The CPI(M) which believes in “democratic centralism”, used to describe indiscipline, intra-party feud and open demonstration of disagreement with party leadership as vices of the bourgeois parties. But it seems that these vices are now creeping into a regimented party like the CPI(M).
The party leadership has been facing flak from party ranks in the recently held conferences in the districts for giving berths in the official panels to tainted leaders instead of leaders with clean image. They argue that it was for these leaders that the party earned a bad name and suffered debacles. In some places (local and zonal meets), the conferences became so stormy that the party mandarins had to postpone the meetings.
Earlier the Marxist mandarins, going through “the worst phase ever”, had asked the party members to avoid voting in party conferences and accept the official panel to resurrect the party “with a face of unity.”