West Bengal: CPM state unit pitches for partnering with Congress to defeat BJP

Kolkata CPM’s West Bengal unit on Sunday made a strong pitch for continuing the “adjustment” with Congress in the state to fight against Trinamool Congress’ “reign of terror” and BJP’s “communal politics”. A large section of CPM’s state committee leaders, in presence of the party’s general secretary Sitaram Yechury and other Politburo members, said in order to fight against the “brazen attack” of TMC and communal politics of BJP, the “broadest possible unity” is needed and it cannot be achieved without Congress. CPM’s central committee had last month criticised the party’s state unit for violating the ‘official line’ by aligning with Congress during the Assembly polls and called for rectification of the political line adopted by the state unit. In the state committee meeting held on Sunday, it was decided that in order to implement the decision of the plenum held last year at the central committee level, a plenum at the state level will also be held in West Bengal to look into the organisational aspects of the party’s state unit. [caption id=“attachment_2885848” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. News18[/caption] “A large number of leaders who have been vocal about an alliance with Congress have questioned the political understanding of section of central committee leaders who have opposed the alliance,” a state committee member said. “They (the pro-alliance leaders) said that the central committee has failed to understand the extraordinary political situation in Bengal. They also said it was due to this extraordinary situation that CPM in Bengal had gone for an adjustment with Congress,” the leader said. CPM’s state committee member agreed that the line adopted in West Bengal may have violated the official party line, but the state unit was left with no other choice. “We will continue our fight against TMC and BJP along with Congress. There will be united fight with Congress…the next big election is in 2019…So for the time being the question of alliance with Congress in elections doesn’t arise. But our fight to create the broadest possible unity will continue,” the state committee member said. “Several leaders referred to how the Central Committee had ignored the sentiments of state unit, be it expulsion of Somnath Chatterjee or not allowing Jyoti Basu to become the Prime Minister in 1996,” another state committee member said. After the state committee meeting, CPMCP General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said there is a need to forge a “greater unity” of the people to fight against the “TMC-sponsored terror” and “restore” democracy in West Bengal. It was also decided that a plenum of the party’s state unit will be organised between September 30 to October 2. A state committee member said 27 out of 30 members of the part’s state committee defended the decision to enter into an “understanding” with the Congress before the Assembly election. After a heated debate in the meeting, it was observed that there is a need to form a “broader platform” with all “secular and democratic parties” in West Bengal, including Congress, to fight the “communal forces” and the “misrule” of Trinamool Congress in the state, the leader said. CPM Politburo members Prakash Karat, Manik Sarkar, Hannan Mollah and M A Baby were also present in the meeting.