The party’s inexplicable inability to devise a policy of coherent opposition to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal even two years after its worst electoral drubbing, remains a mystery to its followers and observers.

Since May 2011, when it was ousted from power after a record 34-year-long tenure, the CPI(M), the mainstay of the Left Front, has been plagued by a stuttering, stop-and-start kind of agitating against the TMC. Militant slogans have not been followed up, announced programmes not launched or suspended. The party’s top leaders held in check their younger, more impulsive second rankers.

Most top leaders like the State party Secretary and LF Chairman Biman Bose and former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, prefer a cautious approach when it comes to agitating against the TMC.

In contrast, a bunch of second rank leaders are eager to carry the battle to the streets and right into the enemy’s camp. They are led by former minister Gautam Deb and Subhas Mukherjee of the CITU, and would prefer a more assertive approach.

Now the inner party debate over immediate tactics against the TMC has spilled into the ideological sphere. Veteran left conscience keeper Ashok Mitra has advised the party to go back to its roots and build up a major agitation step by step, not to jump into the fray in an unprepared manner.

Almost immediately, Deb has publicly countered his views, suggesting that the party’s younger ranks are already agitating in different areas. Launching a major struggle is not a “daydream” or a crazy idea at this stage. Both leaders have expressed themselves publicly, in the party mouthpiece.

“Such public airing of the inner party debate within the CPI(M) on a tactical question is unique for a self-confessed Stalinist party. It shows how much the CPI(M) has opened up responding to the pressure for more transparency and inner party democracy within its own ranks,” says an observer.

The debate over tactics has received wide coverage in the media, as to be expected.

Veterans calling for more circumspection say that the people are not yet ready support any major opposition-proposed agitation. Except for the razor-sharp Howrah Parliamentary by-election, most poll results have gone strongly in favour of the ruling party. This is evident from the outcome of the Panchayat and the Civic polls. People are yet to get over their disappointment and resentment over the Left’s failures, especially during the 2007-2011 period. Mitra suggests that it would be advisable for left cadres to admit their mistakes, take corrective action against controversial leaders and functionaries, and to start sustained agitations from the block level upwards.

This is the time-tested formula of political action that helped the left come into power after the uninterrupted Congress rule from 1947 to 1967 in West Bengal. In Mitra’s view, the setback suffered by the Left has almost taken it back to those days.

In contrast, Deb and others think that the opposition is making it too easy for the ruling TMC by not asserting itself more vigorously. The TMC is virtually running amuck, openly luring away large numbers of Congressmen to its fold. And now the process has extended to the supporters and activists of the Left parties themselves. Another section of left activists who have not yet gone over to the TMC have given up the fight, demoralised by the party’s apparent “inactivity.” This would have never happened if the party had launched a series of agitations and revved up the political tempo.

There is only one point of agreement between the two sides. There is no dearth of issues, campaigning on which the opposition can put the ruling TMC on the mat — the TMC’s disastrous financial policy, its failure on the industries and education front, poor record in employment generation and implementation of rural projects, reckless expenses incurred by a whimsical chief Minister, deteriorating law and order — the list is long.

But there are some positives too going in favour of the TMC: its successful tackling of the Gorkha political challenge and the improvement of law and order in the Maoist-infested Jangalmahal districts. The ruling Left had virtually abdicated its responsibilities in both areas during the 2007-2011 period.

Analysts point out that the debate may continue for some time. The present situation has grown politically complex for the opposition. The fact is both the cautious and the proactive agitation modes have been tried, in different areas, with very limited success. However, it is not as though the party was fully behind either modes of agitation. Mostly, they have been local sporadic efforts.

For instance, Deb’s promised march of 200,000 people to protest against the Chief Minister’s decision to shift the State Secretariat temporarily to Howrah has not materialised, because of poor response within the party. The proactive section also suffered a setback with the disastrous SFI demonstration in Delhi where state Finance Minister Amit Mitra was roughed up. The TMC made a big issue out of it and subjected the CPI(M) in West Bengal to a virtual pogrom.

On the other hand, support for the milder anti TMC approach, as symbolised by Suryakanta Mishra, leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, has largely been restricted among the middle classes, not among the masses. The civil society has turned very critical of the TMC, but so far that has not hurt the TMC’s prospects electorally.

As things stand, therefore, it seems the party will remain bogged down in its debate for some more time to come, until the situation turns more favourable the opposition as a whole.(IPA Service)