In a new twist after the recently concluded party congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu has raised a controversy by demanding the inclusion of West Bengal transport minister Subhas Chakraborty in the CPI-M Politburo as well as state party secretariat.
At a programme held at his Salt Lake residence in Kolkata on Tuesday evening, the nonagenarian Marxist debated the omission of Chakraborty in both the bodies.
By raising the issue, Basu, who could not attend the party congress due to his ailment, but was given the status of a special invitee in the Politburo, established that his views still deserved attention of the party high command.
In strong support of his protégé Subhas Chakroborty and in defiance of the CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, Basu reiterated that Chakraborty should be inducted into both the party policy making bodies.
Basu's observation came less than a week after the party decided to honour his wish to stay out of active politics and made him the permanent invitee to the Politburo.
Earlier as well, Basu had pitched for Chakroborty, when Karat met him at his residence days before the party congress in Coimbatore. However, the veteran leader had failed to impress Karat in this regard.
While the Politburo members on Tuesday remained tight lipped, Chakraborty, however, only thanked the veteran leader for his support and maintained that it was up to the party leadership to decide on the matter.