A day after inking a poll pact with the DMK for five seats, one lesser than it contested in the previous Assembly election, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the party accepted the offer since it prioritised ideology over seats. In an interview with TNIE’s S Kumaresan, he emphasised that the CPM would fight “tooth and nail” to defeat the BJP alliance, despite contesting fewer seats in the upcoming polls.
How did the party settle for five seats after tough negotiations and your alliance claiming to have a strong bonding?
Many new parties have joined the alliance. There are around 26 parties now. Some smaller parties supported us in the Lok Sabha polls, but they did not get seats then. Now, seats have to be shared with them too. This is one of the biggest alliances Tamil Nadu has seen. We agreed to this because our main goal is to defeat the BJP-AIADMK alliance. For us, political ideology is more important than the number of seats.
Will the reduced seats affect your cadres’ morale?
Our cadres expect more seats and opportunities to contest, and we fought for it during talks. We were already given very few seats earlier. Reducing them further caused pain. However, our party people are driven by ideology. Once a decision is made, we accept it fully. There may be small disappointments at first. But after the agreement, our cadres will work with full unity. They will give 100% effort to ensure victory of the alliance.
Will fewer seats affect the future growth of your party?
No. People do not join the Communist party based on how many MPs or MLAs we have. For example, in 2004, we had 61 MPs, but it did not change our growth much. In some years, we had very few MLAs. The party still remained active. Our growth depends on how we fight for people’s issues. It depends on our struggles for public welfare, not on elected representatives’ numbers.
Some promises made by the DMK in 2021 were not fulfilled. Will that have an impact?
No political party in India has fulfilled 100% of its promises. This is true for all parties, including ours. But fulfilling most promises is a big achievement. Many welfare schemes have reached the people. That has given them some satisfaction. The remaining promises can be fulfilled in the coming years. We believe people understand this.
Your party lost four of the six seats you contested. What is your plan now?
In the last election, we did not get constituencies where we are strong. We joined the alliance late because we were not happy with the number of seats. By the time we agreed, most of our preferred constituencies were already taken. We had to contest in difficult seats where even the DMK was weak. So, our party’s strength should not be judged by those results. This time, we have asked for stronger constituencies. Also, the alliance is stronger now. Welfare schemes, the anti-BJP sentiment in Tamil Nadu, and people’s anger against the centre will help us perform better.
Despite your repeated demands and protests, the incumbent government has not enacted a separate law against honour killings yet?
Honour killing is not just a law and order issue. It is also a social problem linked to caste and casteist mindset. Yet, due to our pressure, the government has taken steps. A commission led by retired Justice KN Basha has been formed. Even recognising this as a problem in need of serious measures to address was difficult. There is now progress. We believe a law will be enacted. Even if it gets delayed, we will continue to push for it.
Many youngsters seem to be attracted to joining new parties instead of ideologically-oriented parties like yours?
Today, some see politics as dirty and stay away. Others see it as a way to earn money. But our party works for social change and equality. We believe change takes time and needs strong struggle. Many youngsters want quick results. They look for instant success. That is why they move towards new parties. Still, we are trying to bring them into our movement through different efforts. We accept that we have not fully succeeded yet.
Trade unions are weakening and youth are less interested in ideology. What is your plan to bring them towards the Left ideology?
After globalisation, many changes have happened. Governments and companies say trade unions are not necessary. But worker exploitation has actually increased. Working hours are longer, and job security is less. This is true even in the IT sector. As long as exploitation exists, people will come together and fight. That is the strength of communism.
Even if there is no immediate rise, Left movements are growing in many countries including the South American continental. India cannot be an exception forever. We strongly believe that as long as inequality and exploitation exist, communism will remain relevant and needed.