Women Left Out

To secure the next century, the Left must fully embrace the idea that the fight for gender equality is not a secondary struggle; it must be the revolution itself

- Saira Shah Halim

FOR a century, the Indian Left-from the old generation communists to various student unions-have been fighting for economic equity and defending the rights of the 'mazdoor' (worker) and the 'kisan' (farmer). As we mark this centennial milestone, the most urgent question isn't merely what the Left has achieved, but whether a movement perpetually fighting for its survival can still summon the courage to imagine a fairer future for the world's largest democracy.

When asked to reflect on a century of the Indian Left with the gender question in mind, I felt a mix of emotions. The exercise was not to eulogise or defend, but to engage honestly-much like siblings remembering a complicated family. We can look back and say, "This could have been done differently; that could have been avoided," yet still acknowledge the moral and intellectual weight of the Left's contribution to Indian public life. For every ideological misstep or electoral loss, there exists a legacy of compassion, courage, and clarity of purpose that continues to challenge the inequities of the present.

This reflection is also deeply personal. In 2022, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) gave me the opportunity to contest the Ballygunge bypoll against the All India Trinamool Congress' (TMC's) incumbent Babul Supriyo.

As a corporate dropout and an Army officer's daughter, I wasn't a traditional Leftist candidate. The lone battle I faced as a first-time candidate was not one for the faint-hearted. I faced brutal trolling and a smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by the Congress candidate who, incidentally, happened to be a Muslim. Despite having to fight against both the BJP and the TMC combine, I also faced a communal campaign designed to make me look like a "lesser Muslim" to cut my minority votes.

My electoral run was heralded as an electoral resurgence.