Today’s joint meeting crucial for CPI(M)’s future

CPI(M) has bagged only 26 seats, its lowest since 1977 in the 294 member West Bengal Assembly.

Party insiders said the pro Surya Kanta Misra lobby who had supported the alliance would be cornered at Sunday’s meeting. 

Both the Politburo and Central Committee (CC) have criticised the alliance as “not in consonance with party’s Central Committee’s decision”. The CC has asked the PB to sit with the state committee members in West Bengal to rectify the decision.

Party insiders said that on Sunday, anti tie-up leaders would say that first of all it was not a people’s alliance as the party did not receive any letter even from any branch committee. The alliance was made by some “over enthusiastic” leaders who thought that the ruling party could be overthrown “without understanding the ground reality.” 

They said Misra, in a desperate bid to save himself, had blamed the organisation for the poor results. “In that case he should have tested the organisational strength of the party first before forming the alliance,” a senior state committee member said.

 The leaders would also point out that no attempt was made by the Misra lobby to clear confusion of people about the alliance. “People had many questions which the leaders did not address,” a leader said. The anti alliance leaders would point out that had the alliance not been there, the party could have done well.

The pro tie-up leaders who had criticised the Politburo and Central Committee in presence of Sitaram Yehcury and Prakash Karat do not have the guts to criticise the highest body of the party in presence of PB members.

Political analysts said Sunday was very crucial as the decision might lead to further erosion of party base. If the PB does not pull up the state committee, then many anti tie-up leaders and supporters might quit the party.

 They said to avoid virtual split in the party, only one day PB meeting had been fixed by which the leaders on one hand would keep the CC in good humour by carrying out its decision and on the other hand would refrain from criticising the pro alliance leaders in “harsh words.”