Setting aside its atheistic moorings, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will be celebrating Sri Krishna Jayanthi in Kerala on Saturday. The party will organise processions in traditional style with children dressed like Krishna and Radha and will distribute sweets. The event is being organised under the aegis of Balasangham, a children’s outfit promoted by the CPI (M).
There is some irony to this. Until last year, the party had opposed the festival, claiming that the processions that are an essential part of the celebrations caused a big strain on children. But alarmed at the possible flow of Hindu voters to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party has decided to offer "a secular platform for children to celebrate the birth of Sri Krishna", said a senior CPI(M) leader, who declined to be identified.
“We have been trying to confront the Sangh Parivar all these years," the leader said. "We have now realised that a direct confrontation with the communal forces will not do any good. We can prevent them from carrying out their communal agenda only by meeting the genuine religious needs of the party supporters.”
Asked whether it is not incompatible with the party’s materialistic philosophy, which was upheld by a document framed by the CPI (M) in 2009, the leader said that the party was not against religions per se. He pointed out that former CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat had clarified the party's position after some prominent Christian and Muslim leaders quit in the wake of adoption of the rectification document. Karat had made it clear that the party was not fighting religion but communalism based on religious identity.
Internal criticism
Still, the party's plan to participate in religious activities to stem the flow of members isn't without its critics. Some people note that the party has not been able to make significant inroads into the Christian and Muslim communities despite attempting to acknowledge their religious needs.
Despite using culture as a weapon to fight the Sangh Parivar, the CPI(M) has not abandoned its traditional strategy of deploying muscle power. Kannur, the cradle of communism in the state, has been been gripped by waves of political violence ever since the Rashtriya Swayamseavak Sangh made inroads into the Marxist bastion in the 1980s. More than 200 people have been killed and hundreds maimed in cross-fire in the district over the past two decades.
Last week, the murder of a CPI(M) worker in Kasargod and of an RSS man in Thrisssur district and subsequent attacks on the homes of workers and offices of both entities in Kannur and Idukki districts show that CPI (M) was not ready to abandon the path of violence even while making attempts to reach out to the believers directly.
The BJP believes that the recent bout of political violence was intended to terrorise CPI(M) members who are planning to quit the party. State BJP president V Muralidharan said that the clashes were a warning to CPI(M) workers who were preparing to join BJP and RSS on Raksha Bandhan day. Muralidharan alleged, “The CPI(M) is trying to shore up its cadre base and return to power in the state through violence."
New-generation strategies
As it turns out, the violence does not even have the approval of the new generation of CPI (M) leaders. Many of them believe that the party can survive only by engaging with young, middle-class voters in a constructive manner. To do this, these leaders have launched initiatives like rainwater harvesting, organic farming, palliative and geriatric care and waste management that are of concern to many Malayalis.
Political analyst K Pradeep noted that the strategy of championing the interests of working class will pay decreasing dividends. "This has lost relevance with the youth going abroad in search of greener pastures and migrants from north and eastern parts of the country replacing them," he said.
He feels that the CPI(M)'s Kerala unit could mirror the decline of its West Bengal counterpart if it clings on to its goal of class struggle and the culture of agitation. Most of the party's agitations against the policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Oommen Chandy government in the state have failed to gain traction.
What has rattled the CPI(M) the most are the BJP's attempts to unite various Hindu organisations, especially those representing people of the lower castes, which formed the backbone of the leftist party. To mobilise these groups, the BJP waged a campaign suggesting that Hindus had become a minority in Kerala. Though the 2011 religious census data released recently has proved it wrong, the saffron party continues to harp on the rise of Muslim population in the state and the threat it poses to Hindus.
Though the CPI(M) does not think that the BJP will be able to capture power in the state in the near future, the leftists fear it will lose out as the rise of the Hindutva party sends even more minorities into the arms of the ruling United Democratic Front. In fact, a recent survey conducted by a television channel indicated that the UDF would have the upper hand in the next assembly election, due in April-May 2016.
Rising vote share
Indications of the BJP's rising popularity were evident both in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and in the by-election in July for the Aruvikara assembly seat. While the Left Democratic Front suffered setbacks, the BJP substantially increased its vote share in both polls.
Congress politician Shashi Tharoor, who represents the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the Lok Sabha, feels the growth of the BJP spells doom for the Communist movement in Kerala, which boasts of the world’s first democratically elected Communist government.
He said that the increase in the votes polled by the BJP is Aruvikkara is a clear sign that the party has emerged as a defender of Hindu interests in the state.
No wonder the CPI(M) is seeking divine help.
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There is some irony to this. Until last year, the party had opposed the festival, claiming that the processions that are an essential part of the celebrations caused a big strain on children. But alarmed at the possible flow of Hindu voters to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party has decided to offer "a secular platform for children to celebrate the birth of Sri Krishna", said a senior CPI(M) leader, who declined to be identified.
“We have been trying to confront the Sangh Parivar all these years," the leader said. "We have now realised that a direct confrontation with the communal forces will not do any good. We can prevent them from carrying out their communal agenda only by meeting the genuine religious needs of the party supporters.”
Asked whether it is not incompatible with the party’s materialistic philosophy, which was upheld by a document framed by the CPI (M) in 2009, the leader said that the party was not against religions per se. He pointed out that former CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat had clarified the party's position after some prominent Christian and Muslim leaders quit in the wake of adoption of the rectification document. Karat had made it clear that the party was not fighting religion but communalism based on religious identity.
Internal criticism
Still, the party's plan to participate in religious activities to stem the flow of members isn't without its critics. Some people note that the party has not been able to make significant inroads into the Christian and Muslim communities despite attempting to acknowledge their religious needs.
Despite using culture as a weapon to fight the Sangh Parivar, the CPI(M) has not abandoned its traditional strategy of deploying muscle power. Kannur, the cradle of communism in the state, has been been gripped by waves of political violence ever since the Rashtriya Swayamseavak Sangh made inroads into the Marxist bastion in the 1980s. More than 200 people have been killed and hundreds maimed in cross-fire in the district over the past two decades.
Last week, the murder of a CPI(M) worker in Kasargod and of an RSS man in Thrisssur district and subsequent attacks on the homes of workers and offices of both entities in Kannur and Idukki districts show that CPI (M) was not ready to abandon the path of violence even while making attempts to reach out to the believers directly.
The BJP believes that the recent bout of political violence was intended to terrorise CPI(M) members who are planning to quit the party. State BJP president V Muralidharan said that the clashes were a warning to CPI(M) workers who were preparing to join BJP and RSS on Raksha Bandhan day. Muralidharan alleged, “The CPI(M) is trying to shore up its cadre base and return to power in the state through violence."
New-generation strategies
As it turns out, the violence does not even have the approval of the new generation of CPI (M) leaders. Many of them believe that the party can survive only by engaging with young, middle-class voters in a constructive manner. To do this, these leaders have launched initiatives like rainwater harvesting, organic farming, palliative and geriatric care and waste management that are of concern to many Malayalis.
Political analyst K Pradeep noted that the strategy of championing the interests of working class will pay decreasing dividends. "This has lost relevance with the youth going abroad in search of greener pastures and migrants from north and eastern parts of the country replacing them," he said.
He feels that the CPI(M)'s Kerala unit could mirror the decline of its West Bengal counterpart if it clings on to its goal of class struggle and the culture of agitation. Most of the party's agitations against the policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Oommen Chandy government in the state have failed to gain traction.
What has rattled the CPI(M) the most are the BJP's attempts to unite various Hindu organisations, especially those representing people of the lower castes, which formed the backbone of the leftist party. To mobilise these groups, the BJP waged a campaign suggesting that Hindus had become a minority in Kerala. Though the 2011 religious census data released recently has proved it wrong, the saffron party continues to harp on the rise of Muslim population in the state and the threat it poses to Hindus.
Though the CPI(M) does not think that the BJP will be able to capture power in the state in the near future, the leftists fear it will lose out as the rise of the Hindutva party sends even more minorities into the arms of the ruling United Democratic Front. In fact, a recent survey conducted by a television channel indicated that the UDF would have the upper hand in the next assembly election, due in April-May 2016.
Rising vote share
Indications of the BJP's rising popularity were evident both in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and in the by-election in July for the Aruvikara assembly seat. While the Left Democratic Front suffered setbacks, the BJP substantially increased its vote share in both polls.
Congress politician Shashi Tharoor, who represents the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the Lok Sabha, feels the growth of the BJP spells doom for the Communist movement in Kerala, which boasts of the world’s first democratically elected Communist government.
He said that the increase in the votes polled by the BJP is Aruvikkara is a clear sign that the party has emerged as a defender of Hindu interests in the state.
No wonder the CPI(M) is seeking divine help.
