‘Viaticum’ for the Red Flags

The comrades in Kerala are running for cover.

Close on the heels of the heated controversy between Pinarayi and the church regarding the issue of late comrade taking his Viaticum ( the sacrament of the dying ), the Marxists on Kerala have a bigger explanation to do.

The Chinese Communist Party 17th congress has officially for the first time in history made amends to its constitution to add religion to it. Thus officially admitting a change in attitude to the growing number of religious believers in the country. The party states that it is being done taking into consideration the new situations and new tasks in hand. The socialist leanings in China have taken major twists and turns understanding that a closed economy would do it no good in its race to be a super power. Over the years its economy has been opened up to western companies to operate and now a days Burger King and Pizza Hut joints are a common site in China which once decried western imperialism.

The Congress has also admitted that private companies make up a big part of its GDP. But the government spends on 12% of its GDP on development. China is trying hard to bring in foreign investment which is very essential for its survival. Over 60 odd times the Congress has used the term ‘democracy’ in its policies. They have called it Socialist democracy and say it does not ape the western democracy. In order to cover the differences in party vision and reality some red ideas have also been put into action for sometime now like the ‘Harmonious Society’ where everyone contributes and everyone obtains equal level of well being. Then there is ‘Scientific Development’ which states that profits and industrialization is a must for a balanced environment demolishing the concept of city and country side.

Changes in its policies could bring about marked changes in China. It would be forced to revise its policy on the Dalai Lama, the high priest of Buddhists in Tibet and China. Buddhism is the major religion of China. It would also have to open up to the Christian community of the world. Negotiations with the Dalai Lama could bring marked changes in its Tibetan policy. The Christian Conversion machinery would be the most pleased to enter the Chinese market with its massive money power and well rehearsed techniques. The religious heads of the various Chinese religious institutions have often been appointed by the government and the Chinese authorities never allowed official Vatican designates or incarnates sanctioned by the Dalai Lama.

But the issue is with the comrades in Kerala and Bengal. With the Christian church in Kerala officially deciding to remove Marxist party members from its rolls, the issue has crossed many bench marks. The Marxist think tanks taken by surprise at the Chinese change in policies are revising their old manuals trying to prove hard that Marx was never against religion. The man who called religion the opiate of the masses always was of the opinion that religion was simply a tool for the rich to hold control over the oppressed masses.

Asking for reactions the hard core Marxists were suddenly trying hard to explain they had no problem with religion and that it was foolish to think you could work without a bit of faith in an economy.

Time of the Indian Marxists to study their Chinese counterparts and put up the poor man’s sickle and hammer flag on those new Mercedes cars or they could probably face the plight of having their viaticum like what happened to Mother Russia!!

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