As Indian democracy moves towards its next major test in the form of another Lok Sabha elections due in April-May 2009, the Left parties seem to have lost their market value and bargaining power that had been their strong point when they were giving their support to the Congress led United Progressive Alliance in the last four years and two months. Now it is only a matter of internal squabbling and differences amongst the essentially unequal members – CPI and CPI(M) versus Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, be it in the central leadership or at state levels.

The issues were state industrial policy, sudden attempts at aligning with hitherto political strangers, giving up on the upper hand that the left parties wielded while the UPA was getting support from them. Indeed, as recent as the third week of August, even as the Left parties had decided on launching a joint campaign with Ms. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and United Nationalist Progressive Alliance, there were clear indications about a sense of uneasiness in the bloc with the smaller parties feeling wary of the new found friendship with Ms. Mayawati. Though talks of Left entering into any sort of electoral understanding with BSP and UNPA for the next Lok Sabha polls may not become reality soon, parties like RSP and Forward Bloc donot seem too enthusiastic about such an arrangement.

Initially upset over big brother CPI(M) for not taking it into confidence before Mr. Prakash Karat's July 13 meeting with Ms. Mayawati, the RSP is also unhappy with CPI general secretary A B Bardhan's open statement that Mayawati was fit candidate for the post of Prime Minister. They felt it was too early for such talking. The present arrangement (in July) was limited to a joint campaign on issues like inflation and the Indo-US nuclear deal; such talk would only complicate matters the Left leaders of smaller parties had said.

While the CPI and CPI(M) are inclined towards exploring the option of joining hands with secular parties who are not aligned with BJP or Congress, RSP and Forward Bloc feel stress should be laid on greater Left unity first, considering that regional parties have a fickle streak to them. The Left Front concept is at present limited to Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal. The arrangement should first be extended to other states where we have some presence, a senior Left leader stressed while questioning the sagacity of joining hands with Ms Mayawati.

A section of CPI(M) and leaders of FB and RSP hold that alliances with regional parties for electoral gains will have long term implications as it would not help the Left in its efforts to make inroads into states where they are weak, particularly in the Hindi heartland. Communist Party of India is annoyed with Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Laloo Prasad Yadav for attacks on the Left and has threatened to put up candidates against RDJ in the Lok Sabha elections because CPI leaders are angered by constant barbs of RJD leader because of the withdrawal of support to the UPA government. He had recently demanded an apology from CPI general secretary A B Bardhan for his remarks that UPA was buying MPs for Rs. 25 crores in the run-up to the trust vote.

In Kerala too there are differences amongst CPI and CPI(M). A week after the Kerala unit of CPI(M) asked the party led government to go for special economic zones in a big way to gain an upper hand on other industrially developed states, its ally CPI had opposed the proposals. CPI state secretary Veliyam Bhargavan has said his party had serious concerns about SEZs and the issue needs to be discussed in the Left coordination committee meeting. SEZs could take the country a century behind and the party needed more clarity on this issue.

The state committee of CPI(M) had okayed SEZs disregarding reservations of Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. Several applications for SEZ status could not be taken to the Centre after VSA became suspicious about the real estate intentions of the applicants. A senior CPI leader said the party had sought certain amendments to the SEZ Act. Until the amendments were incorporated into the Act, Kerala would have to shelve SEZ proposals, he said.

CPI(M) which has essentially been a party depending heavily on discipline of its members and cadres had suffered severe loss of face during the trust vote in Parliament because of senior Marxist leader and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath chatterjee's refusal to resign his elected post. Speaker Chaterjee underscored the point that Speaker Lok Sabha could not be compelled to toe any party line, what ever the compulsion. At the end of the episode in which Left parties withdrew support but lost the vote of confidence through which it hoped to displace the UPA government, made them look like villains in the game while Mr. Chatterjee ended increasing his public rating as a responsible Speaker.

As this article is being written, it has become amply clear that CPI(M) in West Bengal will end up with more egg on its face, what with Trinamool Congress leader and MP Ms. Mamata Banerjee holding a very well attended rally outside the gates of Nano car project in Singur, some 50 kms away from Kolkata. Ms. Banerjee held the public rally to emphasis her demand at 400 acres of rich agricultural land acquired by the state government from reluctant farmers, should be returned to the original owners.

According to reports and statements from the West Bengal government and CPI(M) headquarters at Alimuddin Street, a fresh offer for allotment of land to the farmers or to the Tatas was being seriously contemplated and a meeting scheduled for the coming week. But not many hopes are being pinned on this weak alternative. Mr. Amar Singh Samajwadi Party leader's presence at the Singur plant site was interpreted as Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's special twist to put in place the CPI(M) and Left parties that abandoned UPA government at a crucial time in Indian politics.

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