Forgotten for 16 yrs, Lenin bust finds CPM home

Unveiling Lenin8217;s statue, Karat said the 8220;communist parties across the globe are coming together to fight imperialism8221;. He used the occasion to take potshots at US President George W Bush for 8220;comparing Lenin with Hitler and Osama bin Laden8221;.

He said: 8220;Bush does not know history. But we do. Bush8217;s remark comparing Lenin with Hitler was foolish. Lenin fought against imperialism as well as the fascist tendencies.8221;

On the timing of the bust8217;s installation, CPIM politburo member R Umanath said: 8220;We have had the statue with us for some time now. We were waiting for the right time to unveil it.8221;

The CPIM8217;s initial opposition to the policies 8212; especially on the economic front 8212; of Russian President Vladimir Putin has faded away with time. Recently, CPI M politburo member Sitaram Yechury and CPI national secretary D Raja participated in a global meeting of communist leaders in the Belarussian capital of Minsk. This was the first such meeting since the disintegration of the USSR and fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

Sources said many in the CPIM believe that the party office should not be crowded with statues and busts of late leaders. But an exception seems to have been made for Lenin.