Hummingbird News Service
KOLKATA, 17 MAR: The CPI-M on Thursday has chosen Mohhamed Salim, the party’s politburo member and former state minister, as its new state secretary, ushering in a change of guard at a time the party is going through one of its lowest phase in the erstwhile red citadel.
On the third day of its 26th state conference, the party has also constituted a new 80-member state committee with one seat being left vacant where several old-timers in the state committee being replaced by younger people picked from the youth and students’ fronts.
Salim, 64, a former state minister and Lok Sabha member, became the Bengal CPI-M’s first Muslim secretary, replacing Dr Surjya Kanta Mishra, 72.
During the three-day state conference, 81-year-old Biman Bose expressed his wish to step down as chairman of the Bengal Left Front after serving the role since 1997. Bose was also the state secretary from 2006 to 2015.
“I am quite old. How long can I continue? My new role will be to follow the decisions of the new leadership. Some people may have problems accepting that but I don’t,” said Mr Bose.
The forming of a new state committee is being viewed as an effort to restrengthen the party as the present election trend in the civic polls have indicated that it is still in a position to make a better comeback in upcoming elections and replace the BJP as prime Opposition in the state.
The Left Front chairman, Biman Bose, ahead of the 26th state conference had said that strategies will be devised to re-establish CPI-M’s ties with the people and bridge the gaps accordingly. With the Left having secured the Taherpur Municipality, the party members feel it’s a good sign that indicates people have their trust in the party.
CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who has been harping on the need to introduce younger people in the rank and file, was present during the state conference along with former general secretary Prakash Karat.
“Both Yechury and Karat said during our internal meetings that the need of the hour is to replace at least 40% old members in the state and district committees with younger leaders. That cannot be achieved as long as younger people are not groomed and projected. This, at least, is a good start,” a party insider said on condition of anonymity.
Several veteran state committee members, including Rabin Deb, Mridul Dey and Nepal Deb Bhattacharya, were replaced on Thursday by student leaders such as Palash Das, Sayandeep Mitra and Minakshi Mukherjee.
Meanwhile, as per sources, some of the new faces who have found positions in the new state committee include Shatarup Ghosh, Sushanta Ghosh and Partha Mukherjee while some veteran leaders have been dropped. This highlighted the objective of the Politburo of bringing in new faces that would add more strength to the party’s framework.
Addressing the media after taking over as state secretary, Salim said: “The party has to turn around. We want new blood in the organisation.”
Tags: #CPM #stateconference #WestBengal #MohhamedSalim #SuryaKantaMishra #BimanBose
