Budhdhadeb’s mask slips off : Did you miss the real image?

“Religion has not created any Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin or Anwar Hoja, they were produced in the ‘kitchen’ of communism…The CPI(M) has been intolerant even to their left allies… CPI (M) is the most intolerant political party in the country.”   (Pioneer, Aug 1, 2006, p.p. 4)

No! No!  this is not the RSS/ VHP or the Hindutva brigade speaking. These are the words of C. Dawood, Committee Member, Students Islamic Organisation, which appeared in ‘Madhyamam’ of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

Having thrown a fit, soon after Jagmohan Dalmiya’s victory in the Cricket Association of Bengal elections, Budhdhadeb Babu lost his composure. He bared his fangs dripping wet with the blood of democracy and proclaimed: “Victory of evil over good …It is an evil empire and the fight will continue till it is demolished”.

The mask of tolerance, humanism and democracy slipped off Buddhdhadeb’s face and one could unmistakably see the reality — the image of a dictator thrashing democratic values violently. The heavy artillery fire by Jyoti Basu and his cohorts on Budhdhadeb is a desperate political move to put the mask back on CPI (M)’s face. Too little; too late. The world already knows about their hidden agenda.

Following the footsteps of China , Budhdhadeb yearns for a free market and the ensuing rapid economic growth. But make no mistake:  Economic freedom has not resulted in political freedom in China . China remains communist not because of her economy but as a consequence of being anti-democratic, totalitarian and dictatorial. Budhdhadeb’s dictatorial streak, so visible in his diatribe against Dalmiya, reminds us that he remains a communist very much in the Chinese mould.

As a rule sugarcoating a language soaked in deception has always been the hallmark of a communist; Budhdhadeb, the exception, should be complimented for being straightforward and frank.   Vimal Prasad Jain, my grandfather and a close associate of MN Roy, used to warn me about communist jargon and its misleading implications. I still remember some of his examples:  Words like “people’s” and “democratic” in the names of communist states like ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’, ‘People’s Republic of China’, ‘German Democratic Republic’ etc. were deliberately embedded to hide the ugliness of the ‘evil empires’. The states were neither democratic nor people friendly. He gave me a formula: wherever you find the word ‘people’ in communist literature it actually means ‘anti-people’. To dive deep into the mind of a communist these formulae proved to be handy

With a “People’s” mask on the face, a ‘human rights campaign’ is always on the cards for a die hard communist. It is another matter that this campaign eventually gets focused on the plight of terrorists. In April, 2006, the Kerala CPI(M) was found hobnobbing with Abdul Nasser Mahdani, key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts that killed 58 people and left several more injured. “The CPM sent TK Hamsa, its MP from Manjheri, on a supposedly discreet mission to Coimbatore to get Mahdani to make his outfit, the People’s Democratic Party, openly pitch for the Left in the Assembly polls” (Indian Express, July 25, 2006). Indian Express quoted Hamsa saying that: “I went on my own because his human rights were being seriously violated; I wanted to express my sympathies.”   

T.K. Hamsa, the Kerala CPI(M) leader is ably supported by his own Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. The CM pleaded for Ayurvedic treatment of Mahdani languishing in prison for 8 long years. The CPI(M) leader was moved by the fact that the main accused of the Coimbatore blasts had lost 50 kgs of weight in the prison — from a handsome 104 kgs in 1998 he was hardly 54 kgs. today. Undoubtedly, the commitment of the communists towards human rights is beyond compare.

Minority rights have been on the topmost agenda of Indian communists. Therefore, in Gujarat they have used their ‘five star activists’ to launch an untiring campaign against Narendra Modi and his government. But sitting in West Bengal , the communists have to just give a slight tilt to their neck to see the ongoing genocide of minorities in Bangladesh . Between 1941 and 1991 20 million Hindus went missing from Bangladesh . As many as 475 Hindus are disappearing everyday from the soil of Bangladesh since 1974. On this issue there has not been one word from any Indian communist at any time – not on any occasion. So much for minority rights.

Now about poverty alleviation. The leftist economist of the Delhi School of Economics, Prof. Raj Krishna, had coined a term – ‘Hindu rate of growth’. This was a term used to denigrate the Hindus for a low economic growth rate. The Hindus were sought to be blamed for the Soviet model of economy being followed in the Nehruvian era. It should have been more appropriately called the ‘Soviet rate of growth’ or the ‘Communist rate of growth’. Do you want to see the ‘Hindu rate of growth? Go to Gujarat .   It touches 8.2%. In addition, Gujarat keeps its number one position amongst all Indian states in implementing the pro-poor 20-point programme. Experts believe that the tiger growth of Gujarat ’s economy is helping in reducing poverty like never before.

To continue its war against poverty, Gujarat needs  water. More availability of water means less requirement of power. For water, Gujarat needs Narmada .  The biggest roadblock were the leftist ‘Five star activists’ who would not allow the green revolution to happen in the parched land of Gujarat . Then, fortunately, the Supreme Court asked them to shut up. What is leftism all about? Reducing poverty? Doubtful. Look at the Naxalites. How they continue to stop all development projects — roads, rails and industries — by kidnapping, murder and ransom. 

‘ India ’s political parlance’ has become so grossly perverted that the communists – who hate democratic norms and have a natural dictatorial streak — get fashioned as outstanding humanists. By hiding behind a deceptive smokescreen, the communist intellectuals along with their ‘five star activists’   have succeeded in becoming the ultimate torch bearers of democracy and freedom in India . They must be exposed for what they really are.

(The author of this article is a TV Journalist and documentary maker)

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