Cheruvathoor Poulose John, secretary of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, believes Mamata Banerjee, the Congress, and the CPM are to be equally blamed for not working out some sort of an electoral understanding in Bengal, as it would have reduced the BJP to zero in the state.

The general secretary of the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) — part of the UDF in Kerala — believes the Bengal chief minister, too, should have taken the initiative in this regard, as it would have enhanced her position as a frontrunner for the Prime Minister’s chair in an INDIA-led Union government.

The 67-year-old communist from Kunnamkulam of Thrissur co-founded the CMP in 1987 when CPM leader M.V. Raghavan was expelled following differences over the formation of alliances. John served two terms on the Kerala State Planning Board.

He toured Bengal around the June 1 phase of the general election and campaigned for the Party of Democratic Socialism — part of the Confederation of Indian Communists and Democratic Socialists, of which John is the general secretary — candidate in Mathurapur.

The Telegraph spoke to John, who takes an active interest in Bengal and has been visiting the state during every major election, ahead of the final phase of polling. Excerpts:

Q: Should a full-fledged INDIA partnership have been worked out in Bengal?

John: It is very unfortunate that INDIA is divided in Bengal, although the CPM and the Congress (taken together) are sitting in the faraway third place. If they had allied with Trinamool Congress, or if they had made some arrangements to defeat the BJP, the BJP could not have won even one seat in Bengal. That would have changed the national political scenario.

Q: But even now, the CPM is unable to see beyond their nose.

John: For that, the TMC also had to take the initiative. I am not accusing the Congress or the CPM (alone) for that. Had all the three done something by way of at least some electoral adjustments, the national scene would have changed drastically.

Q: The CPM believes that would have mainly helped Mamata.

John: Mamata also is a Prime Ministerial candidate, she is Prime Minister material.

If the Congress decides so, the way it did with the likes of Chandra Shekhar or H.D. Deve Gowda in the past, she is a better-suited person with a good number of seats from Bengal.

It would have been some sort of compensation for Bengal, for losing the Prime Ministership in 1996 (when the CPM had infamously turned down the proposal to make Jyoti Basu the Prime Minister in a national alliance).

Q: Your opinion of the CPM here, now?

John: It is a good thing that at least now the CPM has made a working coalition with the Congress after losing so many opportunities in the past.

They had rejected the proposal of making Jyoti Basu the Prime Minister; and later, although they allied with the UPA, they expelled Somnath Chatterjee. They expelled Saifuddin Choudhury for arguing in favour of some understanding with the Congress following the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

But at least now, in 2024, they have understood many historic blunders they committed in the past. I welcome that.

That a new generation has been emerging in the CPM, with some better understanding of the political situation, is palpable and commendable.

Last election (Assembly election of 2021) too, I had come. They (the Left in Bengal) had said ‘Prothomey Ram, porey Baam (let the BJP win first, the Left will follow)’… or something like that. But this time, they understood that it was another major blunder.

Q: How many seats for the BJP in Bengal this time?

John: The BJP will be getting fewer seats in Bengal than they had in 2019 (18).

Q: What about the national scenario?

The BJP is on the back-foot, undeniably.

That is why Narendra Modi has been doing all this drama. He was not campaigning… but acting in drama after drama after drama. He was making gaffes too… such as the Mahatma Gandhi remark. The Vivekananda Rock exercise in Kanyakumari shows he is a shaken leader. It should not have been reflected in his actions like this…. It was very evident from his body language and his speeches….

The countdown of the BJP has begun. That is very clear.