Meet the bourgeois disciples of Marx

THE CPM, which is rated the richest
organisation after the Church in Kerala, is doing well for itself in
Delhi. Its clout at the Centre appears to have come in handy for
getting four prime plots in the Capital.

    It already has
two prime properties in Delhi — one in the Gole Market area and the
other on Rouse Avenue. While the revolutionary activities around the
country are being dictated from the AKG Bhawan in Gole Market, the BT
Ranadive Bhawan houses the party’s trade union wing Citu’s central
office. The new plots that the CPM has acquired are on the Deendayal
Upadhyaya Marg, close to Rouse Avenue.

    The new plots,
spread over 2,850 sqm have been allotted to the CPM for Rs 60 lakh,
according to sources. The market value of these plots is around the
range of Rs 45-50 crore.

    CPM leaders here said that no
rules were violated while giving land to the party. According to
government rules, a party which has 50-100 MPs in both Houses of
Parliament is entitled to one acre (around 4,000 sqm) of government
land in the city at concessional rates. The CPM has around 60 MPs.

    The
scheme of land for political parties was conceived for providing
accommodation for parties functioning from government bungalows in
Lutyens Delhi. While parties like Congress, NCP and RJD need new
buildings, the CPM and the CPI already have their own multi-storied
offices.

    Amassing real estate has been a pastime for the
CPM. In states like Kerala, even the party’s local committees have huge
assets. Conservative estimates put the worth of CPM real estate in
Kerala alone at Rs 4,000 crore.

    The CPM has been in the
news for encroaching government land in states like Kerala. The
Congress recently charged the CPM with encroaching around half an acre
near its state committee office belonging to the Kerala University. The
party has also been using dubious means to collect funds for the party.
Although it claims that its real estate are acquired with contributions
from the cadre, the extent of its wealth shows its connections outside
the ‘working class’.