CPM’s Social Media Display Picture: From Red to Blue-White

Netizens React with Humor and Sarcasm

Kolkata: CPM’s recent change of its Facebook and Instagram display picture has triggered laughter and sarcasm on social media. The new image features a yellow hammer-and-sickle against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds, reminiscent of Mamata Banerjee’s favorite colors. The absence of red in the new display photo is conspicuous.

CPM Bengal Unit’s Social Media Following

• The CPM Bengal unit’s Instagram ID, “cpimwb”, has 81,300 followers.
• There were 13 comments and nine forwards on this platform regarding the image change.
• The Facebook page, with 4,67,000 followers, drew 1,100 comments and 448 shares.

Netizens’ Responses to the Change

The shift from the iconic red prompted many netizens to make humorous and sarcastic remarks. Soumik Das of Madhyamgram commented, “Firbe na aar se firbe na” (It will not return), reflecting on the party’s situation in Bengal.

CPM’s Situation in Bengal

CPM ruled Bengal from 1977 to 2011. In 2016, it was the major opposition party with 26 seats in the assembly and 19.7% votes. However, since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party’s vote share has consistently been in low double-digits or single-digits, with only 5.7% in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

CPM Senior’s Reaction to the Controversy

Sujan Chakraborty, a central committee member, downplayed the controversy. “It was just a change in the look of the logo,” he said. “Changing a display picture in social media is common for individuals or organizations. We have changed the logo eight times in the last few years.”

CPM State Committee Member’s Reaction

Satarup Ghosh, a CPM state committee member, was more direct: “We don’t think the sky, or its allusion, is patented by Trinamool,” he said. Ghosh also noted that the party was pleased that the new DP was being shared “more by Trinamool supporters”. “Our purpose is served,” he said.

The Significance of the Red Flag

The red flag was first used by the Jacobins during the French Revolution as a symbol of their willingness to die for the cause. Over time, the red flag came to represent socialism, communism, and revolution. CPM’s red flag has a crossed hammer and sickle in white at the center.

Netizens’ Comments on the Change

Blogger Anirban Hati of Beliaghata pointed out that former Kerala chief ministers E K Nayanar and EMS Namboodiripad had criticized Arundhati Roy for her use of the phrase “the red has bled away” in her book “God of Small Things”. “Decades later, the Left have no hard-line left,” Hati wrote. Netizen Sandip Ghosh commented that the background suited “Didi’s favorite color. Fish fry and Mutton Kasa will be on the menu again.”