For the CPI(M) now, carving out an independent path is still top priority. At the 18th congress, the political resolution as well as speeches by "living legends" Jyoti Basu and Surjeet all stressed the fact. It sees the current UPA scenario as not more than a temporary phenomenon, especially with the Congress "following" on the nda track in economic matters. The ultimate goal is still the Third Alternative, based on more 'people-oriented' policies.
But the party also knows that economic issues alone will not increase its strength on the ground. The buzzword now: social reform. Whether it's nine-time MP Hannan Mollah from West Bengal or aidwa functionary and ex-MP Subhashini Ali, they're all agreed that the party has to mobilise the Dalits, tribals and women. Says Mollah: "Unless we embark on a social reform movement in north India, we can't create a new political space for ourselves. We failed to take on Mandalisation which emphasised the negative aspects of caste at the expense of democratic forces."
Karat says the party will now focus on tribal areas in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan—areas where both the BJP and Naxalism has grown. In the Hindi belt, it will attempt to replicate work done in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, launching campaigns against "caste oppression". Indeed, the fact that the party congress was held in Delhi was also not without import: "In the new political situation, we wanted to project the party nationally," says Karat.
Clearly, with such an ambitious two-pronged strategy—fighting the Congress' economic policies and the communal parties as well—the party's anti-UPA rhetoric has been pre-determined. The new leadership, though, has a tough act to live up to—given the weight of history and the track record of Surjeet and Basu, the only two living members of the party's 'original navratna'.
