CPI-M trying to expand its base

New Delhi: In an all-out effort to expand its base from its five-state stronghold, the CPI-M has identified 10 areas in five other states and started working among tribals.

The political situation was "conducive" to the growth of the party and "as part of the planned expansion programme, we have selected tribal-dominated areas, adivasi areas for concentrated work", said CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat.

"We have selected ten centres and made plans for party organisation expansion in these areas. We will review the work (in these areas) in January next ... we started work in January 2006," he said.

The states where the party is now working are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The CPI-M, which has been pressing the government to expedite the legislation to grant forest land rights to tribals, has for the first time given a call for an all-India Demands Day on tribal issues on November 18.

Karat said the political situation in last one and half years was "conducive to the growth of our party. What we are stressing on now is that the growth should be outside the five states of West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which constitute 85 per cent of party membership".

Though there has been "some growth" in certain states other than these five, it has not been to the satisfaction of the party leadership, he said.

The CPI-M is also laying special emphasis on its organisational work among Dalits and oppressed sections of the people. Earlier this week, a newly set up 16-member committee headed by Karat held its first meeting to chart out a plan of action for the uplift of minorities.

Karat said the party had reviewed the organisational work and the task was set out on this front in September last.

The membership of the party and the mass organisations, in which party members work, had gone up.

As per the organisational report, the CPI-M membership has risen from 8,67,763 in 2004 to 9,45,486 in 2006 -- an increase of 77,723 or 8.95 per cent.

The level of growth in party membership was higher than what had been achieved in the previous party Congress period. The maximum growth of 34.86 percent was witnessed in Andhra Pradesh.

The membership of mass organisations representing industrial and agriculture workers, women, students and youth also rose substantially.

To questions on the "merger" of the CPI and CPI-M, Karat said the issue of organisational merger was "not so easy" to deal with but added that anything could be possible in the future.

"Our party feels that the time now was for strong Left unity. Various Left parties should work closely and unitedly," he said.