Agartala: Former Chief Minister and CPIM Politburo member Manik Sarkar on Wednesday admitted that his party failed to counter the BJP’s beneficiary-oriented political campaign.
The veteran CPIM leader, who did not contest the last elections, also advised party workers neither to judge voters as a permanent asset nor a purchasable commodity.
“You can’t buy voters nor you can influence them so easily. A voter is never static in his mind which is why political parties need to reach out to their supporters often. In these elections, our results were not satisfactory because our party failed to counter the strong campaign spearheaded by the BJP which was largely based on the beneficiary schemes,” said Sarkar.
In an obvious reference to the Centrally Funded Schemes that had benefited lakhs of people in the state, Sarkar said, “They have moved forward strategically. On one hand, the Left has been prevented from carrying out any public programme for the last five years and on the other, beneficiary schemes were delivered at every doorstep. The CPIM and its frontal wings could not work for the last five years because all of us were in the face of fascist attacks. And, I must make it very clear to everyone that without a properly functioning organisational strength, the Communist party can never win elections.”
Sarkar was addressing a condolence meeting here in Agartala organised to pay tributes to the late Sunit Chopra. According to Sarkar, two and a half months of effort can never be enough to win elections. “The BJP has spent money like never before. The Central government did not hesitate to release funds for various schemes. On the flip side, our organisational structure was broken. People could not even come out of their homes for a long time which destabilized the connection between the masses and the Left leaders. This is the reason why Left was defeated electorally in the just concluded polls”, said Sarkar.
Urging his party members to restore that connection, Sarkar said, “We have learnt a lesson from these polls. Now is the time to rectify and get back to work. In whatever capacity possible we must re-establish the bond with the people representing the lower slab of society. They are the traditional Left voters. I know a section of BJP leaders misinterpreted many things. They should be made aware that the beneficiary schemes that are being implemented here are their right and not at the mercy of some government. It is not that if they vote for the Left the pending instalment for building their house will not be deposited.
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These misunderstandings have been implanted very carefully and we must open their eyes at the right time”. According to Sarkar, the women voters have also been influenced by the BJP’s campaign to a large extent. “Once upon a time, the Democratic Women Association happened to be the biggest organisation of women in Tripura. But, today BJP holds a strong sway among women voters. The Self Help Group movement that was started by the CPIM in Tripura had been exploited by the BJP in the last five years. Loans worth hundreds of crores had been disbursed during the last fives years and resultantly BJP reaped rich dividends during elections,” said Sarkar.
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