In what is being widely termed in the omniscient political circles as ‘D’ (D{eath}-day) for the already-irrelevant CPI(M) in the ensuing days due to the party’s ‘unpopular’ “non-appeal, morose techniques, effete practices, incomprehensible “Cold War” jargons, 24 x 7 sheer vested interests to fill only their own coffers, practice of only fulfillment of personal vested interests”, alarmed members are fast deserting the party and are crossing over to other parties in the country. Under the circumstances, diehard CPM members do believe not all’s not yet lost for the Marxists even though they become irrelevant today in the country, thanks to overt Capitalism against whom Marxists originally are. Present CPM General Secretary Sita Ram Yechury supports that as is evident from direct quotes of his given below. Before that, a quick run down on Marxism:
(Marxism : the political and economic theories of Karl Marx later developed by their followers to form the basis of communism. According to Marx, each class is defined chiefly by its relation to the productive process and has objective interests rooted in that relation. The capitalists’ interests lie in securing their power and expanding profits. Workers, on the other hand, have interests in higher wages, safe working conditions, shorter hours, job security, and—because it is required to realize other interests—a new distribution of power. The class struggle involves everything that these two major classes do to promote their incompatible interests at each other’s expense.
In this battle, which rages throughout society, the capitalists are aided by their wealth, their control of the state, and their domination over other institutions—schools, media, churches—that guide and distort people’s thinking. On the workers’ side are their sheer numbers, their experience of cooperation—however alienated—while at work, trade unions, working class political parties (where they exist), and the contradictions within capitalism that make present conditions increasingly irrational.
In capitalism, the state is an instrument in the hands of the capitalists that is used to repress dangerous dissent and to help expand surplus value. This is done mainly by passing and enforcing anti-working class laws and by providing the capitalists with various economic subsidies (“capitalist welfare”). Marx also views the state as a set of political structures interlocked with the economic structures of capitalism whose requirements—chiefly for accumulating capital (means of production used to produce value)—it must satisfy, if the whole system is not to go into a tailspin. And, finally, the state is an arena for class struggle where class and class factions contend for political advantage in an unfair fight that finds the capitalists holding all the most powerful weapons. An adequate understanding of the role of the capitalist state as a complex social relation requires that it be approached from each of these three angles: as an instrument of the capitalist class, as a structure of political offices and processes, and as an arena of class struggle.)
Sita Ram Yechury : “I would never say we’re irrelevant. But I know that’s the popular perception in some sections. When I became the General Secretary (all in all in the CPM), the most charitable comment I heard was through a cartoon, which said that ‘Yechury is now the captain of a sinking ship. Yes, these are difficult times for the Left. One of the reasons is the changing aspirations of various classes. Through policies of liberalization and economic reforms, there have been perceptible changes not just in the behavior, but also the status of various sections of our (Indian) society. Take the working class. Now less than 6 per cent of the entire work force in our country is what is being called the organized work force, that is, work force which has trade union rights. So workforce is being fragmented into contract, casual, temporary, daily wagers and they are being removed from the orbit of collective bargaining. And the laws are all connected with collective bargaining. So if the labor laws are not changed, a situation is created where labor laws become irrelevant [and with that CPI(M) fully irrelevant as now].”
On lot of support for the causes raised by CPI(M) but votes to some other parties : We are in the process of intense introspection on that (any use considering Marxism is over all over the world!). To pull it popularly, like we say it in our party, ladne ke liye lal jhanda obtain cheap pills without a doctor – http://birmiligramnostalji.besaba.com/?p=215 pills … which means, if we want to protest, protect our economic issues, then it’s the local jhanda. But when it comes to voting, there are other considerations. This is what we are discussing. These aspects we need to combine : On economic issues, people have confidence in us. That is what we have always articulated. But on the issues of social oppression, the confidence is not there yet. That is something we will have to work on. Democratic choices are somewhat distorted in the end due to issues like money, muscle power, social grouping and organization etc. These days the amount of money that is being spent on elections is phenomenal. That itself is a deterrent for a party like ours to contest (in other words, time to wrap up ! )
Relevance of CPI(M) in 2016, in West Bengal Assembly Elections then : It depends on the degree to which people are allowed to cast their franchise without any repression. That is the most important thing. All the mobilization is happening. It did not translate into votes earlier because in many places, people were just not allowed to vote. It has been a politics of terror, not so much politics of people’s acceptance. So (it all depends on) how effectively we are able to fight that.
On clarity in CPI(M)’s economic thought : We are different in the sense that we are not for indiscriminate entry of private capital. We have already said that any private capital that flows into India will have to be according to 3 conditions : One, that private capital must augment our production capacity. If this takes over existing production capacity, it’s a no. Secondly, capital inflow must expand employment opportunities. And lastly, that capital inflow must upgrade India technologically. …So 100% FDI in hardware means, you come, set up factories in China, and produce. You export from China. Chinese people get jobs. What are we doing? We’re opening up our mobile services 100%. The moment services are opened up, why will anybody produce here? We had just 1 hardware factory here. I think it was Nokia in Chennai. Now it is closed. There is a flood of Chinese companies indulging in Make In India.
LAST PARA / OUTCOME / ASSESSMENT : Yechury is in a fix seriously wondering/vacillating on how to win masses’ support that’s translated into votes in his favor which can enable CPM win some seats in MP-elections/ Assembly elections. Presently, Yechury is befuddled, trying his utmost to win back CPI(M)’s “lost support” in all sections. Even CPM’s then seemingly perennial bottom-most sections of the society have dissociated with him, CPM, its anachronous promises confined only to lip services.
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