CPI(M) reviews post-poll setbacks; slams Congress, rules out TMC tie-up

The CPI(M) has called for stronger opposition unity against the BJP and RSS, citing the growing influence of far-right politics and accusing the Congress of weakening secular forces.

The CPI(M) on Sunday said the post-election political situation demanded stronger opposition unity against the BJP and the RSS, as it accused the Congress of weakening efforts to consolidate secular forces and ruling out any immediate understanding with the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Addressing a press conference after the CPI-Marxist Central Committee meeting held from May 22 to 24 in New Delhi, party general secretary MA Baby said the recent assembly election results reflected the growing influence of far-right politics that require a serious political review by opposition parties.

''The ascendancy of the far right is a major phenomenon that needs to be noticed after this set of assembly elections,'' Baby said, and accused the Centre of ''fascistic, neo-fascistic tendencies.''.

He said the opposition arrangement needed to be strengthened to counter the BJP-RSS combine, but maintained that the Congress's approach towards regional and Left parties was not conducive to building such unity.

''The arrangement within the Opposition has to be further strengthened. However, the attitude of Congress towards other opposition parties is not helpful in building the unity of this secular opposition to fight RSS-BJP,'' he said.

The remarks came as the party's central committee began a review of the party's electoral performance and the future course of opposition politics after the assembly polls.

The party held a preliminary discussion on the political, organisational and ideological reasons behind the election setbacks and initiated state-level reviews.

In Kerala, the state committee has begun collecting opinions from party units and will hold discussions from June 5 to 8 in Thiruvananthapuram, attended by a Polit Bureau team.

Similar review exercises will be undertaken in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam, with the central committee scheduled to meet again in July for a comprehensive assessment.

The party, in a statement, condemned allegations made by Congress leaders during the Kerala election campaign that the CPI(M) had an understanding with the BJP.

''Anybody with a rudimentary knowledge of politics can understand'' the absurdity of such allegations, Baby said.

''These were the topmost leaders of Congress repeated during their election campaign, along with many malicious, unfounded allegations,'' he said, adding that while political contestation was legitimate, ''the dignity and decorum'' expected in such battles was not maintained.

The communique described the accusations as ''baseless'' and ''malicious'', saying they were directed against a party committed to fighting communalism and remains a part of the INDIA bloc.

Baby underlined that the CPI(M) continues to see Congress as an important component in any broader anti-BJP platform.

''We are conscious that Congress has to play a very important role in the fight against RSS-BJP, but in consideration of the narrow, immediate demands of an electoral battle in a particular state, many a time Congress misses this particular point,'' he said.

Seeking to balance criticism with support for Opposition coordination, Baby said contradictions among the INDIA bloc constituents in different states were an ''objective reality.''.

''When we started this broad Opposition arrangement called INDIA Bloc, we were clear that there would be states where components of the bloc would engage in friendly fights due to state-specific situations,'' he said. Such contests sometimes turned ''a little unfriendly'' and even ''indignified,'' he added.

Yet, Baby maintained, the BJP and RSS pose a larger challenge to the constitutional order and secular democracy.

''The fascistic RSS and the BJP controlled by the RSS are a big threat to the country. So all these parties which are having differences in different states should try to resolve those problems to the best of our ability,'' he said.

Asked if the Left and TMC may come together in West Bengal, Baby made it clear there is no such possibility at present, citing violence against CPI(M) workers in the state.

''All these years, the Trinamool Congress has been conducting itself as a highly undemocratic party,'' he said.

''Even during the elections, one of our comrades was killed; our people were not allowed to participate in the election process,'' he said.

Asked whether relations with the TMC could be reconsidered, Baby replied: ''It is an absolutely premature question. The kind of behaviour that the TMC is carrying out, there is no question of this issue coming up for consideration.''.

The central committee also criticised the BJP-led Union government on issues ranging from elections to the economy and civil liberties.

It opposed the proposed delimitation exercise and the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging these measures could disenfranchise voters and distort the electoral process, and announced a campaign to defend voting rights.

On the economy, the party flagged unemployment, rising fuel prices, distress among MSMEs and farmers, and opposed the rollout of the VBGRAMG Act replacing MGNREGA, as well as the operationalisation of labour codes.

The communique also raised concerns over communal polarisation, attacks on women and marginalised communities, and alleged irregularities in NEET and CBSE evaluation processes.

The party said that the growth of right-wing forces made unity among Left, progressive and secular forces ''the need of the hour'', even as it called for resolving state-level contradictions within the opposition camp.