CPI(M) Outreach to Mamata Banerjee Sparks Debate on Opposition Unity
A CPI(M) letter to opposition leaders and a phone call with Mamata Banerjee have raised the possibility of cooperation between two long-time rivals.
A letter from CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby to opposition leaders, followed by a telephone conversation with Mamata Banerjee, has revived discussion about whether the two parties that have dominated West Bengal's political rivalry for decades could find common ground at the national level.
The exchange comes amid heightened opposition activity around the functioning of the Election Commission, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emerging as a focal point of protest. Baby's letter, sent on September 23 to opposition leaders including Banerjee, is being read as an effort to develop a joint strategy among opposition parties rather than a move to restructure the INDIA alliance.
The two leaders have been on opposite sides of West Bengal politics for years. Banerjee's Trinamool Congress currently faces a diminished national footprint, with her party having split into three factions and her old election symbol no longer in use. The CPI(M), for its part, has a limited parliamentary presence, including members in the Rajya Sabha, and its state leadership remains sharply critical of the Trinamool.
State secretary Mohammad Salim, who is also a national leader, and senior figures such as Sujan Chakraborty have consistently attacked the Trinamool, as have the party's spokespersons and younger leaders. The Congress faces a similar internal divide, with its central leadership having to weigh the positions of its state unit.
The history between the two sides is complicated. During the UPA-I government, the Left extended support from outside while Banerjee remained outside the arrangement. She joined the coalition in the UPA-II period after the Left withdrew its backing. When the INDIA alliance was being put together, efforts were made to bring the two closer, with Sitaram Yechury involved in the discussions, but no understanding materialised. The Congress ultimately tied up with the CPI(M) in the state but not with Banerjee.
Analysts point to a structural dilemma. The CPI(M) cannot easily set aside its opposition to what it describes as 15 years of misrule in West Bengal, while Banerjee may see an opportunity in the current national mood to help build a broader platform against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Whether the two can cooperate nationally while remaining rivals in the state is the central question.
Indian politics has seen unlikely arrangements before. During the anti-Indira Gandhi movement, communists and the Jan Sangh shared a platform. In the era of VP Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jyoti Basu met both Vajpayee and LK Advani, and the Left supported opposition efforts without a formal alliance. Those precedents are now being cited as the debate over a possible CPI(M)-Trinamool understanding unfolds.