KOZHIKODE: Devising a comprehensive plan to strengthen and expand the base of the CPM in the country would be the biggest challenge for the party in the upcoming 20th Party Congress here. Thanks to the electoral setbacks the party suffered since the 19th Party Congress in 2008, the CPM and the Left now remain a less powerful force at the national level.CPM was at its electoral best during the last Party Congress with successes in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. Since then, the position of the party weakened beginning with the poor show in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when the party got the lowest number of seats ever.While the Left Front was dethroned from West Bengal for the first time since 1977, the LDF lost the elections in Kerala in the Assembly elections 2011.“The 20th Party Congress will actively discuss about the strengthening of the CPM to regain the ground lost by the Left and to expand the base of the party in other states,” says CPM Politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai.The Party leadership, in its draft political resolution for the 20th Party Congress, points out that the strengthening independent role of the CPM is the key to the growth of the party. “The electoral setbacks and the fact that the party has made no substantial advance in any other state, have weakened the position of the Party and the Left at the national level. It is in such a situation that the ruling classes are going ahead with the neo-liberal policies and the communal forces are trying to gain around. The independent activities of the party on political and economic issues are necessary to activate the masses and to heighten the consciousness of the people to join the movements and struggles,” it adds. However, it also criticises that the emphasis given to develop sustained struggle on local issues in the last two Party Congresses was not converted into action at required levels.Talking on the issue, political observer N M Pearson said that the discussion to revive the Left in the country should also factor in the newly-acquired relevance of the Marxist ideology at the global level.“Leftist thinking is gaining importance across the globe. The reports of increase in sale of Das Kapital in Germany and the Occupy Wallstreet movements show this. In the mean time, Leftist forces suffered a setback in the period in India. Hopefully, the discussions at the Party Congress to strengthen the party would analyse this point,” he said.Regarding the importance of preserving Left Unity for the purpose, Ramachandran Pillai said that joint struggles against the neo-liberal policies and imperialist influence would continue at the national level and the CPM would strive to bring left-oriented organisations and individuals to associate with the agitations.However, the CPM leader made it clear that CPM-CPI merger was not on the agenda.“Due to certain political, organisational and ideological reasons, we became CPM and they stood as CPI. We leave it to the future. Let the time decide on that,” he said. Asked about the recent conflicts between the CPI and the CPM, Ramachandran Pillai said that debates would always be there between the two parties but we would continue this united action.”
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