Veteran CPI leader A.B. Bardhan has criticised the CPI (Marxist) for speaking “half-truths” about his party’s functioning and policies.
“The CPI(M) leaders want to insult/condemn the CPI claiming our party has no principles or ideology,” he said. Mr. Bardhan was speaking at the inaugural of the party’s extended State Council meeting to discuss the party’s draft plan of action.
He said the CPI(M) split from the CPI in 1964 and there had been no change in the former’s programmes or plan of action ever since. “The world has changed with new developments and factors coming into play. It is better for the CPI(M) to focus on evolving programmes considering the changes that have occurred over the decades,” he said charging the CPI(M) with “upper caste bias.”
Stressing the need for political parties to change in line with the needs of the poor and deprived, he asserted that the CPI’s alliance with the Telugu Desam or its support for the separate Telangana demand did not mean that the party had embraced bourgeoisie policies.
“Unlike the Left, several parties have come and gone. These parties’ focus was on securing power rather than addressing the concerns of the poor,” he said.
He said the time had come for the Left parties to evolve an “Indian path” in the struggle for ushering in the socialist model of development. “We have to draw inspiration from Cuba where people organised themselves in accordance with their socio-economic conditions.”
CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy and party’s State secretary K. Narayana also spoke.
