Seeking to inject discipline into the party in the wake of the debacle in the Lok Saba elections, the CPI (M) has finalized what it calls a rectification document. It comprises a set of guidelines for party Ministers and implementation of an austerity drive. The document lists Do’s and Don’ts for Ministers and Members of Parliament and Legislatures. Ministers have been asked not to appoint relatives as their private staff members.
The rectification document was finalized at a politburo meeting held in New Delhi on Oct. 11.
Party members will also have to go to study classes so that they know the party’s line on various issues.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has admitted that the party has suffered a loss of faith among the people and moved away from the masses, particularly the poor. Speaking at a closed-door meeting of the party in Kolkata, he said: “The image of the party has to be improved and it will not happen overnight.”
The media was kept out of the party meeting held to celebrate sixty years of the Chinese revolution. However, Bhattacharjee’s observations were reported in the West Bengal CPI (M)’s official mouthpiece, Ganashakti, on Oct. 16.
