Describing CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury as the "captain of a sinking ship", Shiv Sena today said the left party has "lost relevance" in the country and does not have the strength to stand up as a strong opposition.

Terming former CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat's tenure as a "failure", the Sena said that party which once had a sizable number of nearly 50 MPs in Lok Sabha has reduced to below 10 today.

"Prakash Karat's tenure was a failure. The party which ruled West Bengal for nearly three decades was washed away by Mamata Banerjee. There used to be a time when about 50 members represented the party in Lok Sabha. Today, there are not even 10 members," the party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"There is immense frustration and despair within the party ranks. Sitaram Yechury has actually been made the 'captain of a sinking ship'," it said.