NEW DELHI: Following the defeat of the Congress in recently concluded assembly elections in three states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh — the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI(M) has criticised the grand old party for its inability to confront the "overarching pan-Hindu identity" created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and work out an ideological platform and a political narrative that could take on and overcome this Hindutva ideological domination.
In the recent editorial of its weekly newspaper, 'People's Democracy', the CPI(M) pointed out that the Congress party's decision to go alone in the 'Hindi heartland' has proven to be "shortsighted."
"While the main fight was between the BJP and the Congress, the refusal of the Congress to have electoral adjustments with parties like the Samajwadi Party in Madhya Pradesh and other smaller players in these states prevented the rallying of all the anti-BJP forces," read the editorial.
Referring to the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s vow to continue the fight against the 'ideology' after the poll results, the editorial further took on the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, and the outgoing chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, for "pandering to Hindutva sentiments."
It said, "Rahul Gandhi, responding to the election results, stated that the 'battle of ideology will continue'. But this is precisely the problem. Where has there been an ideological battle waged by the Congress against Hindutva? On the contrary, there has been a pandering to Hindutva sentiments."
"The chief practitioner of this soft Hindutva has been none other than Kamal Nath, who has been continuously imitating the Hindutva plank. He had called for the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa in all Congress offices on the day the foundation of the Ram temple was laid at Ayodhya in August 2020. Baghel took to flaunting his Hindu religious identity and implementing government programmes like building the Ram Van Gaman Path," the editorial added.
The newspaper, which is edited by CPI-M Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat, also said, "if the Congress and other major opposition parties draw the right lessons from this defeat and take appropriate measures to project an alternative political, ideological, and economic narrative alongside an effective pooling of the anti-BJP votes, the battle for 2024 will be truly joined."