CPM's moment of truth to purge

Thiruvananthapuram: Under public and media pressure CPM may have been forced to take action against Kalamassery area secretary Zakir Hussain and municipal councillor P.N. Jayanthan; but incidents involving them clearly hint at the decadence that has set in among party members at various levels. There are complaints against party members and leaders who have set up links with real estate developers, contractors, liquor barons and antisocial elements. At many places they are helping such elements to carry out their nefarious activities, which was also observed at the plenum on organisational issues held at Kolkata in December 2015.

Since many do not dare to complain against illicit links of party leaders, such cases never come in the public domain. Even in Zakir and Jayanthan’s case, the local party leadership was aware of their activities and had even intervened at different intervals. But they chose to push it under the carpet till these issues were raised by the victims. At the Kolkata plenum the life style of a section of party leaders and workers had also come in for sharp criticism. Eight state committees had formally received complaints about party members’ lavish life style, spending beyond their known sources of income including for building houses which were far above the minimum needs required, spending  large amounts on weddings of children and organising festivities on a lavish scale. 

Since all this involved huge spending and most leaders occupying official positions in party being whole timers who survive on low wages, questions are often raised about their source of income. At the state plenum held in Palakkad in December 2013, the party had discussed  150-page document which was prepared based on a questionnaire covering 31 important areas. The plenum which adopted the rectification document, gave a call to party workers to shed arrogance, eschew all un-communist virtues, bureaucratism, links with real estate promoters, extravagant life style and malpractices alien to norms of being a communist. The plenum had also called for making rectification process an annual affair. But going by the complaints coming up at different levels, it is clear that plenum direction was yet to be implemented in its true letter and spirit.