CPM has lost mass contact8230; party only needs sycophants

The party is not advancing any more. It has lost mass contact. Non-issues are being made issues,both at the local and national level. Ideally,the party should be working for the uplift of the poor and downtrodden. It should take up issues concerning the people. The partys cadre are mostly poor and downtrodden,but there is no respect for them.

Moreover,the leaders of the CPIM in the good old days were totally different. They understood the cadre and realised the competence of local leaders. I am not singling out any individual leader. But it is a fact that the era of militant cadre is over. It is the age of sycophants now at all levels of the party.

You have been with the CPIM for such a long time. You were leader of the Kisan Sabha in Bihar. What has changed over the years?

I would say sycophancy has now become the order of the day. I have seen the behaviour of the leaders in Bihar and realised that the party only needs sycophants and not people like me. The Bihar unit is faction-ridden. The party works on caste lines. I have been in the party since 1962 nearly five decades,but I have been sidetracked and sycophants are moving up the ladder.

Is this phenomenon limited to Bihar or is prevalant everywhere?

In Bihar,it is very apparent. But I think it is there everywhere.

CPIM leaders,especially those from Bihar like state secretary Vijay Kant Thakur,say you acted against the partys interests in the ongoing agitation for land reforms and deserted the organisation at a critical juncture. What do you have to say?

You should come to Bihar and see the so-called agitation that the leaders are talking about. It is all a mirage. The so-called leaders in Bihar pay only lip service to Marxism. They speak Marxism but their behaviour is feudal. Those sitting in Delhi turn a blind eye towards such issues.

You spoke about prevalance of sycophancy in the party. Can you cite a specific instance?

You just mentioned the name of Vijay Kant Thakur. He came to the party in 1978 after he was expelled from the CPI. Now he is the state secretary. I joined the party in 1962 at a time when Communists were hounded since the India-China war was on. I have been part of several agitations. There is no value for the contributions made to the party by workers like me. This is not a right message.

Did you ever raise any of your grievances in the party fora?

I have raised these issues in party fora whenever I got a chance.

You joined the Central Committee along with leaders like Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury. You knew them for a long time. Did you ever speak to them about these issues?

Do they have time to talk? These are people who smile at you and walk past. They dont talk even for a second.

You said the central leadership turns a blind eye towards issues like sycophancy and spoke about the CPIM losing its mass contact. Why is this happening?

It is not for me,but for the leaders sitting in Delhi to analyse why the party has alienated from the people. They are big leaders,intellectuals. They should analyse why the CPIM is losing its relevance.

What made you choose the JDU?

I felt Nitish Kumar is doing a very commendable job. Under his leadership,Bihar is witnessing all-round development. But all types of anti-development forces are waging a sustained campaign against him,and I thought in such a situation,I should join him and strengthen his leadership.