Anti-Karat group preparing for showdown at CPI(M) meets

Given composition of party decision making structure, even if Karat resigns, 'a person of his choice' would be next general secretary

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), Politburo meeting scheduled for June 6 and the party’s central committee meeting on June 7 and 8 are likely to be stormy, as a section of the party members is planning to seek the resignation of Prakash Karat, party general secretary, for the electoral debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

“Accountability should be fixed for successive defeats of the party. It can’t go on like this,” said a senior party leader who didn’t want to be named. He added if the party failed to address “this issue, a split cannot be ruled out”.

Given the composition of the party’s decision-making structure, even if Karat resigns, “a person of his choice” would be the next general-secretary, said a CPI(M) leader from Kerala. “One can’t expect a departure from its present style of functioning,” said a source.

A trailer of the brewing storm was played out at the preliminary meeting of the party’s apex body on May 18 to review the party’s performance in the elections. At the meeting, Politburo member Sitaram Yechury offered to resign. Yechury is learnt to have said the party had miserably failed to attract the youth, adding he was ready to take responsibility for the rout and put in his papers to enable the entry of youngsters.

Yechury raised concern over the “shifting of its vote base” towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the CPI(M)’s erstwhile stronghold of West Bengal. For instance, the BJP wrested Asansol from the CPI(M). In Kerala, too, the BJP managed to attract a considerable number of first-time voters.

The party body rejected Yechury’s offer. Quoting Lenin, Karat said “politburo decisions are collective responsibility”, adding there was no need for Yechury to resign. To this, Yechury retorted: “Decisions are collective, but responsibility is personal.”

On Saturday, however, Yechury dismissed reports he had offered to quit the politburo. “All that is nonsense; I never discuss inner-party issues outside,” he told PTI.

There has been a strong demand from the ‘West Bengal lobby’ within the party for Karat’s resignation. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has, on many occasions, expressed opposition to Karat. In the wake of the election results, former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, too, reiterated his demand for Karat’s resignation. But the “South Indian” lobby has been strongly supporting the general-secretary and has been able to scuttle all efforts of the rival group.

A CPI(M) leader said the party was facing an “existential crisis” and there was a need for a thorough overhaul of its approach. Karat’s unbending approach was alienating the masses from the party, he added. Though there is space for Left-liberal ideology, the dogmatic positions the party adopts keep youngsters away. “The Aam Aadmi Party is filling this void. The party should give up its reticence and speak the language of the youth,” said a Left thinker.