People's Democracy

WEST BENGAL

Deficiencies Identified, CPI(M) to

Fight for Defending Democracy

From Our Special

Correspondent in Kolkata

THE CPI(M) West Bengal state committee has decided to launch a movement protesting the ongoing attacks on democratic rights in the state. In its two day meeting, on July 16-17 in Kolkata, the state committee noted with concern the all-out attack on democracy and livelihood in the state. Thousands of peasants, sharecroppers and agricultural workers have been evicted from their lands. Elected panchayats at all levels are being forced to either stop work or act according to local Trinamool leaders dictates. The administration is conniving with them. The student unions have become special target for attack and Left leaning students have been forced to leave their colleges. A new kind of terror is in operation. The state committee has decided to mobilise people and build up movement against these attacks. The Left Front has decided to organise demonstrations in front of the state assembly on August 10. There will be a demonstration in Delhi on August 25.  The campaign against corruption at the centre will start from July 24.

The state committee of the Party reviewed the electoral performance and identified reasons behind the setback for the Left. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat attended the meeting.

SUMMARY

OF REVIEW

The Left Front government has indelible achievements in its tenure of 34 years. However, there were accumulated negative effects too. In the last few years, all reactionary forces gathered together under the leadership of Trinamool Congress. Their deep conspiracy, violent activities, use of money power and constant anti-Left tirade by media has helped in belittling the achievements of the Left Front from a section of people.

One of the main reasons for the negative result is the organisational lapses of the Party. There has been lacuna in class outlook while working in administration and panchayats-municipalities. There has been lack of commitment towards poor people, mechanical work instead of dedication, parliamentary deviation and depreciation of communist values in the Party. That created hurdles in political bonds of Party with people.

There was a lack in understanding and explaining to the people about the limitations of Left Front and the class nature of the State. Therefore the Party had to bear responsibilities of all intrinsic deficiencies of a bourgeois administration. There was deficiency in peoples’ mobilisation. There were ever increasing demands from the people, which was the result of development. However, the Party could not properly explain to people that all these aspirations could not be met due to inherent limitations of such a government. Sometimes, development activities got a narrow character ignoring general demands of the working people.

The Left Front government’s pro-working people priority and image was damaged for a period. There was discontent among people about some areas of development work due to weakness of the government. Lack of coordination and inaction in administration was evident, at least during the last months of the government. A lot of work was undertaken in the last few years for furthering the interests of poor and working people. However, the lacunae were not fully corrected.

The long tenure of the Left Front government and the stability has negatively affected the struggling capacity of the Party and movement. There was lacuna in election organisation too, thereby hindering the process of reaching to all sections with the political stand of the Party. That, in turn, resulted in wrong anticipation.

However, despite a setback, the Left Front has got 41.50 per cent votes. The CPI(M) will try to win back those sections of working people who have got alienated from us and also win over those who are with reactionary forces. This has to be done through sustained struggle.

The state committee has given the following call: work among people, deepen relationship with them, bring changes in the style of work, reorganize.

Prakash Karat, in his observation, underlined the need to reorient Party’s work and strongly fight out the negative trends in the Party. “There have been changes in class relations in the society and we should comprehend that to reorganise ourselves”, he said. Karat asked to link the struggle against central policies and defending democracy in the state.

CPI(M) secretary Biman Basu, summing up the discussion, said, it is of crucial importance to strengthen Party based on class outlook and ideology. “We have to fight back the attacks on democracy through mass mobilisations. This can only be done by patiently listening to peoples’ voices and strengthening bonds with them.”