It's a big defeat, we're analysing it : Sitaram Yechury

One, during the intervening period and particularly about two years ago, we came to the conclusion that the Congress which used to be the traditional anti-Left pole in Tripura has been replaced by BJP

Secretary General of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechury, answers some searching questions on his party’s defeat in Tripura in an interview with Karan Thapar for thewire.in. Excerpts:

How does the Communist Party of India (Marxist) see its shattering defeat in Tripura and the future for the party? You ruled the state for an unbroken spell from 1978 with the exception of the period between 1988 and 1993. Would you accept that this is not just a humbling verdict but a huge blow to your party, the CPI (M)?

Well, it is a defeat. We’ve accepted it. The reasons why the defeat took place, we are in the process of analysing deeply. But one thing is very clear…

But would you accept that this is a shattering defeat?

It is a big defeat. As for the word ‘shattering’, nothing can shatter us. We will recover, we will come back.

In your eyes, why did your party do so badly?

Our vote percentage saw an erosion of nearly 7 per cent. That, for us, is a big erosion. The reasons for that erosion? One, during the intervening period and particularly about two years ago, we came to the conclusion that the Congress which used to be the traditional anti-Left pole in Tripura has been replaced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). That happened when the Congress via the Trinamool Congress (TMC) moved to the BJP in a big way. And that consolidated the anti-Left platform.

Second — and this is very important — the BJP did manage to strike an understanding and an alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) which has got a sizeable following among the tribals.

Both these led to the consolidating of the anti-Left vote. But even then, this could not have defeated us if we had maintained our voting percentage between 50 and 52.

So that critical decline of 7 per cent…

That is the major reason and we will have to investigate that, which we are doing.

In comparison to the 49 seats you won in 2013, this time you won just 16. This means you’ve lost double the number of seats you’ve actually retained. To many this is an indication that the CPI (M) failed to echo the aspirations of the people of Tripura. You were completely out of sync with the voter.

No, I wouldn’t say out of sync. There’s a problem we are grappling with, not only in Tripura, in other places as well. The problem is the following: If you really mean to develop the quality of life of the people - remember, during this period Tripura outreached Kerala and became the state with the highest literacy levels - this youth, which has grown up with education, with health facilities naturally seeks outlets for employment. That is something that could not be created. And it is difficult to do that in the north eastern states any way.

The point you are half-making is that the youth in Tripura — which, by the way is the majority of the population because it is a very young state — turned against you. The reason they did so was because they believed you had become an out-of-date party. Many young people said you were an anti-modern party….they were disillusioned and disenchanted with you. They ditched you in huge numbers.

The conclusions you are drawing are not the correct ones. The youth felt that the opportunities for them to utilise, all that they gained from our tenure in the government and our policies, do not exist in Tripura. And that is an objective reality. It is true not only for Tripura but most of the north-eastern states. If you increase literacy levels, give better health facilities and you generate a healthy youth, how do you use that force …

That’s where you failed, because you did not give them employment, you left them jobless…in fact, the unemployment levels in Tripura is the second reason why many believe your party met with this shattering verdict. Unemployment in Tripura is the highest in India, it is 19.7 per cent ! Most people said either the CPI (M) didn’t create jobs or that if it did, they were grabbed by CPI (M) cadres.

No, that is not correct. Grabbing by CPI (M) cadres is just canard that keeps floating around. And the highest rate of unemployment? That's not correct. A high rate of unemployment is a problem common to the entire north-east. If you are generating an educated, healthy work-force, the opportunities for employment…

Is there a trade-off between one and the other? You either create employment or you create a healthy educated workforce?

No! What was the answer that used to be offered in the past in the country? The answer was setting up your public sector units -ONGC in Assam, for instance. Your mega public sector units that used to employ a number of people….all that has been eliminated.

Why are you unable to set up industry in Tripura to provide employment for the youth?

The state government in any of these states, including the smaller states, does not have the resources for public investment to create industry.

Is this a plea of helplessness?

No!! This is a plea of reality. And that is the reality that was understood earlier in India - when you had the Planning Commission deploying your locations into areas that require the absorption of the youth force. But you abandoned the Planning Commission!

So you’re saying that while state governments in the north east including Tripura had the capacity — as you have been boasting — to create education and health, they didn’t have the resources to create employment? So in a sense it was understandable and inevitable that they would turn against you because they were jobless…
 

That was one of the reasons. Definitely. That’s what I am saying.

For 20 years you were in power: 40, actually. But you could provide no employment?

No, we did. But the employment was inadequate, given the resources.

It was not just unemployment that people say led to your shattering defeat. You lost because you lost the support of government employees. And in Tripura, government is the single biggest employer. You were paying government employees salaries as per the Fourth Pay Commission recommendations. The BJP said if they win, they would guarantee paying them according to the Seventh Pay Commission…

And what have they done?

Well, they’ve only just come to power.

But they said the first cabinet decision would be that! That’s what they said.

But why were you unable to pay salaries as per the Seventh Pay Commission?

I’ll tell you. In most of the smaller states including the north east, when the Pay Commission increased the salaries, for the state government employees — and remember they are paid by the state government — there is usually a compensation given by the Centre to allow the implementation of the Pay Commission’s recommendations.

Are you saying you weren’t given that compensation?

No we weren’t.

Are you the only state not getting it?

No! I think there are many other states that are not getting it.

How many other states?

There are many, not just Tripura. I am not sure how many, but there are many.

You went into an election knowing that you were at least three Pay Commissions behind, and you knew joblessness was a problem on top of that and yet you did nothing to rectify this?

Please understand the contradictions in what you are saying. Finances and joblessness is one problem. If you spend the resources that you have on the Seventh Pay Commission then whatever meager opportunities you have to create new jobs are lost. So what is the answer? The answer is exactly on the question of Centre-state relations and the sharing of finances that have to come down to the states which require them.

So you are saying that the unwillingness of the Centre to share finances adequately with the states is responsible for your defeat?

No I am saying it is responsible for the situation, not my defeat.

But isn’t this a bit like passing the buck? You are blaming the victor…

No. You are not running a 100 m sprint, then saying I won and blaming so-and-so. This is a complex issue for which you require solution and it is not only confined to Tripura.

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