Targeting party leadership cannot be a way out: Mishra

CPI(M) politburo member Surjya Kanta Mishra today indicated that targeting the party hierarchy cannot be a way to bring the party out of the tough times it is facing.
Mishra's comments came a day after a rally was organised outside the Alimuddin Street state party headquarters by some present and expelled leaders demanding immediate change in the party leadership.
"In this time of distress, there are two kinds of trends - one is to surrender in front of the opposition and another is a pessimist trend to oppose everything.
"We had seen such trends in Communist China where there was a call to bomb the party headquarters. It is not the way we see things. Such kinds of people can't be real Communists. A real Communist has to fight against all such trends," said Mishra.

Mishra's comments were seen as an indirect acknowledgement of the voices of dissent brewing both inside and outside the party against the present leadership since its dismal show in the Lok Sabha polls, which they have denied.
For the first time in the history of the CPI(M) since its formation in 1964 after breaking away from CPI, a rally was organised outside the Alimuddin Street party headquarters yesterday by some present and expelled leaders, who questioned the party's top brass and demanded an immediate change in party leadership in order to save it from being wiped out from state politics.

During his speech at a party meeting Mishra also tried to clarify the allegations that party leaders were not visiting fellow comrades in districts when they were attacked.
"Some people are misunderstanding us. Whenever there has been an attack we wanted to visit the spot. But in certain situations we were asked not to visit by the victims only as they apprehended they might be attacked again if we visited," he said.