People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

Why Congress Leaders Are Upset?

B V Raghavulu

During the last assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, the CPI(M) had seat adjustments with Congress and other secular forces in order to keep the TDP-BJP combine away from power. This was in the interest of the state and people's welfare. Following this the Congress has been erroneously treating the earlier seat adjustments as a joint front.

The CPI(M) in the present circumstances has decided to contest the coming local body elections in the state alone, which has led to unfortunate polemical exchanges between the two parties in the state. It needs to be reiterated that the seat adjustments with the Congress in the past were confined only to the purpose of keeping the communal forces away from power, both at the centre and in the state. Needless to add, CPI(M) is directly opposed to the ruling class policies pursued by the Congress in all spheres.

B V Raghavulu, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and state secretary explains the Party position in this write-up. - Editor

IT seems that the independent stand taken by the CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh state committee in the local body elections is causing ripples in the Congress. Till the other day the Congress party has belittled the CPI(M) saying that it has got only a nominal strength but it is now hurling absurd charges. Dragging things till the end, creating situations that become inevitable and pushing the parties into a corner so that they accept whatever is offered is the habit of the Congress in finalising the electoral deals. The experience of the last assembly elections and the Municipal elections is a testimony to this fact. In order to checkmate such tactics of the Congress, the CPI(M) had this time asked it to initiate the discussions on seat adjustments in advance. We had made it clear that if a broad understanding is not reached in the talks before the notification is issued, we will get ready to contest independently and make adjustments with the forces that come along with us locally. Even then the Congress leadership kept on dragging its feet and on top of it hurled accusations on the CPI(M) saying that it is making unreasonable demands and insulted it by saying that where does it have the strength to contest independently. Even then, we had made efforts at all levels till the notification was issued and after these efforts failed, we gave the power to the Party division committees to make adjustments with the forces that come along with us locally, including the Telugu Desam party. Only after the CPI(M) took this decision to move independently did the Congress realise the fallout. The Congress leadership, which humiliates the parties that try to make adjustments with it, has realised the necessity of friends only after the decision of the CPI(M). Under the changed circumstances, the bargaining power of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and CPI increased and they got more leeway to pressurise the Congress party. This was unpalatable to the Congress. Fears of repercussions of the developments in Andhra Pradesh on the UPA government’s future began in the central leadership of the Congress. The high command began questioning the state leadership. This sent jitters in the state leadership of the party which began blaming the CPI(M) to cover up their failure in making the adjustments. They have stooped down to the level of hurling personal accusations against the CPI(M) leaders. They are trying to cover up their arrogance by trying to put an opportunist tag on the CPI(M). They are also citing the names of Party’s central leadership in order to create confusion among the people. It is foolhardy to think that the people will believe the lies propagated by the Congress. 

NOT A SUDDEN DEVELOPMENT

The straining relationship of the CPI(M)-Congress is not a sudden development. The CPI(M) right from the formation of the Congress government began raising people’s issues and this has made the Congress party impatient. Repression was unleashed in Vijayanagaram when the Party took up the issue of displacement of people in Thotapally and waged a struggle. Several people were put in jail including Party district secretary Krishnamurthy. In West Godavari district, the government has used a minor incident that had taken place during road widening works as a pretext and charged the Party district secretary M Sitaram and many others under attempt to murder sections and put them in jail. The real reason was the government was angry as they had taken up the land issue and the issue of Kolleru lake farmers. They were detained in jail for three months and denied bail as the government dug out cases that were foisted on them during the previous Telugu Desam regime. The government failed to resolve the issue of displacement of people in the Gangavaram port area. It unleashed severe repression on the people who were protesting and that resulted in the death of one person in police firing. They have sent 65 people to jail accusing them of attempt to murder. They have framed charges against CPI(M) district secretary Ch Narasinga Rao and also against the district secretary of CPI, put them in jail and ensured that they do not even get bail. They have taken the lives of two fishermen who were pressurised to shift their boats in the inclement and rough weather in the sea. We cannot think that all these repressive measures were carried out without the consent of the leaders in the government. These are few examples of repression that is being carried out on people and peoples’ movements.

The government has been showing irrational and dictatorial attitude in solving the problems of the people that were brought to its notice by the CPI(M). The issues of Polavaram project, Bauxite mining, Ganagavaram port and Kolleru lake are only few examples of the government's attitude. The CPI(M) has carried out a statewide agitation on the issues of land pattas to the people living in towns, slums and street hawkers. Twenty five important leaders of the CPI(M) undertook an indefinite fast for seven days. An accord was reached in the discussions that took place in the presence of three ministers. The government threw this accord in the dustbin and failed to honour it. The state government and the leaders of the Congress party are unable to digest the fact that the CPI(M) is always in the forefront in taking up the issues of the people and launching struggles for their resolution.

Ponnala Lakshmaiah, minister for irrigation, had made some careless comments against the CPI(M) during the agitation for rehabilitation of the displaced people under the Thotapally project area. The chief minister also had passed cheap comments that the CPI(M) is carrying out agitations to protect its identity when we asked the government to look for alternatives to the Polavaram project. On another occasion he has commented that we are agitating only to gain some publicity. The Congress party has considered the struggles carried out by the CPI(M) during the Telugu Desam regime as exemplary. Now that they are in power, the Congress party is demeaning these struggles and looking upon them with disdain.

The experience with Congress even during seat adjustments has always been bitter. During the 2004 assembly elections, they have wantonly delayed the discussions and at the last minute agreed to adjustments for only 9 seats. The CPI(M) contested in another 6 seats on its own. In these, we have won one seat defeating both Congress and TDP. In the municipal elections that were held in 2005 there were adjustments only in half of the seats. We have contested in the remaining half on our own. The Congress has worked for the defeat of our candidates in Ankapalli, Nellore and Cuddapah where we had reached adjustment with them.

NO POLITICAL COMPULSION

The CPI(M) cannot go along with the Congress when it fails to resolve the problems of the people, unleashes repression on the peoples’ movements and is unfair in seat adjustments. There is no such political compulsion too. The CPI(M) has been stating from the beginning that it does not have a political alliance with the Congress. The CPI(M) has extended support to the UPA government on the basis of a Common Minimum Programme in order to keep the communal forces at bay and ensure that there are no mid-term elections to the parliament thrust on the people. The CPI(M) had seat adjustments with the Congress in the last assembly elections only to ensure the defeat of TDP that was in alliance with the BJP. From the beginning we made it clear that we do not have any agreement with the economic policies pursued by the Congress. We have been telling the people that the economic policies pursued by both the Congress and TDP are one and the same. When the TDP does not have an alliance with the communal forces, the CPI(M) does not have much to choose between Congress and TDP. In such a condition it would be better if the Congress leaders tell us what is so imperative for us to have an alliance only with them and what is the theoretical obstacle that bars us from having an alliance with the TDP. It is surprising to accuse us of opportunism for having adjustments with the TDP when the Congress itself is claiming that it is continuing the policies initiated by the TDP. The day has come to intensify our struggles against all the anti-people policies pursued by the Congress government in the state and the UPA government at the centre. The Left parties have already called for bringing together all parties that are ready to join them in these struggles. They have appealed to the TDP also to join the countrywide protest demonstrations against the hike in the prices of the petroleum products. In this background it is irrational to term the adjustments with TDP in the local body elections – which do not have any specific political objectives – as opportunistic. The criticism of the Congress leaders that the CPI(M) is having adjustments with the TDP only to increase its seats in the zilla parishads and for some posts is even more ironic. It is cynical when they say that Congress party wants to use the elected posts for the welfare of the people and that the CPI(M) wants to win these posts for self-interest and obsession. Every party will try to increase its seats, posts and its individual strength under a certain policy framework. The CPI(M) is also trying to do the same in the local body elections.

GAME PLAN OF CONGRESS FOILED

Keeping in mind the past experiences with the Congress, we have tried to solve the problems of seat adjustments well in advance. The Party has stated the following about the Congress in a resolution it has adopted in its state committee meeting on April 27, 2006: “The state committee meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has discussed about the political situation in the state and the tactics it has to pursue in the coming local body elections. The meeting has opined that it has to contest and increase its individual strength to reflect the struggles and movements organised by the Party, mass organisations and secure an appropriate representation in the local bodies. It has assigned all the Party district committees the task to identify the seats that it can contest and work towards the consolidation of our organisation immediately. The Party has decided to have a common understanding with all the Left forces and contest the elections. It has decided to have discussions with the CPI leadership. As the Congress party has been repeatedly stating that it is ready to have adjustments with the Left parties according to the policy pursued at the all India level, the Party has expressed its willingness to have local level adjustments with the Congress. Even though there were adjustments during the municipal elections, the Congress did not cooperate to have proper adjustments in many districts. Even in places where there were adjustments, it did not stick to the agreements reached. Taking into consideration all these experiences the Party state committee has appealed to the entire Party to be ready to act in such a manner that it does not adversely affect the mass base of the Party and its strength.”

As per the decision of the Party state committee, serious efforts were made to have adjustments with the Congress party. After the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president has stated that the decision on adjustments is left to the discretion of the local committees there were efforts to contact the local MLAs and district level leaders. The response from the Congress leaders was not forthcoming. The CPI(M) state secretariat that met on June 5, 2006 reviewed the situation and decided that the talks with the Congress should conclude before the notification was issued and if they fail to conclude by that time, the division committees of the Party must be given the power to conclude adjustments with those parties and individuals who were ready to come along with us. This was announced publicly. The decision was informed to the PCC president also. After the Party announced this, the Telugu Desam made efforts at the district and local levels to have adjustments with us. These were brought to the notice of the Congress leadership but they initiated discussions at the local level only after the notification was issued. The Congress tried to pursue its same old delaying tactics in the name of discussions and endless discussions to create a desperate situation for us once again. The Party has decided not to allow such kind of tactics to succeed this time. Moreover, there are no such big political aims that are to be achieved that warrants a compromise on our part on the number of seats that we should contest. These local body elections do not decide the fate of the national politics. Neither do they adversely affect the fate of the state government. These elections are limited to the powers of the local bodies and the local problems. This is the reason why the Party has decided to use this opportunity to contest on our own and politically consolidate the gains that we have achieved in the course of our struggles and movements. The Party has opined that we have to contest according to the strength of our movement and gain representation in as many mandals and zilla parishads as possible. Instead of being content with shrinking due to the tactics of the Congress, the Party has decided to contest individually and have adjustments with TDP and other parties that are ready to come along with us and thus move forward. The Congress is unable to digest our independent stance. The Congress expected that we would accept whatever they dole out to us or wait in anticipation for favours from them. The stand taken by the Party has belied their expectations and is thus causing eyesore to them.

The Congress should think about its approach towards the problems of the people, the agitations of the people and its friends. The party in power might win in the local body elections using the State machinery, money power and tall promises. But this will not be the yardstick for the approval of the people for its rule. The previous Telugu Desam party had won in the local body elections when it was in power but it received a fatal body blow in the assembly elections. Nobody can save the Congress party if it forgets this experience.