Communists
The Shakunis of nationalist politics
By Amba Charan Vashishtha

(Continued from December 1-15 issue)

The communists very well understood the Indian psyche. They knew well that they will never catch the fancy of the Indian people however catchy their slogans may be. That is why to spread their area of influence they adopted the dubious policy of infiltration into political parties in power to influence their working and wreck an organisation from within.

The communists very well understood the Indian psyche. They knew well that they will never catch the fancy of the Indian people however catchy their slogans may be. That is why to spread their area of influence they adopted the dubious policy of infiltration into political parties in power to influence their working and wreck an organisation from within. By supporting the Congress-led UPA government the left parties are only implementing, in letter and spirit, the Indian version of the Lenin’s theory, known in India as the Mohan Kumarmangalam formula to support a ruling party “as a rope supports a hanged man”. They are extracting its pound of flesh in positions of power. They has been successful in pushing out the old appointees before completion of their terms and getting persons with left leanings to head important institutions which influence education, art, films and other media. Some examples are Prof. Krishna Kumar, Director NCERT, Prof. Deepak Paintal, Vice-Chancellor, Delhi University, Prof. B. B. Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor JNU and Shri Vipin Chandra in National Book Trust. In this way they have established their control and dominance over intellectual the heritage of the nation.

Dubious dealings

Communist behaviour and policy has always been dubious, disruptive and deceptive. In pre-independence period they sneaked into the Congress under the name and style of Congress Socialists Party. When in 1937 Congress formed governments all alone or in alliance in nine out of 11 States, Socialists in Congress gained control of areas which later became the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh in independent India. They soon got exposed and were expelled from the party as they were trying to establish control over the party organisation units.

And Leftists found themselves blown up into the lap of the Congress, the same Congress about which Surjeet had said only a few weeks earlier that "there was no raison d'etre in such an alliance (with Congress) because it would mean sleeping with the enemy". Now they are doing it most gleefully, without any regret, remorse or sense of shame.

Communism is the child of anarchy, discord, disruption and disorder. The 1919 Communist Revolution in Russia is one such instance. So is every other country which witnessed revolutions that put communists in control. Like imperialism, it is expansionist in nature. Communism could thrive for about seven decades in Russia and less in other countries not because people started supporting it, but because of the reign of terror, suppression, dictatorship and disruption let loose by them. Communism never believed in democracy though it did pretend to be its champion. It thrived in dictatorship of the proletariat. In USSR, communists established their stronghold only because of the torture chambers of Stalin. Thousands of people who did not agree with Stalin were butchered in the most inhuman manner. People did not know what happened to their parents, children and friends taken away by the Russian administration. Our communist brothers do remember the dictatorial regime of Hitler and his crimes, but easily gloat over what Stalin did in USSR. Although Stalin’s successors, Khrushchev and Breznev, did gather the moral strength to denounce Stalin, yet the Indian brand of communists preferred to remain mute.

Nationalism never strong point

Influenced by foreign ideology, nationalism was never the strong point of Indian communists. In India they are rank opportunists right from the beginning. When Gandhiji gave the “Quit India” call to the British, it was the Communists who sided with the British imperialists and wanted them to stay on. When leftists found no takers among the people of India for their doctrine of “power flows through the barrel of the gun”, they changed their tactics. They took to electoral politics. Till 1967 they failed to make any significant mark on the electoral scene. Then they changed their strategy and started infiltrating into Congress to influence it. Having throughout been anti-Congress and called Congress the “enemy of the people”, it was the Communists who jumped to the Indira bandwagon to save her Congress government in 1969.

The only umbilical chord that binds the Left parties and the Congress is the fact that both of them have no principles and are never true to their words, professions and pretensions. Smt. Indira Gandhi once decried the Marxist rule in West Bengal as “a representative monarchy where democracy has been reduced to a mockery”. To pay back Smt. Gandhi’s ‘compliment’, they supported her the whole hog when she imposed Emergency in 1975 and murdered democracy.

"We don't only bark", they have often said very bravely in public, "but we can bite too". But during the last 18 months on all the important issues which have directly hurt the common man they have failed to bite even once. It now appears that either their bark is hollow, or they don't know how to bite even when provoked and challenged. Or they don't have the teeth to bite or their teeth stand broken.

Communism thrives in the times of uncertainty, disorder and, weak governments. In 1967 elections when Congress grew weak in many States, the Communists had no qualms of conscience to join hands with the then Jana Sangh in many States to throw the “anti-people” Congress out of power. It is the same Jana Sangh whom they had day in and day out branded ‘communal’. But they entered into a marriage of convenience because that served their political design.

In 1977, the Marxists aligned themselves with the Janata Party against the Congress knowing fully well that Jana Sangh was the major constituent of this outfit blessed by Loknayak Shri Jayaprakash Narayan. In 1989, Left parties and Janata Dal formed a government at the Centre with VP Singh as Prime Minister on the pillar of support provided by BJP whom they otherwise call a ‘communal’ party. They accepted BJP’s support with open arms because they knew that without its support they could not achieve their goal to dethrone Congress. When BJP withdrew support to VP Singh government, overnight it once again became an untouchable ‘communal’ party.

In 1996 when the Left played an important role in the formation of a United Front at the Centre and was successful in installing first Shri H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later, Shri I. K. Gujeral, Shri Harkishen Singh Surjeet and other communist leaders tried their best to rope in Akali Dal into their Front. When Akali Dal refused, the grapes turned sour for communists and they shouted hoarse: Akali Dal is a ‘communal’ outfit.

“Sleeping with enemy”

The Left championed and discarded the idea of a “third front” in one breath. Before 2004 Lok Sabha elections, speaking on the need for this front the then CPM General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet told journalists at Chennai’s Meenabakkam Airport that he knew which way the wind was blowing. And Leftists found themselves blown up into the lap of the Congress, the same Congress about which Surjeet had said only a few weeks earlier that “there was no raison d’etre in such an alliance (with Congress) because it would mean sleeping with the enemy”. Now they are doing it most gleefully, without any regret, remorse or sense of shame.

Mosquitoes do not breed in a clean environment and pure flowing water. Likewise, communism is the child that takes its birth in situation of violence, disorder and disruption. The communists in India are, therefore, always on the lookout to create such conditions of uncertainty and upheaval. They have swung themselves to the centre-stage only in a hung assembly or Parliament, be it in 1967, 1989, 1996 or 2004. Otherwise, nobody cares a fig for them. As a result, in the present UPA dispensation it is the Left which has the enviable position of having the cake and eating it too. With a mandate of just 7.07 percent of votes and 53 seats in a house of 543 in 2004 Lok Sabha elections, it is the CPM/CPI combine which seems to be calling the shots and dictating terms. In the words of BJP President Shri Lal Krishna Advani, “the Left is enjoying power, without responsibility”. It is usurping all the credit for everything positive UPA does and passes on the blame to the UPA for everything going wrong. It is enjoying best of both the worlds – the ruling and the opposition.

We all have heard of the big fish devouring the small one. But in the case of the Leftists it is the reverse of it. The small fish of Leftists is trying – and with success to a great extent – to swallow the big fish of UPA and Congress.

Be it the case of increase in the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas, power and water charges, or FDI in various fields, PSU disinvestment, the Leftists have been as brave in opposing it in the print and electronic media as they are meek in letting UPA have its way in these matters. In the last week of October they organised an all-India strike against these measures of the UPA government they support. The moment they go wild in their denunciation of UPA policies, immediately comes an invitation either from the Prime Minister or the Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi for a friendly meeting at lunch, dinner, or breakfast. In the sweet smell and flavour of the mouth-watering cuisine served at the meetings the plight of the common man gets drowned and Left leaders come out satisfied with their talks. They wave red flags, it is now being increasingly believed, in public and give a green signal to the UPA at these private meetings. While munching the delicacies they seem apologetic to Manmohan government for their public conduct but explain away their compulsion to adopt such public stance to survive in the politics of today.

Otherwise, how can they explain their contradictory behaviour? Important CPM leaders are on record having said that UPA should not take their support for granted. “We don’t only bark”, they have often said very bravely in public, “but we can bite too”. But during the last 18 months on all the important issues which have directly hurt the common man they have failed to bite even once. It now appears that either their bark is hollow, or they don’t know how to bite even when provoked and challenged. Or they don’t have the teeth to bite or their teeth stand broken.

UPA and the Communists are presenting a strange phenomenon of coalition politics in which the conflicts and contradictions outnumber the unanimity of thought and action. Every other day our news media flash the report of one constituent or the other alleging that the government is going astray on the provisions of the National Common Minimum Programme agreed to by them. The divergence of views is more prominent than the sphere of agreement. Recently, in a rally jointly addressed by CPM and Samajwadi party at Lucknow on November 14, the CPM, according to reports appearing in the Press, has made known that it does not trust the Congress and nor does it consider the latter as its long-term political ally. The underlying message from the Marxists is that its support to UPA government is a matter of compulsion and does not stem from any political conviction.

That speaks volumes for the political ideology of Left parties, conviction and principles. It has none and displayed none. All it has is its short-term strategy to promote its narrow selfish agenda and vested interests. Nothing more. Concern for people’s interests and tears for the poor and working class are just a hoax. (Concluded)

(The writer is a political analyst)