Refusing to See the Reality

Your editorial, “Dim Possibility of a ‘Third Alternative’” (2 November 2013), once again exposes the current weaknesses of the left parties. What is ironical is that the left, which emerged as a bulwark against the expanding industrial capitalism during the post-industrial revolution period, by leading a working class movement against exploitation and providing a pro-people democratic alternative in polity, is today not willing to fight the exploitation of the marginalised sections of society. In the globalised context, there is an urgent need to forge unity among all leftist forces.

Your editorial, “Dim Possibility of a ‘Third Alternative’” (2 November 2013), once again exposes the current weaknesses of the left parties. What is ironical is that the left, which emerged as a bulwark against the expanding industrial capitalism during the post-industrial revolution period, by leading a working class movement against exploitation and providing a pro-people democratic alternative in polity, is today not willing to fight the exploitation of the marginalised sections of society. In the globalised context, there is an urgent need to forge unity among all leftist forces. Sadly, the left parties do not think of unification of even the working class movement, which is splintered into different denominations with no useful purpose any more.

As the organised working class still has a potential to reach out to larger sections of the society beyond politics, both the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the CPI (Marxist) should have sunk their differences to forge a unity among the national-level trade unions like the All India Trade Union Congress and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. Unity among the working class would have enabled the left parties to mobilise people at the grass roots. The second step could have been a serious effort to close ranks and set up a united communist party.