With severe shortcomings continuing to haunt it, CPI(M) today decided to hold a plenum later this year to assess the status of its organisational strength which has seen a drastic decline in the past few years, especially in its one-time bastion of West Bengal.
A resolution to this effect was adopted at the ongoing 21st Congress for holding the plenary meeting, which is being held after the last one in 1978 at Salkia in West Bengal.
The party's membership has remained virtually stagnant at 11 lakh, while that of some of its mass organisations like the students wing SFI has shown a decline.
"The Salkia plenum gave specific directives for expansion of the party which took efforts to implement the same and made some progress. The 14th Congress made a review of implementation of the directives and set out tasks," the resolution said, adding that the subsequent party Congresses also reviewed organizational situation and formulated tasks.
"Despite this, many shortcomings and weaknesses are continuing and the party has not been able to register substantial progress and increase its independent strength," it said, adding that the meet would be held before the end of this year.
In the run up to the plenum, the Politburo will prepare a questionnaire on the basis of which state committees will frame reports on the organization's status, specific problems and suggest the ways to tackle them.
It would also deal with the task of rallying Left and democratic forces in each state.
"The Politburo will study these state reports and prepare a draft report and present it before the central committee for its consideration. After necessary amendments by the central committee, the draft report will be sent to the state committees.
"The state committees will then send their views on the draft report to Politburo and central committee on the basis of which a revised report will be presented to the Plenum," a CPI(M) statement said.
