CPI-M set to flay Basu for 'historical blunder' remarks

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Communist Party of India-Marxist is all set to lambast Jyoti Basu for stating that the party was short-sighted in preventing him from becoming the prime minister.

Young CPI-M members such as Sitaram Yechuri and Prakash Karat have also reportedly expressed their displeasure at Basu's ambition for hankering after the prime minister's job at the expense of the party's overall interests, according to a source in the CPI-M's central committee.

Basu, chief minister of West Bengal since 1977 and a senior CPI-M leader, was likely to be pulled up at the three-day meeting of the CPI-M's central committee, which began on Friday.

According to CPI-M leader Hannan Mollah, the party leadership is apparently upset at Basu's statements criticising the party for preventing him from becoming the prime minister in 1996 soon after the 13-party United Front coalition was formed.

The constituents of the United Front had proposed Basu's name for prime ministership, but the CPI-M's central committee members had refused to endorse the proposal. The CPI-M members felt that it would not be appropriate for their party to join the government. As a result of this decision, the CPI-M also refrained from joining the United Front government headed by H D Deve Gowda.

The CPI-M central committee source also pointed out that if the CPI-M had joined the Front government, it would have been greatly hindered from speaking out against government policies which went against the people.

Another young central committee member, who requested anonymity, said that Basu had made his "obnoxious statement" during function in Calcutta organised by the party organ, Ganashakti. He said Basu had also criticised the central committee for not joining the Front government, terming the decision a "historical blunder" and "a golden opportunity that had been missed."

When asked on Friday whether the central committee was gearing up to attack Basu for his reported statements, against the party leadership, CPI-M General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet replied, "Kindly have patience. You will be told about the deliberations." He did not elaborate further.

However, the source contended that the condemnation of Basu was likely to take place on Saturday.

In another related development, CPI-M members were willing to confirm whether Congress President Sitaram Kesri had sought an appointment with the West Bengal chief minister. Basu was unavailable for comment.

Hannan Mollah, however, said that Kesri kept meeting senior Front leaders. The Congress is supporting the United Front government from the outside.

Meanwhile, the CPI-M central committee meeting on Friday continued its attack against the United Front government's economic policies. The committee felt that it was a mistake on the government's part to raise the price of sugar through administered prices.

The committee members were also apprehensive that the government would soon raise the prices of petroleum products and that the people would be greatly hurt by the two substantial price hikes within a year by the ruling coalition.

The committee members felt that such a price rise was creating a negative image of the government in the minds of the people who had become disillusioned after the Front's promises to take measures to suit their interests.