: The discussion on the political report presented by party State secretary Pannian Ravindran, on day two of the State conference of the Communist Party of India (CPI) revolved round the failure of the party leadership to assert itself in arresting the “rightward tilt” that had engulfed the Left Democratic Front (LDF), especially the leadership of the communist parties.
Benoy Viswom, senior leader, while briefing the media said the failure of the leadership, including those at the national level, in connecting with the people was severely criticised by the speakers.
While the speakers took a highly critical view of the failure of the party in strengthening the agitational vigour of the LDF against alleged corruption under the United Democratic Front, they also wanted the communist parties, and the Left in general, to ensure more effective intervention in national politics, especially in view of the rise of the communal and corporate forces. Interestingly, one of the underlying tones of the discussion on the second day was the new possibilities opened up by the victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi elections, Mr Viswom said.
Even while the party had serious reservations about the lack of clarity over the economic policies of the AAP, there was space for further interaction, he added.
According to him, the speakers stressed the need to strengthen the lower rungs of the LDF. While the coalition had strong organisational support at the State and district level, the LDF units below the district units functioned only during the elections or in connection with any specific campaigns. Coming to specific issues, the controversy over the candidate’s selection in the Thiruvananthapuram Parliament segment had come up, he said.
