By IANS,
New Delhi : Senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury has admitted that the party had “lost touch” with the ground reality in its bastions of West Bengal and Kerala.
In an interview on CNN-IBN’s “Devil’s Advocate” programme, Yechury said: “Of course, the results show that we lost touch (with the ground reality). It is a big debacle.”
When asked if party general secretary Prakash Karat would resign owning up the defeat, Yechury only said: “Resignation is an escape from responsibility. We will collectively assess (the reasons for the debacle).”
He agreed: “The top leadership will have to take up a leadership role.”
“A serious, honest, self-critical review of all the issues will be done,” he said, adding that the issue of alleged leadership failure “would also be discussed”.
“The process has already begun and by middle of June we will come to a conclusion,” he said.
“You cannot escape the reality that this is a big debacle for the party. This is the first time in the last two decades that a secular government is being formed without the role of the CPI-M,” he said.
The CPI-M’s Lok Sabha tally slipped to just 16 from 43 in 2004.