New Delhi/Kolkata, June 23
An embattled CPM today suffered some more jolts from the expected quarters in Kerala and West Bengal, with a special CBI court in Kochi summoning party’s disgraced state secretary Pinayari Vijayan in the SNC-Lavlin corruption case and Bengal Chief Minister Budhadeb Bhattacharya ignoring the party line on Centre’s ban on CPI (Maoists).
Both the state units have remained a constant source of consternation for the CPM, which chose to downplay the developments, somewhat even diluting its stand on banning the Maoists as it can ill afford to be seen as supporting a “terror outfit”.
The West Bengal government on Tuesday agreed to implement the ban on Maoists notwithstanding reservations voiced by the CPM and the Left Front. ”The
ban is applicable for the entire country and we have accepted it. But how to implement it is the government’s business,” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told media persons at Writers Buildings after an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The Centre had proscribed CPI-Maoist as a terror outfit on Monday. The move was slammed by the CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, who said proscription may not work because such outfits often re-emerge with a different name. The state Left Front had also taken a similar line.
“What Karat said was without the knowledge of the Centre’s ban. He was conveying the CPM’s general approach to the issue. The Central ban is nationwide and West Bengal is not an independent republic. Budha’s decision is fully integrated with party stand, but the extent of implementation of the ban would be decided upon proper legal advice, which has been sought,” party sources today told The Tribune, adding that CPM’s stand on the matter was “irrelevant” given the national scope of the Centre’s ban.
The party’s watered-down approach clearly reveals its desperation to set things right in Bengal, where the Left Front government has already suffered a huge body blow due to its “mishandling” of the Lalgarh situation.
On the Pinarayi front, however, the party was unfazed, with Karat downplaying the September 24 summons issued for the Kerala CPM secretary. “We will fight the case politically and legally. There
has been no corruption,” he said.
The CPM was also quick to draw solace from the fact that the CBI court ordered further investigations into the role of Congress leader and former power minister G Karthikeyan, who was excluded when the charge sheet was filed. “We have always said the case is politically motivated,” said party sources.
That, however, does not take away from the gravity of the charges Pinayari faces, even though he enjoys huge support within the state CPM unit, which has of late raised demands of CM VS Achuthanandan’s removal on grounds of anti-party activities. Achuthanandan had earlier endorsed governor’s decision to allow Pinayari’s prosecution.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal chief secretary AM Chakraborty said as directed by the CM Operation Lalgarh would remain suspended for two days for facilitating the distribution of the food grains and other relief materials among the affected people in the area. Accordingly, there was no combing operation in the area today. But the
security guards were kept on alert.
