“Communist is not a slur,” says Dipankar Bhattacharya, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist), hitting out at the BJP and its allies ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. In an exclusive conversation with The Quint's Shadab Moizee, he takes on the stereotyping of Left leaders and defends the party's grassroots relevance in a polarised political climate.
People think you need messy hair, khadi kurta, open shirt, beard and a bindi to join the Left. I wear a T-shirt. Not even a kurta.Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(ML)
On seat sharing, Dipankar reveals that the party is preparing to contest on 40 seats, and is in active dialogue within the Mahagathbandhan. But on AIMIM’s entry into the alliance, he hints at friction.
'Communists don’t retire. We continue the struggle in every form possible.'
Dipankar also acknowledged the need for better Muslim representation in the party ranks and said that the they are working on it.
“Hum hain iske maalik, Hindustan hamara. Yeh hai hamari milkiyat – Hindustan hamara.”Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(ML)
Watch this candid, unfiltered conversation with one of the country’s most outspoken Left voices as Bihar heads into a crucial election battle.