CPI(M) Politburo to meet today
The prevailing political situation, including assembly polls in Bihar and upcoming elections to local bodies in West Bengal, would come up for discussion when the CPI(M) top brass begins a four-day meeting in New Delhi from Tuesday.
The prevailing political situation, including assembly polls in Bihar and upcoming elections to local bodies in West Bengal, would come up for discussion when the CPI(M) top brass begins a four-day meeting in New Delhi from Tuesday.
The party's Politburo would hold a day-long meeting, which would be followed by a three-day session of the Central Committee in New Delhi, party sources said.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the defeat of the Left-sponsored cut motion in the Lok Sabha to demand reduction in prices of petrol, diesel and fertiliser.
The Samajwadi Party and RJD, which were roped in by the Left to vote for the cut motion against the government, had walked out of the Lok Sabha instead of participating in the voting. This issue is likely to come up when CPI(M) leaders debate the prevailing political situation, they said.
The party would discuss the possibility of alliance or seat sharing arrangements with other parties, including the Left, in the Bihar assembly polls scheduled in November.
The Kolkata municipal elections later this month and other local bodies' polls in the next few months would also be discussed.
The party is likely to take stock of the situation arising out of the failure of Congress and Trinamool Congress to reach an agreement on seat-sharing for the Kolkata polls.
The spate of attacks and killing of its cadres allegedly by the "Maoist-Trinamool combine" would come up for discussion, with the West Bengal unit of the party likely to submit a report on it, the sources said. About 200 CPI(M) activists have so far been killed and party offices targeted, they said.
On the organisational front, the Central Committee would discuss a report on the rectification campaign being carried out within the party to root out corruption or other "anti-communist tendencies" from within its ranks.
The rectification process is to begin from the top -- that is the Politburo and the Central Committee, and percolate down to the rank and file.
At its last meeting in February, the Central Committee had decided to postpone the 20th Party Congress after the assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala due in May 2011.
In the meantime, the Central Committee has decided to convene an extended meeting in early August to decide on the political line in the current situation, the sources added.
The party leadership would also debate foreign policy issues. Legislations on nuclear liability, women's quota, foreign education providers and food security are also likely to be discussed at the meeting.