Yechury 2.0

Reinstated as CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury prevailed over the Karat faction at the party congress.

- Jomy Thomas

Even after stepping down as the chief minister of Tripura, following the CPI(M)’s electoral defeat, Manik Sarkar has half a dozen policemen to guard him from extremist groups. But, last week, when he swapped rooms in Hyderabad’s Golkonda Hotel, the decision had nothing to do with his personal safety. He did not want to be in a room facing CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s 401.

When the Polit Bureau (PB) met on the last day of its 22nd Party Congress in Hyderabad, the Prakash Karat faction tried to propose Sarkar as the new general secretary. Yechury, who has completed only one term, indicated his displeasure. The constitution allowed him two more terms, but, more than that, his logic was: If he had to be replaced, the party should get some other candidate, and not the one who had only a month earlier led the party to its biggest defeat since the loss of West Bengal, seven years ago. That worked. The Karat faction quit, leading to Yechury’s unanimous reelection.

It was the second defeat for the Karat faction in three days. In the draft political resolution, Karat, reflecting what was called the majority view, had proposed that the main task of defeating “the BJP and its allies by rallying all the secular and democratic forces has to be done without an understanding or electoral alliance with the Congress party”. But, Yechury countered it with what came to be known as the ‘minority view’ to have an “understanding with the Congress” in order to fight and defeat the BJP at the Centre.

Since they knew they were in the minority vocally, the Yechury faction asked for a secret ballot, knowing well that several delegates privately agreed with their view. The Karat faction relented that even while a political alliance was out of the question, there could be an understanding with the Congress.