Comrade, don146;t go

A B Bardhan has been mostly good humoured in fielding throughout his career jibes about the communist parties8217; foreign leanings. But this weekend he did something so much at variance with our national character that we are compelled to finally pay credence to charges of foreign-ness. He said that, given his advancing years, he would like to seek retirement from the post of general secretary of the CPI. Talk about throwing the hammer and the sickle at our notions of political courtesy. Does the good comrade even know the subversive possibilities of his suggestion? To revert him to reason and to avert any more such bombshells from possible kindred souls, we must reiterate our national consensus on retirement.

Analysts argue that the still-recent Independence may predispose us to holding dear anyone connected in some way with independent India8217;s early nation-building years. Men and women who entered legislatures in the first couple of elections therefore do not attract the kind of suspicion that later politicians do. For the communists this phenomenon can be even more acute. Think of the stirring ideological debates men and women of Bardhan8217;s long experience are steeped in. Those raging polemics on nationalism versus internationalism. That fiery rhetoric on the benefits of suspending armed struggle and bringing the revolution from within. It takes politicians of a different time to appear so uncompromisingly devoted to the revolution even while doing the pragmatic thing. The upshot is that there is no stomach for a democratic contest between a young and an older candidate.

The truth, Comrade Bardhan, is we just don8217;t know how to judge our politicians8217; age. In a world where even the global communist mascots are a sprightly 53 Venezuela8217;s Hugo Chavez and where seemingly unelectable groups like Britain8217;s Tories are able to dream of a happier future under leaders on the younger side of 40 David Cameron, we just do not know. But perhaps we misread the suggestion. Perhaps all Bardhan, at 81, wants is to be leader emeritus of his party, like 93-year-old Jyoti Basu and 82-year-old Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In that case, all8217;s forgiven.