Swapan Das Gupta, a senior journalist widely known for his antipathy towards the Communist ideology in one of his articles in a National daily sometime back termed North Korea, the communist nation, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) “A Jurassic Park”. The honour was conferred by him on this nation for its intolerance as also the ruthless framework within which the nation is being ruled by an adamant communist ruler Kim Jong-Il. While the nation is in the grip of extreme poverty and underdevelopment in various fields it had no qualms in trying to become a nuclear power. I don’t find fault with a nation trying to be a Nuclear Weapon State but simultaneously it ought to give paramount importance to improve the infrastructure and alleviation of poverty of the millions before hand. Its big brother Peoples’ Republic of China which still claims to be a Socialist nation, for arguments’ sake let’s take this claim for granted while remaining a Nuclear Weapon State has undergone tremendous changes and is poised to be the 3rd largest economy in the immediate future.
But Kim-Jong-il, the successor of legendary Kim ll-Sung without changing with times gets along with his intolerance, belligerence, not caring much for the welfare of the nation. Taking into account his failing health he is busy preparing for a dynastic change by installing his 27 year old son Kim Jong-un as the head of the nation. It was widely reported recently about declaring a holiday to the entire nation on his son’s birthday so as to enable the subjects to celebrate the event. Remember it all happened in a Communist nation defying the basic tenet of great ideology. It is quite unheard of in a Communist nation. Though anti-communist and pro-American, the latter’s other half, South Korea has forged ahead undergoing vast developments in several fields including infrastructure developments like transport, electricity, irrigation, hospitals, schools as also industry, rise in human development index, transforming the nation into a welfare State. In this connection it is worthwhile to note here that South Korea is the 3rd largest investor in India now. South Korean President, Lee-Myung-Bak during his recent visit to India signed a number of treaties with Indian leaders for improving bilateral as well as strategic ties.
Swapan Das Gupta might be getting elated for naming him an anti-communist and also calling him a “Pro-BJP” intellectual. Be that as it may.
Now come to the point.
Being a leftist doesn’t deter me in pointing out and blaming the Indian Communists for several instances of omissions and commissions on its part. I am not a membership holder of any Communist party in India and hence I am not bound by chains or party-enforced discipline. By remaining a leftist, whenever I feel the need for casting aspersions on these parties with courage and conviction it is appropriate on my part to go on with my criticism. Introspection and self-criticism are always essential for communist parties from deviating from its proclaimed policies and ideology according to the great theoreticians like Marx and Angels. Whenever communist parties intentionally or unintentionally, sometimes for convenience sake choose to ignore these policies they are more likely to be doomed. The degeneration of a great ideology is very visible before our eyes due to factionalism, splits, mud-slinging, fight for one-upmanship, luxurious life leaving in the process neglecting the basic ideals like love, care, the fighting spirit and sincerity towards the suffering humanity.
Sometimes differences of opinions are likely to crop up among leaders, quite natural in any party but extreme care needs to be adopted for not snowballing them to personal animosities. Falling from grace from the top echelons of the party by any comrade shouldn’t be allowed to ignoring him for the rest of his life. That attitude of personal enmity is not the core tenet of a humanist philososphy if that is what Marxism preaches this ideology will have no takers.
An ideology founded on the strong foundation of progress, prosperity, harmony, equality- an egalitarian society - by its proponents if in due course is robbed of its essence for settling scores, will certainly lose its significance in the long run. Frankly speaking we are already witnessing some instances of that attitude.
Nripen Chakraborthy, the former Chief Minister of Tripura upon falling from the grace of the party had to lead his twilight years of his life in wilderness. A committed Marxist throughout his life, for certain ideological lapses he was shown the door and even after he didn’t raise a banner of revolt against his most beloved party continued to be a Marxist throughout- these days such people are very rare, they either form their own communist parties (great) try to remain in the limelight and at last breaking all precedents upon his death, the party was forced to grant him a farewell shedding all its inhibitions befitting a national leader of the party.
I happened to recall him upon watching the news reports of the alleged suicide of W.R.Varadarajan, the former Central Committee leader of Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was demoted to a lower status in the Tamil Nadu cadre of the party, after a controversial inquiry for certain alleged lapses on his part. Whether the allegations were true or false were another matter and for that matter the findings of the disciplinary committee as per the reports and his letter to the Party General Secretary Prakash Karat he had denied the allegations levelled against him and appealed to him to revoke the punishment and restore his former status. Nothing positive emerged from the part of Central Committee and due to frustration he was alleged to have committed suicide by drowning in the Porur lake in Tamil Nadu.
His decayed body was found a few days later. It is quite unfortunate and deplorable that the erstwhile comrade from the day who had disappeared from the scene was not investigated by the Party and even while the news reports of his death flashed through channels the Party General Secretary was alleged to be holding the State Council meeting of Kerala Unit of the Party. If my knowledge is correct the topmost leader didn’t take care to attend his funeral even. Varadarajan was more than once seen with Karat at some meetings held at Chennai in jovial moods.
With the punishment of a comrade by demoting him to a lower cadre in his home State, I do not know why all those glorious moments of warmth, friendship and united fight against exploitation ended in a shambles.
Before his departure, Varadarajan upholding his principles and fondling the happy moments while serving the party, wrote a letter dedicating his collection of books, laptop, all that were left in his possession to the party’s present and future generation. A noble revenge and a reminder to the party about the significance of humanistic ideals upon which Marx founded his ideology. Without the human element in our mutual relationships, no ideology is going to survive. It seems if news reports are to be believed widespread criticism and anger of majority of comrades in the party, can close the shop in Tamil Nadu.
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