Strange! Not one Left leader used social media to reach out to people against Mamata's 'atrocities' in Kolkata

Roads leading to Nabanna, the state secretariat of West Bengal, turned into battlefields after the supporters of the Left Front clashed with the police. Security personnel lathicharged and lobbed teargas shells after the Left supporters pelted bricks and stones at them.

People were injured on both sides. Left MP Mohammad Salim lashed out at the Mamata Banerjee government, saying she had turned the state into a police one. Around three lakh people had joined the 'Nabanna Abhijan' (Mission Nabanna) from across the state with a 18-point programme against the Trinamool Congress government.

Such violence is certainly shocking but what is even more surprising is that none of the top leaders of the Left used the social media to express views on the issue even as the violence went on.

State leaders, national leaders, young leaders -- none cared to tweet

Whether it's CPI(M) leaders from the state like Sujan Chakraborty (though he can still be given a benefit of doubt since he was arrested along with some other leaders) or Surjyakanta Mishra or top all-India Left leaders like Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat or Sitaram Yechury – none were seen tweeting anything about the clashes in Kolkata and Howrah districts of Bengal. The Left's biggest face in Bengal -- former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee -- is not on Twitter.

Even young Left leaders like Ritabrata Banerjee were not seen expressing any voice on the social media about the clashes. Only some updates were posted from the CPI(M) handle but they were too few and far between. The handle of West Bengal CPI(M), however, saw tweets about the violence getting more frequently.

Is this the importance the Left attaches to its own state of affairs in a state which it had ruled for 34 continuous years?

Just compare it with the BJP or even the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party. In the BJP, even the medium-ranked leaders are known to use the social media whenever something breaks out related to their own party. TMC chief Banerjee also is known to be regular on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to bridge the party and government affairs with the local people.

Left's tech-unfriendly nature has shut its way forward

The Left's inability or reluctance to change with time and make use of the current medium for expanding the public contact is one of the reasons for their falling back.

If the Left can't even highlight instances like these before the public on social media platforms – the most powerful in today's times – then they can well forget about making any political comeback in the politics of Bengal, let alone the national.

What Salim told the news channels might have an iota of truth but unless the Left learns the skill called politics of PR, then they will not reap much benefit despite facing the state's wrath. The Left doesn't understand a small truth: Nowadays, it doesn't matter what your ideological position is; what matters is what people see and read.

Comrades, learn something from Prime Minister Modi. Even the biggest of enemies have strong points to offer.