The left party has announced that it is going to make formal entry into the political arena of Arunachal, albeit through student politics. The All India Students’ Federation (AISF) – the student wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI) – will be holding its Arunachal Pradesh State Council foundation conference on 17 January to elect members for its state council. The CPI is also expected to be formally launched in the state in March. For years, the communist parties failed to make entry in the state.
The communist parties did not find much takers in the state in the past. Also, most of the political parties, be it Congress or the BJP, always tried to portray communist as somewhat soft towards China. The people of Arunachal, which shares international boundary with China, have witnessed a war in 1962 and always had negative perception towards communist parties. However, things have changed much in recent years. Ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre and in the state, it has been the dominant force. The right wing supporters are making every effort to impose Hindutva ideology in every sphere of lives. The minorities are feeling insecure.
Even in Arunachal, the RSS/BJP supporters have suddenly become very dominant and always try to influence the governance decision. The opposition parties, whether it is the Congress or the regional party PPA, have completely lost the plot and have miserably failed to play their role. There is a vacuum and that’s why now people, especially youths, seem to be looking towards organizations like the AISF, the CPI, etc to take on the ruling establishment. They may not entirely agree or understand left ideology but are looking for a platform which dedicatedly fights political battle with BJP. Even though the left has been declining across India but it continues to be a very effective voice against the RSS/BJP. This might be the reason why a section of Arunachalees sees left as an alternative to take on right wing ideology.