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Corruption makes CPI-M politburo see red

Arup Chanda in Calcutta

Following several complaints about the luxurious lifestyles of many senior politicians, the Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo has made it mandatory for all leaders to submit statements giving their annual income and expenses and the assets belonging to them and their family members.

The diktat applies to all CPI-M politicians from the central committee down to the district committees.

The CPI-M has been ruling West Bengal for the last 21 years while in Kerala and Tripura it has been in and out of office. At present, the party is in power in all three states.

The CPI-M leadership noted that the quality of its membership in West Bengal has been affected by having been in power for such a long period. A similar decline has been noticed in Kerala and Tripura.

Not only CPI-M ministers, MPs and legislators but even wholetime party workers, who receive a meagre wage, are leading lifestyles inconsistent with their income. The party leadership cannot explain how wholetime workers have purchased flats, use mobile telephones and go on vacations to expensive tourist resorts even twice a year.

During the state conferences last year many leaders, while filling out the requisite forms, not only suppressed their actual income but also kept it a secret while paying levy to the party which is mandatory for all CPI-M members.

As such, for party members who are employed, it has been made compulsory to deposit their payslips to the respective party units in order to ensure proper collection.

The party leadership has also noticed that many leaders, in order to cover up their "illegal income", were attributing it to their spouses or showing property in their name as a "gift from their in-laws".

This malaise has been evident even in states where the party has never been in power. The issue over how a senior CPI-M leader in Bihar had amassed large tracts of land, led to a heated debate within the party's central committee.

However, this leader still remains at the helm of affairs.

As such, this diktat from the politburo has made the minority section within the party sit up. They apprehend that this would be used as a tool to corner them and their associates.

It is certain that the politburo's decision is an added weapon to the ruling cliques in the faction-riddled states who will use it to sideline the section that lost elections within the party committees. The dissidents in Kerala and West Bengal have reasons to worry because no action was taken against many CPI-M leaders despite serious allegations as they belonged to the ruling clique.

Cases of corruption within the CPI-M are highest within the party's West Bengal unit. The leadership has received complaints that many party MPs who stay in government flats in Delhi have also acquired government flats in Calcutta through unfair means. Many of these MPs also accept hospitality of industrialists and businessmen at places where they go unnoticed. There are even some who obtain loans but never repay.

The issue of corruption assumed alarming proportions following the murder of Sushil Chowdhury, who was an accountant at the West Bengal party headquarters. Chowdhury, who was a bachelor, led a quiet life and was not known to have any enemies. His murder still remains a mystery. A powerful minister on his own initiative was creating pressure on the police to investigate the real cause but it was allegedly hushed following pressure from some sections of party leaders.

However, primary investigations revealed that the motive behind the murder was Chowdhury's knowledge about misuse of party funds and one does not rule out the involvement of some senior party leaders.

Factionalsim and corruption within the CPI-M has become so acute that even after a West Bengal state secretariat member was probing against a party leader for his involvement in organised crime, the latter was promoted to a higher committee.

Last year the CPI-M politburo had started the process of recording income and property of party leaders. However, more than 40 per cent of the leaders from Kerala did not submit the requisite information.

According to a young CPI-M leader from West Bengal, "The politburo is now realising the problems of remaining in power in West Bengal for such a long period. Not only have the comrades forgot the struggle but have become victims of bourgeoisie lifestyle. But then, for the party West Bengal is most important as the funds are provided by this state committee".

Realising that the anti-Left votes in Marxist ruled states are increasing, the politburo is hell-bent on purging the party through cleansing drives and thus improve the party's image. In fact, CPI-M politburo member and West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, in his recent speeches, has stressed on corruption and complacency of some party leaders which were alienating the party from the masses.

Power corrupts and the CPI-M politburo has now realised that even Communists are not above it.

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