CPI(M)’s West Bengal state secretary Mohammad Salim speaks to Atri Mitra in regards to the initiatives that the celebration is planning to soak up the run-up to the 2026 Meeting polls in a bid to revive its electoral fortunes in a state it had dominated over for 3 many years.
You have got been elected because the CPI (M) state secretary for a second time however electorally, the celebration is caught at zero. What will probably be your roadmap?
The convention elects the management and voters elects the representatives. So once I grew to become Secretary in 2022, by that point, already within the Lok Sabha and Meeting election, the CPM had this debacle within the election. And from 2022 onwards until date, we’re on the trail of restoration, revival and our precedence is to rejuvenate the celebration… And the revival of the Left ecosystem.
After the Trinamool Congress (TMC) got here to energy the RSS and BJP has been rising with the assistance of the RSS community they usually sought to decimate the Left. The entire Left ecosystem, by which the Left motion grew they usually acquired their illustration within the Parliament, Meeting, Panchayat and Lok Sabha and lots of different municipalities, that ecosystem was focused in makes an attempt to estroy it. And in lots of points, it was destroyed.
You realize, tradition, training, academic and democratic establishments, society, rural Bengal, and within the city areas, mohallas, colonies, golf equipment, sports activities organisations all over the place, the democratic aspirations of individuals and now it’s the complete democratic establishments which were destroyed. No sports activities organisation, no cultural place, no cooperative, no college, school, madrasa committee are getting elected.
So our function is not only the revival of the celebration, however the revival of democratic areas too.
You take some onerous choices, corresponding to hiring professionals, making election administration skilled. Do you suppose these will assist give ends in a Communist party-like construction?
Newer challenges require newer approaches. Within the West Bengal political sphere, we now have challenges which had been by no means earlier than, notably assaults from the BJP and TMC, coupled with binary politics. Thirdly, the usage of immense monetary, muscular and media energy, starting from native fraudulent cheat funds to company entities, worldwide businesses, funding businesses.
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So we now have to understand that we’re preventing these odds, however we now have not left the bottom. “Amra herechhi, kintu shore jaini (We’ve got misplaced, however not we’re nonetheless within the contest).”
Our revival technique is centered round an method that integrates creativity, cutting-edge expertise, knowledge-driven insights, and data-based decision-making. And we’re optimistic that by implementing this inside our organisation, we are going to obtain transformative
outcomes.
Attracting and selling the newer technology, notably ladies, girls, and youthful individuals, requires a multifaceted method. Our technique entails mobilising not simply the celebration, but additionally uniting varied teams and supporters who share our imaginative and prescient. You have got seen this throughout the R G Kar protest motion, when the whole Left Entrance got here collectively to drive change. And past that, I feel many supporters who had been earlier supporting the Left acquired disheartened, they had been additionally mobilised. So in that case, we’re sure that our newer method, broad-based political understanding and target-specific technique will outcome.
You’re additionally rolling out a cadre improvement programme, named Sitaram Yechuri Cadre Improvement Programme. Are you seeking to undertake a 70s, 80s-style Communist Occasion’s method of cadre improvement or is it a more moderen course of to develop cadre?
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For the primary time, I’m sharing this with you. Many individuals didn’t know this course of, which we began instantly after the dying of two of our leaders – Sitaram Yerchury and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. There are a complete of 5 tasks. We’ve got already launched 5 tasks. That is nothing new. The CPI(M) and worldwide, the Communist Occasion are cadre-based. Our baseline is our cadres and we now have to recruit, prepare, retain and develop them, promote them. So it’s not solely CPIM however even these cadres who’re working among the many plenty, and it’s via the mass and sophistication organizations that we now have chosen one batch. Then this will probably be batch after batch. The primary batch we now have already skilled. That is nothing new.
Within the 60s, 70s, 80s, we skilled learn how to attain out to individuals, speak to them, discover out their points, and mobilise them on the grassroots. By this floor stage mobilisation will happen. After which, it is going to be monitoring their efficiency additionally. Primarily based on that, they can even deploy, re-deploy and promote.
Not too long ago, some Left leaders in Kerala claimed that they don’t take into account the BJP-led authorities on the Centre as a fascist regime. What’s
your view?
The CPI(M) is one celebration, not Kerala celebration, Bengal celebration or Delhi celebration. And the CPI(M) outright rejects this view. Whoever mentioned that… I don’t know. I don’t suppose any of our leaders in Kerala will say that due to the political understanding of the CPI(M).
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Since 2014-15, we now have been saying that as a celebration, the BJP isn’t an element because it (BJP) is guided by, skilled by and directed by the programmes of the RSS, which is a fascist organisation. The RSS has a fascist agenda they usually wish to make India right into a fascist state.
The Communist Occasion of India (Marxist) or CPIM is the one celebration within the nation with a transparent programme that addresses the hazards posed by fascist organisations, notably the RSS-BJP.
In keeping with the CPI(M), the RSS-BJP’s agenda is a menace to India’s Structure, and their pursuit of energy is characterised by neo-fascist tendencies.
What’s the focus of the 2026 Meeting election for you? Are you able to align with the Congress or solely a much bigger Left alliance?
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At current, we’re concentrating on strengthening our unbiased energy. Then consolidation of the Left after which within the third stage when the difficulty comes all these anti-BJP, anti-TMC forces, people, events, teams, they’re sought to be mobilised. So it is determined by these people, events and organizations so long as they continue to be dedicated in opposition to BJP and TMC and able to combat with us shoulder to shoulder. All are welcome.
