Chaturanan dropped from CPI secretariat

The newly reconstituted secretariat has another new face, Daya Singh, CPI activist and student leader from Bihar. The last CPI party Congress held two years ago, had included in the central secretariat, National Secretary D Raja and Atul Kumar Anjaan, ostensibly to lower the age profile of the party leadership.

According to CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan, the nine-member secretariat was quot;unanimously electedquot;. Bardhan was at pains to make clear that Mishra8217;s views on Bihar and much less his opposition to Laloo Prasad Yadav hadanything to do with Mishra8217;s exclusion from the secretariat. Mishra8217;s differences with the party leadership arose because of his opposition to the CPI8217;s call for opposing the BJP government8217;s attempt to impose Article 356 in Bihar.

Mishra had also said that he would organise a symposium in Patna to highlight the misdeeds of the RJD government in the state.

What riled the CPI leadership further was Mishra8217;s stand that he would join hands with Janata Dal leader Ram Vilas Paswan in opposing the RJD government.

Bardhan insisted that Mishra8217;s presence in the CPI National Executive showed that he was still quot;very much in the decision-making bodies of the partyquot;, besides he said, it was not a quot;life-time post. What is so surprising if a member is dropped and new members are drafted in?quot; he questioned.

Age was not a criterion for yet another longstanding secretariat member, Indrajit Gupta, who continues in the secretariat, despite his having voiced his desire to step down. Bardhan explained that Gupta8217;spresence was necessary since he is the CPI8217;s Parliamentary party leader. Asked if the inclusion of Laloo in the Third Front was under consideration, Bardhan said it was not a quot;Central issuequot;.

quot;I don8217;t think the whole political question of formation of the third front can be reduced to our attitude to one individual. It would be vulgarising the issue,quot; Bardhan said.