Left under-rated Narendra Modi’s campaign, admits Prakash Karat

NEW DELHI: Unlike after earlier electoral reverses, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday said the party's central leadership owned responsibility for its worst-ever poll debacle. He also admitted that the Left erred in underestimating Narendra Modi's campaign, especially in West Bengal, besides impact of liberalization and demands and aspirations of the post-liberalization generation.
Karat said BJP exploited the anti-Congress wave with the support of door-to-door campaign by RSS on communal lines.

Reiterating twice that no one from the politburo or central committee offered to resign, a self-critical Karat said the central leadership's failure was not only related to the election loss but also the shrinking mass base of the party. He said a thorough review of the party's performance would take place and "if in that process, a change in leadership is necessary, it will take place at the party congress. Election results will not lead to change in leadership".

"All over the country, our mass base has declined. We have not been able to recover lost ground since 2009," he said, claiming that out of 77,000 polling booths in West Bengal, 10,000 were fully rigged and 7,000 witnessed partial rigging. "Rigging is not the sole reason for the loss," Karat said, adding that the anti-Mamata vote in West Bengal went to BJP.

Karat said state committees, especially in West Bengal, and central committee have decided to step up their activity and take organizational steps. In West Bengal, where the party is facing violence from Trinamool Congress, it is likely that it will make some arrangement to reach out to the cadre and ordinary citizens. He said the party's political line of 'no Congress and anti-BJP' will also be reviewed. "We must review the political line of the party," he said.

In Kerala, Karat said the party was hopeful of winning more seats but could get only eight out of 20. He said traditionally, Left got more votes in assembly elections in Kerala but this time, the party wanted to reverse it. "Our performance was below our expectations in the given (anti-Congress) political situation," Karat said. He said politburo member M A Baby, who lost the election, offered to resign as MLA but the party has not taken any decision.