Basu’s "historic blunder"
From Shubhabrata Bhattacharya
Tribune News Service

EMS NAGAR, (CALCUTTA), Oct 10 — CPM strongman Jyoti Basu was under fire as the 16th party congress of the CPM took up discussion on his remark to the print and electronic media that the Central Committee’s 1996 decision to stay away from government formation at the Centre was "a historic blunder".

During the discussion on the organisational resolution yesterday, Mr Basu’s decision to criticise in public a Central Committee decision was obliquely criticised. Today, the criticism was more direct.

Perhaps due to the tenor of the discussion, CPM General Secretary, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, decided to postpone his usual CPM media briefing, till late evening. By which time discussion on the "historic blunder" remark would be over.

Mr Surjeet refused to disclose the contents of the discussion midway. But when asked if Mr Basu had been criticised, he remarked: "Ours is not like the Congress party, where no one can be criticised".

The attack on Mr Basu, for breaking party norms by making open remarks in the media, is being articulated by his younger colleagues, Mr Biman Basu and Mr Anil Biswas, both Central Committee members and aspirants for the slot of successor to Mr Basu. The defence of Mr Basu, primarily, is being led by West Bengal ministers, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharya and Mr Gautam Deb. Some say that Mr Bhattacharya is favoured by Mr Basu as his successor.

The CPM’s young JNU-educated politburo members, Mr Sitaram Yechury and Mr Prakash Karat, who played a major role in torpedoing Mr Basu’s ambition to be the Prime Minister in 1996, are the "prompters" of the criticism. The party may not formally censure Mr Basu, but for a leader of his stature to be criticised by delegates in a party congress is considered a rebuke.

The political review report of the Central Committee, presented to the party congress says that had the CPM joined the United Front government in 1996, it would have "suffered".

While West Bengal members are divided, Mr Basu is receiving support in the debate from a section of Punjab delegates. The draft political organisational report of the Central Committee in fact narrates how the Punjab party unit developed a division after the 1996 decision.

Support for Mr Basu is also coming from other smaller state units. However, the West Bengal and Kerala units are sharply divided. Kerala’s Finance Minister T. Sivadasa Menon has criticised Mr Basu.

The criticism is overtly directed at Mr Basu for his public utterances. However, if one delves deeper, the CPM General Secretary, Mr Surjeet, who agreed with Mr Basu in 1996 but was outnumbered in the Central Committee, is also effectively under fire.

However, this is unlikely to affect Mr Surjeet’s or Mr Basu’s respective positions in the party. But it may provide more elbow room for Mr Karat, Mr Yechury and their supporters, the younger leaders in the politburo and the Central Committee.

Meanwhile, the CPM’s tilt for the Congress has inspired humour in this politically conscious state. While some are describing the party’s resolutions as "old whine in new jargon", others are saying that for the first time the CPM’s party congress has become a "party for the Congress".