Resurrection of CPI(M) in Bengal crucial for Left's resurgence in country: Salim

The CPI(M) will have to be revived first in its former bastion West Bengal for the Left’s resurgence in the country but this is not an easy task, senior party leader Mohammed Salim has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the CPI(M) party Congress in Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Salim also refused to comment on the possibility of an alliance with the Congress in the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal.

CPI(M)’s revival not easy

"(The late) Sitaram Yechury always used to say that the resurgence of the Left in this country will not be possible without the rejuvenation of the CPI(M) in West Bengal," Salim told PTI. "It is our prime task to rebuild, restructure, rejuvenate as well as reposition CPI(M) in West Bengal, and we are on that job," Salim, the party’s West Bengal secretary, added.

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But the veteran Marxist admitted that reviving the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal won’t be an easy task. The CPI(M) got only 6.33 per cent votes in the last Lok Sabha election, and around 4.73 per cent votes in the 2021 Assembly polls, a major drop from the over 19 per cent votes secured in the 2016 Assembly polls. "Every task is difficult and that's why we joined the communist party. It's no cakewalk," he confessed.

Salim attacks TMC, BJP

Salim accused West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding to crush the Marxists.

“Because with the advent of the TMC in power and BJP in place, they have destroyed the Left ecosystem in Bengal. Unless that is revived, we can't grow," he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the rapid rise of the BJP in West Bengal was linked with the declining electoral base of the Left. "Mamata and RSS came together, BJP and TMC came together, to disseminate the Left along with the help of not only reactionary forces within the country but from abroad also," he alleged.

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Salim also alleged that West Bengal had seen no fair elections in a long time. "As we've seen, in the recently concluded elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi, the popular mood is something and the electoral result is something else. With a 'blind' ECI and manipulations, corporate funds and electoral bonds, 'blind' police forces, it's very difficult," he alleged.

No word on Congress-Left alliance

“With the 2026 election around the corner, we have to strategise. We have taken a position where we are preparing for the election as well," he said.

Asked whether the Congress and Left would have an alliance in the Assembly elections, he said the first aim is to strengthen the party. "Based on that, all those who are opposed to BJP and TMC will come together and forge unity," he said.

(With agency inputs)