A P Abdullakutty, the controversial CPI(M) MP from Kerala who has had run-ins with the party earlier for openly speaking against bandhs and questioning the “communist should be an atheist” theory, has created another stir by saying that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should be made the model for attracting private investment.The two-time MP said states, including Left-ruled Kerala, should emulate the Gujarat model on dealing with investors and ushering in development. He, however, qualified his statement by making it clear that he was only praising Modi’s skills in attracting investment to the state and still considers the saffron posterboy as a “communal fascist”.“Gujarat is India’s number-one investor-friendly state. Modi made it possible for Reliance to invest Rs 25,000 crore in the state and the company has made huge profits. When Ratan Tata pulled out the small car project from Singur, it was Gujarat which came up with the most attractive offer. Other states, including Kerala, should emulate the Gujarat model,” he told The Indian Express from Dubai.He said, “Other states should learn from Gujarat on dealing with investors. The state provides all assistance to investors. They depute bureaucrats to help prospective investors, depending on the nature of the project. Modi has been doing a commendable and inimitable job on attracting investment. I am saying this while maintaining my criticism of Modi as a communal fascist.”The young MP did not stop at that. He said the Kerala Government should do more to attract investment. He also reiterated his opposition to bandhs, a mode of protest used extensively by the Communists. “Unnecessary bandhs and hartals should be avoided to provide a friendly climate for investors to usher in development. Even the new generation is against bandhs which had hampered the development of the state,” he added.With his frequent questioning of the official party line, Abdullakutty has of late donned the role of a sort of rebel in the CPM. While his views against bandhs had attracted public censure from the party earlier, his observation that the party would have to change its stand on dialectical materialism to draw more people into its fold had triggered a debate in Kerala. Recently, he had supported Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay’s statement questioning the circumstances that led to the killing of Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare.Two months ago, CPI(M) leader and Kerala Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem had, toeing the party line, said that investors in Kerala should factor in hartals while fixing the production target and loss of man days. Meanwhile, the CPI(M) leadership maintained a stoic silence on the MP’s pat for Modi. “I am not aware of it,” CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said when asked for a reaction.
