CPM politburo member Brinda Karat says that 2016 will be the year of rejuvenation for Left movement in India. She told ‘Express’ on the sidelines of the ‘Women’s Parliament’, organised by the AKG and EMS Padana Gaveshana Kendrams in Kochi on Wednesday, that the optimism is based on the feedback from the cadre level. Excerpts from the interview with Sarita S Balan.
Question: Did the party start preparations for the upcoming Assembly election in Kerala?
Answer: Yes we have. People of Kerala deserves a better government. It was always the Left which came up with wonderful initiatives for the people - be it decentralisation, innovative environmental-friendly programmes and most importantly Kudumbashree which are unmatched in the history of India.
Q: Who would be your probable chief minister candidate? Is it V S Achuthanandan this time as well?
A: Such questions don’t deserve any answer.
Q: CPM and Yoga were viewed as ‘never matching’ combinations once. Did the party lose the orientation to go for such options which is identified largely with the BJP?
A: You are prejudiced to ask such questions. The BJP focuses on things like Yoga to support narrow religious, sectarian ideologies. We don’t need that kind of orientation. The CPM is breaking barriers in many things. All our initiatives are community-based services like palliative care or yoga.
Q: Every time a new political party or a group is formed, there is a trend to give it an enthusiastic welcome as an alternative or third front. Going by that do you think the party will be impacted in Kerala?
A: How can you say that. The people’s support for the party was proven in the Local Body Polls. Left is not a sectarian phenomenon. We have deep roots in Kerala. Left is the dynamic and stable alternative.
Q: But your women comrades were rejected by the workers of the tea plantations in Munnar during their protest against companies? The only leader welcomed there was V S Achuthanandan. Your comments.
A: That was what the media said. The fact was that some women there didn’t want to work under trade unions. It was our leaders who negotiated for the workers. Women are our ‘natural comrades’. They may not be under our flag. But we would be with them in all their fights.
Q: What is the strategy to strengthen the party in the country?
A: Well, we had come out of the Visakhapatnam congress with clear political decisions. We will be working with social movements and social forces of similar ideologies to reach out to different sections of the people. A detailed organisational exercise followed the congress that was visible at the Kolkata plenum. We had a detailed questionnaire that went down to the branch level. We got the feedback from which we prepared the final report and resolution which would be our guideline for the future. 2016 is the rejuvenation year for the Left movement.