Thiruvananthapuram: Poll-battered CPI(M) in Kerala appears to have opted for an ostrich strategy, instead of going in for an honest introspection and course correction.
Capping the fumes of frustration emanating from the lower organisational tiers, the party state committee that met recently to review the electoral debacle sent out a message that blaming the leadership entirely for the setback would do more harm than good.
Apparently, the dominant voices in the party’s top state apparatus are keen to insulate the incumbent leadership, which includes former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M.V. Govindan, from being held accountable for the devastating electoral debacle.
Their position is that the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan had done well in the delivery of development projects and welfare measures during the entire decade it was in power.
The campaign had overwhelmingly focused on this, hoping it would convert into votes. However, that did not happen as there had been an excessive consolidation of anti-Left interests, who succeeded in misleading large sections of the electorate, including minority communities and even beneficiaries of welfare schemes.
However, it is incorrect to blame the leadership alone for the failure to spotlight mass estrangement and resentment and counter it effectively. That was as much the responsibility of party units down the ranks as it was of the state leadership.
While advancing this argument, the leadership has also promised that the party would go in for a deeper analysis of the defeat and come out with corrective steps.
By its own claim, unlike other parties, the CPI(M)’s strategies and tactics are shaped by the collective wisdom of the entire organisation stretching from the grassroots to the top rung.
The leadership, however, has not come out with a credible explanation on many issues widely perceived to have contributed to its devastating defeat.
There is also no credible explanation as to how the party failed to read the lessons from the sweeping losses suffered by the LDF in the local body polls held just a few months before the Assembly elections.
The outcome of the state committee meeting runs contrary to the party’s initial post-verdict reaction. The party secretary had then said all would be free to voice their criticisms and opinions in their respective units, which would be factored in by the state committee when it met.
No glasnost moment
Going by the structure and traditions of the CPI(M), it would be unwise to expect an abrupt shake-up, let alone a leadership purge.
The party has its own internal process called “democratic centralism”, followed by Marxist-Leninist parties the world over during their heyday. In the case of the CPI(M), this means every issue would be discussed threadbare and solutions found during multi-tier organisational meetings held once every three years. Till then, comrades have to wait.
The party leadership is under no obligation to effect any interim shake-up. Nor is it headed for an opening-up by encouraging free and frank debate among the cadres, which the leadership knows would only lead to organisational unravelling.
The next round of triennial organisational meetings stretching from the local units to the state committee is one year away.
The party leadership is also confident that in Kerala the CPI(M)’s foundation is still strong. Unlike West Bengal or Tripura, it is also hard for a third force like the BJP to displace the CPI(M) as an alternative and make its way to power. The state’s demographic features are also not conducive to such a tectonic shift.
Vijayan firm on saddle as LoP
The selection of Pinarayi Vijayan as Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly itself indicated that the party was not headed for a leadership change.
Many initially thought that the 81-year-old veteran would voluntarily opt out of positions of responsibility, owning moral responsibility for the defeat. That would have led to the emergence of a new leadership to navigate the party at a time when it is confronted with external and internal headwinds.
In less than a month, Vijayan has further consolidated his position by being firmly on the saddle as the Opposition Leader, making it clear that the entrenched leadership is in no mood to allow a generational shift immediately.
