Thiruvananthapuram: Though the election tie-up with the Congress during the last general election had helped to curtail the growth of BJP in the country, CPM think tank feels that it has not helped the party spread its roots. In a post-election review, the party concluded that, although it must continue its fight against the BJP at the national level, it should maintain some distance from Congress in order to ensure its own growth.

In a marked deviance from the position held by the late Sitaram Yechury, who was the party’s general secretary, it appears that the CPM is moving back to the stance taken during Prakash Karat’s tenure. With the Politburo having entrusted Karat with coordinating the party’s national activities until a new general secretary is elected at the upcoming Party Congress, it is expected that the party will follow Karat's approach. This shift is also strongly backed by the Kerala faction,  which always has taken a strong stand towards aligning with the Congress.

Under Yechury’s leadership, the party’s political line was to align with Congress and other secular parties to prevent further BJP expansion. This line was endorsed at the last Party Congress in Kannur. However, the new political approach, which was included in the review report presented to the Central Committee ahead of the Party Congress in Madurai (scheduled for April), marks a clear shift.

The revised line cites concerns over Congress’s adoption of neo-liberal economic policies and its "soft Hindutva" stance towards the BJP. According to the new strategy, CPM will cooperate with the INDIA bloc primarily during elections and in matters concerning the communalism of the RSS-BJP, but will refrain from forming long-term alliances.

The report argues that while the INDIA bloc has been effective in countering BJP dominance, CPM has not been able to grow independently within this alliance. Instead, Congress and other parties have benefited more, seeing some growth. The report suggests that CPM should avoid political tie-ups that might stifle its own growth and dilute the party's distinct character.