The political line advocated by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to seek the cooperation of all non-Left parties, including the Congress, gained more support at the end of the three-day Central Committee meeting of the party, with many leaders from Kerala too supporting the line.
Sources said 31 of the 63 speakers at the meeting endorsed Mr. Yechury’s political line. Most important, many of the 31 are from Kerala who till recently had consistently stalled any broad political alliance because it also meant working with the Congress, the party’s immediate adversary in the State. The backers included Kerala Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac and party veteran V.S. Achuthanandan.
The BJP’s recent Jan Raksha Rally in Kerala and in Delhi seems to have helped change the mood within the party. The BJP, for the past two weeks, has take out marches to the CPI(M) headquarters here every day, protesting against political killings in Kerala.
“The Central Committee authorised the Polit Bureau to prepare the draft political resolution for the 22nd party congress on the basis of the Polit Bureau outline and the discussions in the Central Committee,” Mr. Yechury said.
This is a marked victory for the Yechury faction since on October 2, the Polit Bureau rejected his line. Quoting Leon Trotsky’s “march separately, but strike together”, Mr. Yechury argued that the BJP had been in the ascendant, and there was a need for all political forces to unite. The argument was, however, rejected by the Polit Bureau.
The draft resolution finalised by the Polit Bureau will now be presented at the next Central Committee meeting in January. By February, it will be sent to all members in their mother tongues. In April, it will be adopted at the party congress in Visakhapatnam. The party congress meets once in three years. Any member or even an outsider can move amendments there.
Though the line backed by Mr. Yechury has gained currency, there is still stout support for the political-tactical line advocated by former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat.
A total of 83 delegates participated in the Central Committee, out of which 63 spoke. Thirty-two speakers supported Mr. Karat’s line. The Karat faction has said that the effort should be to strengthen the mass movements against the BJP and this stand would be diluted if the CPIM) allied with other parties.
“Out of these 32 too, at least two took a nuanced stand and were more inclined towards the Yechury line,” a member said.
A considered decision was taken not to put the matter to vote.
