MA Baby, newly elected general secretary of the CPI(M) said it is important for the party to reinvent itself, and reach out to the young as it takes on the BJP and the RSS. Edited excerpts from an interview:
What are the three top priorities for you as the General Secretary of the CPI(M)?
We have to harness secular, democratic political forces to expose the Narendra Modi government. We have to start working for the next round of elections including Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The problem in West Bengal and Kerala is that all the forces of the INDIA bloc cannot come together. But we should ensure that it should not be an advantage to the BJP.
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Our task is also to improve the independent strength of CPI(M) and other Left forces. We have to have a very well-planned approach of mobilizing larger sections behind the communist parties to take on the fascist RSS controlled BJP. But a clear-cut economic programme is lacking in the approach of many non-left political parties.
Our entire political struggle cannot be isolated or reduced to fighting neo-fascist tendencies of the ruling dispensation. BJP is not another political party. It is controlled by the RSS, which is deployed in every nook and corner of the country. They have already seeped into the cells of Indian society. So detoxifying the impact of RSS is major task.
How will you achieve all this with your organizational weakness?
This is a very important question for the party. We have had enough experience of fighting in the past starting from Jawaharlal Nehru’s time when the memories of Mahatma Gandhi was still in the public minds. But BJP—manufactured by RSS– is a different political party and we have realized we need to reinvent ourselves.
How will you reinvent?
You see the changes that are taking place in society as a whole. Changes taking place among the youngsters. We have not been able to quickly understand this and react to that. Our activities and struggles are not sufficiently imaginative. We have to come with new ideas so that youngsters can be attracted towards us. Even those who participate in a struggle — they do it like business as usual. We reiterate in our conferences that we have to evolve new methods of working among people. I would also add two self-critical observations. People sometimes don’t understand what we say. We are unable to communicate to people in such a way that they are able to understand who we are. Also, we have to spend more time with people and listen to what their issues are.
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In the last three assembly and Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, the Left’s tally is 0,0,0 and 0,0,0. What is your prescription for Bengal CPIM?
This is not the first time that we suffered severe setbacks in West Bengal. But we also have the experience of staging a comeback. We may take more time. And we are also working very actively. We don’t want to say that within another election, we will win. We know we had some administrative, political and organizational shortcomings. So, the prescription is that we have to be patient. We should listen to people.
What will be the relationship between the Congress and the CPIM?
The prevailing political situation in our country demands that the work of the INDIA bloc must continue in some form or the other. In Delhi elections, we saw the disunity of INDIA bloc parties and it helped the BJP win. The fight against BJP has to be carried out only with the cooperation of all these parties. So, an approach of give and take is necessary among the INDIA bloc parties.
Are you comfortable sharing the stage with Mamata Banerjee in the INDIA bloc?
We are compelled to fight Mamata in Bengal and the Congress in Kerala.
Sitaram Yechury made the CPIM a far more important voice in national politics irrespective of the party’s dwindling numbers. Will his death affect the party?
The loss of Sitaram is irreparable for the CPIM, the entire Left movement and for those who fight against these fascistic tendencies in our country. Nobody can replace him. The kind of impact that he was able to make, of course, was by implementing the party’s vision, but adding his individual charm, his capacity to endear people even when he could not agree with somebody.