Party failed miserably to build contacts with people, admits CPI(M)

CPI(M) leaders on Friday admitted that the party had miserably failed to build contact with people and steps should be taken immediately to reach out to the grass-root level to understand the grievances of the people.

Friday was the first day of the two day organisational plenum of the party’s state committee meeting that began at Pramod Dasgupta Bhavan on Friday morning.

Five hundred delegates took taking part in the discussion. Party’s secretary Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat are present in the meeting.

As expected, the meeting started with hot debate when party leaders opposing the alliance with Congress criticised the lobby led by the party’s state secretary Surya Kanta Misra.

Some leaders from Howrah and North Bengal said the Congress had been benefited by the alliance and bagged 44 seats in the Assembly election (now it has been reduced to 40).

They criticised the pro alliance leaders saying that no steps were taken to make people aware of the tie-up and this was formed hurriedly just three months before the polls.

They said the party leaders had failed to assess the strength of Trinamool Congress and how it had set up organisations in the grass-root level. They maintained that even in party strongholds like Burdwan and West Midnapore, the party could not succeed.

Two politburo members sat quietly as the Politburo had already described the alliance as “Not in consonance with the party’s central committee decision.” The leaders of pro-Misra lobby were on the defensive and tried to convince their opposite camp that had the alliance not been formed the party could have gotten fewer seats. The party got only 26 seats, their lowest since 1972.

The leaders expressed concern over the high rate of attrition. Already one MLA has joined Trinamool Congress and some more are waiting to join. Hundreds of gram panchayat, panchayat samity and Zilla Parishad members have joined Trinamool and they do not regret their action.

Financial crisis was an important issue which was discussed in Friday’s meeting. It was found that many party leaders were not depositing their levy and were not interested in renewing their membership. The party had decided that the membership of those who did not deposit their levy for three months would be scrapped. But that did not help the party to retain its members who have either joined Trinamool or have taken political retirement. As there is substantial drop in revenue, the party was facing acute financial crisis. The helplessness of the party leaders was evident in their speech. Surya Kanta Misra and Yechury will speak on Saturday.