My Take on Politics in Bengal: Claim back the little guys

I wanted to write this post for a while now, since a chance encounter. I saw this man, in one of the busiest roads of Kolkata, addressing a motely crowd standing around him. Somehow, it made a striking scene. He was not the charismatic leader, evidently neither important nor powerful, not even the local strongman or well known member of the inteligentsia speaking from a platform. It was an average man, looking into the eye of his listeners as he stood on the same ground as them, speaking into the mike about things that clearly concerns his own life, with an ardour no one can ignore. I did not even follow any ideological thread in what he was saying, but just the act of his addressing that political gathering had something very special about it. Even I, a person who at most stop a moment to observe the political scene occasionally, only to dismiss it with scorn and sometimes disgust, could not stop thinking about it.

What is wrong with our politics today? Why is it that no party seems to be trusted by the masses? This is because there is too little focus on the little guy, and too much importance is given to 'big guys' and 'monsters'. Our political parties do not aim at empowering more and more little guys, but concentrate on a handful of people, creating leaders who are big – the bigger the better. These leaders end up becoming larger than life, sometimes monsters. The focus is wrong.

Why did CPIM succeed in keeping its mantle in WB for 30 years? What was so unusual about the party? It was different from other parties in the sense that it was able to build many little guys into leaders all over the state. There were 'little guy' cadres talking to the people about little problems they face, the cadre included, persuading to vote for causes they all felt are important in their lives. The little guy was a part of the masses, talking about things that he faces himself, policies that worry him, price changes that actually has been making life hard for him – like the masses feel worry and suffer.

Over the years, the little guys in CPIM seemed to take a back seat – and maybe due to general corrupting influence of staying in power for too long or maybe as a result of lack of understanding of its own support base.  Few leaders grew bigger – still not as much as it happens in the other parties, but away from its original position. Is CPIM becoming like the other parties, going away from its commitment to identify and nurture 'little guy' leaders, is it failing  in empowering the little guys in the party across the state?

On the other hand, Trinamool Congress, at least temporarily have caught on to the little guys for the moment. Not out of a thought out strategy, but it just so happened. It did not have any leadership at all anywhere. Now when some hitherto unknown and insignificant people picked up the land cause and talked about it, they resembled the little guy. Are these people genuine little guys? I don't think so. These are mostly opportunistic people, or those having a vendetta against CPIM, who has chosen a platform to trash CPIM. They are little guys jumping at opportunities to get big. Today they resemble the little guys, tomorrow they won't. They are are either too ambitious or too destructive to play that role over the long term.

This is what happened to BJP a few years back, it brought them to power and consequently all of its little guy base was destroyed, as some of the little guys turned into into little or big monsters, and the rest was pushed to the background, to obilivion, for their failure to grow; BJP has eroded its foundation that brought it to power. I see that happening in WB today, with TMC. The local enterpreneur, ambitious young men and opportunistic political leaders has formed its lower echelon. These are people who are joining TMC because they do not want to remain little guys. They would get power, use it, enjoy it, make some money in the process if possible, become a big guy if they can manage; otherwise they would just move on and rather set up a business. Some will believe they have some hope of becoming the big guy and hang on. Thats how these parties survive, that is why they are not relevant to the common man, this is why no one trusts politicians today.

It is time to bring back the little guy. They are never in foucs, but they always exist. The politically aware, angsty, suffering little guys, like damp gunpowder – they just need the right conditions to make an impact. They don't lecture from podiums, they stand on the same ground as their listeners. They are not great speakers, but what they say resonates with their listeners. Is there a political party that can harness the potential of the little guys?

If there was any party to do it, it is probably CPIM. That is what made the party, and it recognises the requirement of discipline in the party, and they don't confuse discipline with unquestionable dictatorship or authority of one or two leaders. It recognises the necessity of decentralizig its leadership. But over time enterpreneurs in the party took over power within the party at the grassroot level, and the limelight went away from the little guys in the party. Problem of wrong focus again.

Of course CPIM can win elections once in a while even if it excludes the little guys, like almost all other parties do in India, just because everyone else is the same – but to regain the unquestioned popularity the party once enjoyed, it must focus on bringing back and nurtuting the little guys again. Claim back the little guys!