Bickering between Kerala and West Bengal factions of the CPI-M has impacted on the Central Committee of the party resulting in the withdrawal of nomination of the party general secretary, Sitaram Yechury for a third term in the Rajya Sabha. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan orchestrated the move against Yechury. According to him, his nomination would have prevented Yechury from discharging his functions in Parliament and party affairs. The Left is getting marginalised in national politics. The number of its Lok Sabha members came down from 43 in 2004 to just 9 in 2014. Unless the Left reorganises itself and refashions its strategy, it will become irrelevant in Indian politics. Yechury’s term as Rajya Sabha member expires next month. Elections for six seats from West Bengal will be held on August 8. The West Bengal CPI-M’s proposal to join hands with the Congress to back Yechury was rejected. It may be recalled that Yechury wanted the CPI-M to have an understanding with the Congress in the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Yechury acknowledged responsibility for the signal defeat of the CPI-M in the last polls. Yet he is all for a secular alliance. The CPI-M is in direct contest, however, with the Congress in Kerala. The BJP is full of self-contradictions. The CPI-M may follow the example and change its policy from state to state so that it can have an alliance with the Congress where necessary. The Left should connect with the people. The Sitaram Yechury decision is supposed to have brought the TMC and the Congress closer in West Bengal.