The 19th Congress of Communist Party of India (Marxist) is just over.  Held in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, this has attracted public and media attention perhaps has never before.  How is it that the CPI (M) has become so news worthy?  

The last Congress of the Party had taken place in New Delhi just a year after the formation of the UPA Government at the Centre in 2005.  Obviously, the relationship between the Government and the Left – though defined – had to yet play out sufficiently as to enable people at large to really fathom its subtleties and nuances.  Far less was the impact of this complex interface being understood in terms of national policy making.
 
The process of coalition Governments is now very much into the second decade of its existence.  After the brief interregnum of the National Front Government led by V.P. Singh – the ongoing coalition process starting with the United Front Government of 1996 this is the third coalition, which is in office at the Centre.  However, the nature of the present coalition is somewhat different.  This is because while the Congress is the principal party of the UPA, but the coalition itself which has been formed post-election is minority and has to depend on the Left support.  This provides the Left and the CPI (M) a greater leeway in articulating its policy preferences and impacting national decision making.  Of course, these influences are more pronounced on issues which require legislative action.
 
However, even on issues which did not require such legislative changes, the CPI(M) has been able to make its presence felt on crucial questions of which the most notable has been the recent debate on Indo-US Nuclear Deal.
 
In fact, for the last almost four years the mainstream media has been claiming that Left is playing a spoilsport, particularly in the process of the economic reform process.  Is this complaint justified?
 
Unlike the earlier coalitions – the Left has not only refused to be part of the Government, but also part of the UPA coalition itself.  And the support of the Left is based on the National Common Minimum Programme
(NCMP).
 
The NCMP which was based on the popular mandate of 2004 rejecting the most pronounced orientation of neo-liberal ideas encapsulated in the perverse 'Shining India, the Congress's similar policy inclination could not be completely exhausted.  Therefore, the Left and particularly the CPI (M)'s explicit emphasis has been to oppose these neo-liberal preferences.  The fundamental clash of approach between these two forces was well-known and their playing out as it has happened over the last four years should not, therefore, have been surprising.  In fact, this fundamental policy difference was the heart of Left's decision for refusing to become a part of the UPA coalition.
 
But at the same time, the Left recognized the disastrous consequences of the continuous shift of the economic and political processes in India since 1989 towards the right where the RSS-BJP was on its ascendance till 2004.  Therefore, the Left's tactic combined the pre-requisite of fighting the dangers of imperialism, communalism and neo-liberal policies to ensure the continuation of the Government yet to arrest the drift towards the right.