THE PLIGHT OF COMMUNIST PARTIES OF INDIA AND ITS ALLIES

In the 1970s, the revered Marxist leader Pramod Das Gupta, who dedicated his whole life for the growth and development of CPI(M) across West Bengal worked among the masses - the downtrodden, farmers and the middle-class – exhorted them the need to consolidate under a single umbrella and get ready to fight against the wealthy which constituted only a minority and prevent them from exploitation of masses. Pramod Das though not a theoretician but an organizer worked at the grass-root level and built up CPI(M) brick by brick, layer by layer, into a huge  edifice.

Pramod Das Gupta was ably supported by Jyoti Basu from the very beginning in the build-up of CPI(M)  and in 1977 the party trounced all other rightist forces like Congress by a huge majority and under the leadership of Jyoti Basu, entered the Writers Building,  assumed power as the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Pramod Das Gupt a went on with his mission of organizing the party cadres until his death who remained a bachelor throughout his life. Unlike today’s arm-chair CPI(M) leaders who have never taken care to plunge into the grass-roots level, instead they write articles in their mouth-piece Peoples’ Democracy and other leading newspapers believing that it would lead to the consolidation of the masses. Well-educated all of them the General Secretary Prakash Karat is a product of JNU and Edinbourh  University, UK, Sitaram Yechury , a product of Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Brinda Karat, who strongly advocates womens’ causes, Subhashini Ali, the daughter of Captain Lakshmi, S Ramachandran Pillai though a Keralite but based in Delhi and other leaders, none has taken care to champion the causes of suffering millions by working at the grass-roots level but by penning the causes of people at large.

Jyoti Basu , an able administrator he was and an organizer too was in the saddle for almost 34 years in succession could have continue d in the chair but for his failing health due to old age decided to retire from the post of Chief Minister.

After Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee held the mantle, his first term ran smoothly but for his hurry to bring in corporates like Tatas and multinationals like Salim Group, Indonesia for the high voltage growth of West Bengal proved his undoing and had to hand over power after its resounding defeat at the hustings. Mamata Banerji, Trinamool Congress leader, whose anger towards CPI(M) is notorious and now she finds herself in the Chief Ministerial chair of West Bengal. Now that Ms.Banerji occupies the chair at Writers Building, CPI(M), the huge edifice built by Pramod Das Gupta and Jyothi Basu is in a shambles since the farmers, share-croppers and intellectuals all turned against the Party on which they relied upon.

In Kerala too, A.K.Gopalan aka A.K.G who devoted his life to the growth and development of Communist Party of India first and CPI(M) later after the historical split in 1964, the masses reposed great faith in him, flocked around him, who vowed to follow the path of A.K.G till the end of their life. If A.K.G was an able dedicated organizer as he wanted always to be among the masses, E.M.S (E.M.Sankaran Namboothiripad) was both an organizer and theoretician simultaneously. The masses especially the down-trodden extended all out support to them and as a result in the first election through ballot paper in 1957 Communist Party of India assumed power with E.M.S as the Chief Minister.

After the times of Pramod Das Gupta and Jyothi Basu in W.Bengal and A.K.G and E.M.S, if one dares to speak out the stark truth that their absence caused the disintegration of CPI(M) began is nothing, he/she is true to the core.

From the top rung to bottom rung, sort of cynicism prevails and except for Tripura which is ruled by Manik Sarkar, CPI(M) leader and except Tripua, CPI(M) of West Bengal  and Kerala is in a pitiful condition. In Indian political scenario once CPI(M) was a force to reckon with but today even the media itself cares not to take the leftists into account. Communist Parties of India (and other Leftists) though formed in 1921, after splits after splits are facing a stunted growth. Only one year old Aam Admi Party (AAP) besides capturing power of Delhi, in record time has been spreading across States and has decided to field 300 to 400 candidates in the 2014 General Elections.

On the other hand, unlike AAP, the Leftist leaders find pleasure in writing fire-brand articles and while away time. No wonder the Leftists are mainly confined to only three States of India.