: The recently constituted platform of 16 Left parties, including those outside the Left Front, initiated by the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI (M) has nearly collapsed.
The smaller constituents such as Provisional Central Committee of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (PCC CPI-ML), Communist Revolutionary League of India (CRLI) and Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS) have decided to distance themselves from the platform.
The CPI (M)’s “highhanded approach” was cited as a reason for the collapse.
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Differences among the constituents started cropping up as the smaller parties such as CRLI, PCC CPI (ML) and the PDS wanted to induct more secular but non-left parties, like the Congress, to join the platform. But the CPI (M) was keen to treat it as a ‘non-Congress, non-BJP’ platform, said the representatives of smaller parties.
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“We wanted all secular democratic forces including Congress, Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to combat communalism together. But the Left Front feels that the left parties are good enough to counter the right-wing parties. This is absurd,” CRLI secretary Ashim Chatterjee told The Hindu here on Sunday.
Accusing the Left Front of taking “unilateral decisions,” he said that they have “moved away” from the alliance.
“CPI (M) did not listen to our opinion to unite all the secular and democratic forces — including the left and the Congress — to form a larger anti-right coalition and thus we were left with no option but to distance ourselves,” Mr Rana said.
Asked whether his party had moved away from the alliance, he said “the alliance never took shape.”
State secretary of the PDS, Samir Putatunda also distanced himself from the platform citing similar reasons.
In fact the differences between the Marxist-Leninist and the Leninist parties were so pronounced that the smaller parties were “not even invited” join the protest march of left parties prior to President Barack Obama’s visit.
However, the chairperson of the Left Front and CPI (M)’s State secretary Biman Basu denied any difference among the partners of the recently constituted Leftist platform. “They are very much with us. True they did not take part in the Obama rally...but perhaps they will participate in future programmes,” Mr Basu told The Hindu .
CPI (M) turned down smaller parties’ wish to induct non-left parties