CPM politburo meet to discuss if alliance with Cong cost it dear in W Bengal

NEW DELHI: Ten days after the shock of an embarrassing defeat in West Bengal, CPM politburo will meet for two days from Sunday to review its performance in the recent assembly elections.
High on agenda will be review of electoral tactics of going with Congress in West Bengal. Many politburo members opposed to having any truck with Congress are likely to raise some serious questions.But as a senior party leader said, “Nothing will come out of it. Like in the past some leaders might offer resignation but ultimately there will be triumph of collective principle. This has been the trend for more than a decade now.”
Asked if Congress will now become an anathema for CPM, the source said, “Yes but the ground situation in Bengal is such that similar demand will be made again before 2019 general election. Party’s Vizag line – no electoral truck with Congress – will either be made stringent or modified in the next party Congress in 2017. It will be difficult to shed the presence of Congress now.”
However, within politburo those opposed to the alliance with Congress are in majority and are likely to turn up the heat on the pro-alliance group led by general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Surja Kanta Mishra, Mohammed Salim and Biman Bose. The pro-alliance group still believes it was not a wrong decision, just that their message did not percolate to the ground level. The alliance, one leader said, was also to withstand unprecedented violence from Trinamool cadre.
Anti-alliance group, consisting of former general secretary Prakash Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan, Subhasini Ali, Manik Sarkar, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and few others, are likely to point out that there was gross exaggeration in estimating Congress’ strength in West Bengal. “Alliance with Left helped Congress more. They raised their tally with our vote while we gained nothing. Congress has become the second largest party and CPM its junior alliance,” leader said, adding that the only way out for the party will be to work for independent growth of Left, especially CPM.