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CPI(M) and capitalism |
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CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has defended veteran leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu’s recent comments on the issue of capitalism. On Jan. 5 Jyoti Basu had echoed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s view that private capital is a must for industrialisation despite the party’s ideology. He had said, “socialism is a far cry and we have not achieved it yet. We have to remember that we are working in the capitalist system.”
Prakash Karat reaffirmed on January 7 the CPI(M) line of working within the capitalist system to undertake indusrialisa¬tion and ticked off allies which saw red at the statement.
“Working within the capitalist system, facing a situation where the central government imposes neo-liberal policies, the Left-led governments have to undertake industrialisation and economic development in such a manner where the interests of the workers and the poorer sections are protected,’’ Karat said in a statement.
“Only those ignorant of the programme of the CPI(M) can talk of the party saying goodbye to socialism and welcome to capital¬ism,” Karat said.
“The CPI(M)’s goal is for the setting up of a people’s democracy, which is a step towards the eventual goal of social¬ism. This, as Jyoti Basu said, cannot be done by the three state governments ruled by the Left. The advance to socialism will be realisable only after the Left and democratic forces are strong enough to build an alternative at the national level,” Karat said.
The CPI(M) general secretary’s statement coincided with a speech by Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, an old-school Communist, who expressed the hope that “capitalism will be uprooted by socialism”.
Observers say Karat’s comments seemed to be aimed at allies such as the RSP which he singled out for the withering question. “Unlike the CPI(M), the RSP has declared socialism to be its immediate goal. But one may ask why the RSP has been, in all these years of being in Left-led state governments, working to implement some reforms and welfare measures within the capitalist system ?”
UNPA fails to get Left support on farmers’ issues
United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) leaders met the CPI(M) general secretary and his CPI counterpart A.B. Bardhan in New Delhi on Jan. 7 and reportedly sought support for the agita¬tion to be launched by the Third Front on farmers’ issues. But the Left leaders did not give any assurance to the UNPA that they would join such an agitation.
UNPA chairperson Mulayam Singh Yadav and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah were present from the UNPA side. The discussions largely focused on holding joint protest meetings and rallies on farmers’ issues. The UNPA is keen to launch a nationwide agitation on crisis in the agricultural sector. They held a rally in Vijaywada in the last week of November.
It was learnt that Karat told them that the matter would have to be referred to the party’s central committee before any decision was taken.
CPI Raja Sabha member D. Raja said it was conveyed to the UNPA that party members would be busy in the next two months preparing for the party congress, slated to be held in Hyderabad in March. Currently, both the CPI(M) and the CPI are busy with the state party conferences. The Left has already made it clear that no third alternative could be formed for electoral purposes only. Any third political alternative would have to be based on a joint programme and agenda.
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