Reinventing the Left

Pushed to the wall, the CPI(M) seems to be planning a shift that is more than tactical

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HE NEW GENERAL secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), MA Baby, sees the need for the party to "directly campaign and conduct struggles" on caste, gender, and social issues, rather than leave such protestation solely to the mass organisations aligned with the party. This is a marked shift from the mainstream Indian Left's conventional approach. The CPI(M) has fought shy of directly engaging itself with issues, where class divisions in its analysis aren't self-evident. The unrelenting focus on "class struggle" and the inherent fear that a larger campaign front could detract from this ideological object may have contributed to the CPI(M)'s parliamentary marginalisation, and erosion of its mass base. Baby also notes that a crucial factor in the future growth of his party lies in attracting more youth. Both the realisations may have come a bit too late, but are welcome nevertheless.