CPM for state-level alliances to beat BJP; rules out national front with Congress
The CPM’s Party Congress on Friday approved a political resolution that called for isolating and defeating the BJP by mobilising democratic and secular forces, but without a national-level alliance with the Congress. The resolution approved state-level alliances with parties to mobilise anti-BJP votes.
After two days of discussions on the political resolution, it was also decided to take the CPM-led Kerala government’s policies to the rest of the country as an alternative to the BJP’s neoliberal agenda, indicating that the Kerala unit has gained the upper hand in the Marxist party.
Party general secretary Sitaram Yechuri said there would not be any all-India front before elections. “In every state the broadest effort would be to maximise the pooling of anti-BJP votes. Depending on the complex situation in each state, effort would be made for the broadest possible mobilisation of secular votes to maximise the pooling of anti-BJP votes. Alliances would emerge only after elections,’’ he said.
The resolution said the party must prioritise strengthening its independent role, expanding its influence and interventional capacities through sustained class and mass struggles. Special attention must be paid to strengthen local struggles on people’s problems with proper follow-up, it added.
It said all sections of people subjected to the “intensified economic exploitation” by the BJP’s neoliberal policies must be rallied together in the struggles on livelihood issues. The party must actively intervene and join all spontaneous struggles that develop in order to strengthen them.
The resolution also said the CPM must be in the forefront of the fight against Hindutva communalism, which should be held in a sustained manner at multiple levels. A broadest possible unity of the secular democratic forces including citizens, organisations and social movements should be forged to counter the activities of the Hindutva forces.
As many as 48 delegates, representing various state units, took part in the discussion on the draft political resolution, which charted out the party programme for next three years.
Earlier in the day, Politburo member Brinda Karat told reporters that a recurring theme in the entire discussions in the past two days was the Kerala government’s policies. “In our discussions, we have determined today to take the Kerala model of alternative policies and pro-poor policies to the rest of the country. The Kerala model in various areas and how we should take LDF experiences and LDF government policies to the rest of the country were discussed in detail. We have an alternative approach that we want to take before people against the neoliberal policies of the BJP. This is an important aspect when we want to further strengthen the identity of the CPI(M),’’ she said.
