There is No Substitute for
Principled Political Independence

It had begun with a bang, but ended with a whimper. The one-week wonder of Nitish Kumar's NDA government eventually shied away from any kind of trial of strength on the floor of Bihar Assembly. While the first retreat on the issue of Speaker's election was sought to be glorified in the name of democratic consensus, the blame for the second and ultimate retreat leading to the government's resignation was laid at the doorsteps of the Congress and Communists as though the latter were expected to sponsor the NDA's Operation Mahajungle in Bihar.

We are proud of the crucial political role we played in ensuring the downfall of the BJP-led NDA regime. The Congress was all but cracking under multiple pressures and it took a disproportionately large share of power -- from the post of Speaker to the carrot of several commissions and ministries -- to cement these cracks. A section of senior CPI leaders had also started issuing misleading statements in the name of maintaining 'equidistance'. But the CPI(ML) stood firm in its rocklike opposition to the NDA's sinister mission in Bihar and eventually the BJP's mission collapsed in front of the impregnable wall of resistance erected by the eleven MLAs of CPI(ML) and CPI.

We have all along rejected the vulgar theory of equidistance and made no secret of the fact that the BJP and, by the same token, the NDA remain our enemy number one even in Bihar. We have never subscribed to the false and simplistic notion of pitting corruption against communalism; on the contrary, we have always highlighted the indivisible agenda of democratisation in Bihar and identified both NDA and the RJD-Congress combine as ruling class combinations inimical to this basic cause. While not refusing to distinguish between the two enemies we have, unlike the CPI(M), never reduced our role to merely that of siding with the lesser evil. On the contrary, our focus has always been on directing all our strength to the pursuit of our independent agenda of democratisation. In keeping with our consistent policy we have also made it clear that we would effectively use our votes to frustrate any prospect of imposition of President's Rule.

All these steps of ours emanate from our unswerving commitment to our political principles and our independent role as an effective Left opposition. In its desperation to "buy" support, the RJD has invited all non-BJP parties including CPI(ML) to join its coalition government on the basis of a so-called common minimum programme. A Rajya Sabha seat was also offered to our Party. We have spurned all these invitations and offers with the contempt they deserve. It is indeed ironic that the RJD's original alliance partner, the CPI(M), now extends "outside support" with only 2 MLAs while the Congress, which had contested the elections independently, has now become the RJD's biggest partner with 23 MLAs. Our crucial and principled political role in Bihar has only enhanced our independent identity and brightened our revolutionary Left image vis-a-vis the sundry class of power-brokers and practitioners of petty politicking. We must now make full use of this situation to step up the movement and consolidate the Party.