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Finally the CPI(M) stands exposed. Thanks to Comrade Karat, the last fig leaf covering the party's corruption has been removed
Yet the middle class reserved some respect for them. The Marxists were thought to practise financial probity in their personal lives. The finances they received illegally through foreign sources was thought to be used only for party purposes. The whispers in the political grapevine about certain Left leaders colluding with stockmarket brokers to make profits were never proved or publicised. In short, India’s Communists did have one asset which won them grudging respect even from critics. Their leaders had a reputation of being financially clean.
That reputation is blown to bits. It is the single-handed achievement of Comrade Karat. Opportunistic political alliances in the rough and tumble of electoral politics are understandable. But not when there are cases of blatant corruption against their intended allies. Mayawati’s disproportionate assets exposed Comrade Karat’s disproportionate image. His overtures to Jayalalithaa exposed his hollow commitment to secularism and to human rights.
The knockout punch to the CPI(M) image, however, was delivered by the SNC Lavalin corruption case. The CBI, under the court’s orders, registered a corruption case involving a government contract against senior Kerala CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan. Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan refused to protect his colleague or bury the case. The bitter rivalry between both leaders spilled onto the street. Karat’s response was astounding. He defended the leader accused of corruption and charged the cbi with conspiring under political pressure.
This is nonsense. This exposure was seen coming over two years ago. On January 24, 2007, commenting on the Lavalin deal this scribe wrote: "When Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister, he was called Mr Clean. Bofors exploded that image. The Congress never recovered from the blow. Among political parties, the Communists enjoy a reputation for steadfastly maintaining middle-class morality. Now nemesis might catch up with the CPI(M). The Marxists might soon get their own Bofors-like scandal." Rajiv did not recover from Bofors. Will Karat recover from Lavalin?
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)