Erosion in West Bengal has largely stopped: CPI-M

The CPI-M on Friday claimed that the erosion in its support base in West Bengal has been contained to a large extent and laid emphasis on revamping the party organisation in order to reach out to the masses.

"Erosion in the party in West Bengal is not really a major concern now. The erosion has stopped to a great extent," Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury told media persons here.

The Marxists, who ruled West Bengal from 1977 to 2011, had been steadily losing their support base since 2008. The erosion continued even after 2011, as they lost one election after another in the state to the Trinamool Congress.

Soon after taking over as the party chief earlier this year, Yechury had stated in Kolkata that the party's prime target was to first contain the decline and then reverse it.

Recently, with the assembly polls months away, the CPI-M has gone more aggressive against the Trinamool, with its leaders and cadres hitting the streets frequently on various issues.

The CPI-M also organised jathas (rallies) throughout the state last month, despite coming under alleged attack from the Trinamool workers.

The party would hold its plenum (convention) here later this month to assess its organisational strength, especially in its erstwhile red fort West Bengal, and devise a organisational and political roadmap for the future. The party held its last plenum in 1978 at Salkia in neighbouring Howrah district.

Yechury termed the recent crossing over of CPI-M legislator Nabin Chandra Bag to the Trinamool as an "isolated incident" and said there was no mass erosion in the party now.

"But yes, we need to revamp the party organisation. Because without that we won't be able to reach out to the masses," he said.

"The prime need is to surmount the terror (let loose by the Trinamool)," he said.

Accusing the Trinamool and the Bharatiya Janata Party of working in tandem, he said while the Trinamool was mobilising "minority fundamentalism", the BJP was mobilising "majority fundamentalism".

"The Trinamool's mobilisation of minority fundamentalism feeds the BJP's mobilisation of majority fundamentalism."

He said while the Trinamool wants to central government to slow down the Saradha chit fund scam probe where several of its leaders have been arrested or quizzed, the BJP needs the Trinamool's help to get bills through in the Rajya Sabha.