossing over it will no longer work. Although former Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan has welcomed Mr Yechury's elevation, he does not find place in the party's new Central Committee. The new general secretary's success will be largely measured by his ability to turn around the party's fortunes in these two States, because, without a revival there, the CPI(M) is electorally doomed for long.