Being relegated to the fringes of the national political spectrum, the CPI(M)’s attempted introspection has resulted in exposing the sharp divide among the party top brass. The party’s four-day Central Committee meeting, which started here on Sunday, witnessed unprecedented developments with senior leader Sitaram Yechury directly taking on party general secretary Prakash Karat by presenting an ‘Alternate Resolution’ against the ‘Official Resolution’. Yechury’s resolution calls for a review of the implementation of the party’s decisions in the last 10 years — Karat’s tenure at the helm — even as he lays the blame of the mess the party is presently in at the doors of the general secretary.
This was in sharp contrast to the Official Resolution seeking a review of party’s decisions in the last 30 years. The party chief’s ‘faction’ retaliated by floating another resolution indirectly backing Karat’s decisions.
If the Official Resolution argues for the theoretical left-oriented political line, Yechury’s advocates for an all out practical solution for Opposition unity to counter the increasing might of the BJP. “The gist of Yechury’s resolution is that the party should go for tactical alliance with the Congress and secular parties in the coming days,” said party leaders.
The Central Committee meeting has been convened to debate and ratify the Politburo’s (PB) draft resolution seeking a “Review on the Political-Tactical line” adopted by the party for the past 30 years. The party’s highest body, which met two weeks ago, brought this resolution for adoption at the next Party Congress, scheduled in April next year in Visakhapatnam. After the PB approves a political resolution, it has to go to the Central Committee and then to lower levels of the party fora before being taken up by Party Congress which will select the new leadership along with the adoption of the resolution.
The current crisis, insiders said, reminds of the heated debates and voting on the issue of pitching late Jyoti Basu as the Prime Minister of the Third Front in 1996.
Party insiders confirmed that Yechury objected the official resolution “tooth and nail” in the PB meeting questioning Karat’s decisions. He insisted on accommodating his rejoinder. The ‘Alternate Resolution’ brought by Yechury made a scathing attack on Karat’s leadership, outlining his “wrongs and blunders” in implementing parties strategic decisions for the past 10 years. “Yechury’s resolution says the “problem is not with the strategies and political lines and the fault lies with the implementation of the strategy,” insiders privy to the CC meeting told The Pioneer.
The Karat faction responded with PB member from Andhra Pradesh B Raghavalu coming out with another ‘Alternate Resolution’, which Yechury supporters alleged, was a move backed by the official section to get “additional support” for the party boss. Indirectly supporting Karat, Raghavalu’s resolution argued for “alliance with only left parties and more unity” in future backing the official line. “It has some add ups to the Official Resolution and rest is copy-paste of the official line,” said those supporting Yechury’s move.
Yechury’s resolution pinpoints the failures of the CPI(M)’ s tactical line from 2004, including supporting UPA and failure to form alliances with regional parties to counter BJP. “We lost and failed in taking decisions and implementing it. We over estimated our strength while withdrawing support to UPA during Indo-Nuclear deal. We also underestimated the strength of opponents. We failed to understand the surge of BJP and failed to counter them by forming alliances with regional parties.
As per the party structure, the CC meeting, which ends on Wednesday, will decide which resolution has to be adopted for its future political line. Many party leaders are anxious about the outcome and trying to avoid a voting kind of situation. The outcome of the debate in adopting the resolution would lead to finalising the structure and pattern of next leadership, which will be selected in the next Party Congress.