The problem for the “big brother” CPI-M appears to be that it is unable to be back on the rails even 100 days after the poll results. There is a vertical division even in its top echelons on different issues. If the party was divided in 1996 on the Jyoti Basu issue on ideological grounds, today the situation is different.

This week's politburo meeting in New Delhi to analyse the situation is an example of how the party is twiddling its thumbs. Things in Bengal are getting worse. West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is said to be on the verge of quitting his job after the attack on him by the party for the poor showing at the hustings. This is the third time in a row that he has avoided the politburo meeting. Similarly, Kerala CPI(M) chief Pinarayi Vijayan, who is facing corruption charges, did not show up either. With the absence of these two key members, how could the politburo take any meaningful decisions?

The CPI-M bosses have realised that unless they go for a course correction now, the party will come out even weaker in the 2011 Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala. Interestingly, instead of discussing the problems the politburo meeting has decided to update the rectification document of 1996 and issue a clear cut list of dos and don'ts to the party as if the real problem is the lifestyle of the leaders!.

Why is the party in such a bad shape? First of all, the party lacks the kind of leadership it had earlier like EMS Namboodripad, AK Gopalan and Surjit,. Leaders like Jyoti Basu are becoming out of action with the result that leaders like Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury are unable to give strong leadership needed for the party.

Secondly, there is a tug of war between the politburo and the chief ministers of West Bengal and Kerala. Factionalism, which was alien to the communist party, has now become a death trap. There is turmoil in West Bengal and things have come to such a pass that infighting is dogging the party. The politburo is not in agreement with Buddha's investment policies. Buddha has been in the firing line since the party lost miserably in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The latest blow was the move to scrap Wipro and Infosys IT projects this week. Apart from the loss of investment, jobs are also becoming scarce. There is no doubt that scrapping of the project will send wrong signals to the IT industry. Earlier Tatas had moved their Nano project following the agitation in Singur. There is a divide in the state CPI-M about the way land was leased out to the Vedic village promoters. So the Chef Minister has been put in an awkward position.

The CPI-M has to do a lot of serious thinking. The party has to get ready for next year's municipal polls in 82 municipalities and Kolkata Corporation elections. If they lose, winning the 2011 Assembly polls will be a pipe dream. The party is losing its grip over the rural masses who were once its main supporters. The resurgence of the Congress-Trinamool Congress combine is a big worry for the left leaders.

As far as Kerala is concerned, the infighting between the two groups led by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and state CPI-M chief Vijayan is at its peak. The two have been at loggerheads since the 2006 Assembly polls. Vijayan is facing court cases on corruption charges. The Chief minister's group wants Vijayan to be removed pending clearance by the courts in the corruption case while the Vijayan faction wants removal of Achuthanandam. The measures taken to put down sectarianism have not yielded results. There is disenchantment in the rank and file and according to one estimate, about ten per cent of the members have been leaving the party even though it is in power.

It is time for the CPI- M to do some hard thinking. A democracy needs a vibrant opposition and the left leaders should now concentrate on revival. First of all, it should move in step with reality and move forward with the aspirations of the people. If the CPI-M had not pushed the Congress into the arms of the TMC before the 2009 polls, then the results could have been different. The party has to realize why the rank and file is getting restless. Just as the BJP is unable to come out of its shackles and give up outdated ideas, the CPI-M too has to do some soul searching and move forward. The top most priority for the party is to win back the trust of the people and this cannot be done overnight. The 2011 Assembly polls to West Bengal and Kerala will be an acid test and unless the CPI(M) starts preparing for it from now, it will lose miserably. (IPA Service)