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Surjeet blasts CPI-M rebels

Mohammad Javed R in Calcutta

In a surprising move, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet has expressed his displeasure over the way in which some of his senior colleagues were washing the party's dirty linen in public.

Surjeet's criticism against the liberals assumes significance since the veteran Marxist leader is widely believed to be a moderate leader within the CPI-M.

On the concluding day of the politburo meet in Calcutta on Sunday, Surjeet told the media that nobody, irrespective of his stature, was above the party.

Understandably, he was referring to Subhas Chakraborty, Saifuddin Chowdhury and Samir Putatunda who have been quite vocal on the lack of inner party democracy in the CPI-M.

Visibly exasperated over the considerable embarrassment that these leaders have consistently been causing the party leadership with their public outbursts against some Delhi-based politburo members, Surjeet said, "We don't believe that punishment is the only remedial method to silence the discordant voices in the party. Our party encourages its leaders to rectify their mistakes first. However, in extreme cases, we too are left with little option but to punish the culprits who do not adhere to the party guidelines."

Asked whether his statement meant that the dissidents in West Bengal were ''extreme cases'', Surjeet told rediff.com, "It's up to you to interpret what I meant. You all know how some of our leaders were embarrassing us by speaking to the media on the party's internal affairs."

He, however, refused to comment on the state committee's decision to serve a show-cause notice against Chowdhury. According to him, the politburo had no intention to intervene in the matter unless the issue was referred to it.

Sources said that Surjeet met Subhas on Saturday in a bid to bring truce between the hard-liners and liberals. Surjeet reportedly asked Subhas to apologise for his recent attacks on a section of the party leadership which the latter is believed to have turned down.

The politburo also mulled the draft for updating the party programmes formulated in 1964. Announcing this, Surjeet said that all politburo members have unanimously adopted the updated version of party programmes and there wasn't a single leader who differed on this.

Although the party's highest decision-making body has approved the amended draft, it cannot be implemented without the central committee's ratification. The CC is likely to discuss the updated party programmes during its three-day meeting beginning March 10 this year.

Surjeet, however, refused to comment as to what the amendments were. "You all will come to know once the CC approves it in March," was all that the veteran Communist leader could say.

Insiders said that while the politburo has reiterated its commitment towards uniting the secular and democratic forces to fight the menace of communalism, it would not maintain equidistance from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The politburo has also agreed to do away with clause 122 of the party constitution which deprived the CPI-M the opportunity to head the first-ever Communist-led government at the Centre in 1996.

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