In Haldia,it pays to know the CPM strongman

So when the rectification drive came to Haldia,one of the first to be weeded out was Ashok Patnaik.

The 52-year-old,who served as the CPM Haldia zonal committee secretary,was expelled in March. Close to Seth,he lives in a sprawling bungalow,the envy of many in Haldia. He had been a party fulltimer since 1995.

Although his education qualifications didnt go beyond higher secondary school,Patnaik held key posts in the Haldia Municipality along with Seths wife Tamalika Ponda Seth until December 2009. He was member,chairman-in-council,in-charge of the finance and development department of the civic body.

His bungalow is in the name of son Shantanu Patnaik. Like Seth,Patnaik claims to have no property of his own. Shantanu (30) deals in supply of labour to a handler firm for loading and unloading jobs at Haldia port. Patnaik was vice-president of the CITU union at the handler firm when his son secured the contract for supply of labour.

Patnaik told The Indian Express: I happened to be the key person after Lakshman Seth for CITU affairs in the Haldia region. My job was to scout for people who sought jobs in Haldia from neighbouring areas. If a company required skilled labour,it was mandatory for the labour supply firm to inform him,he said.

Told that people in Haldia believe he made crores because of his CITU clout,Patnaik said: People are saying that I have Rs 100 crore worth of property. But this house is the only property I have. Believe me,I can give it to anyone who pays just Rs 1 crore.

Sheikh Muzaffar is another close associate of Seth. The 60-year-old CPM functionary was also in the Haldia Municipality. A former crane operator at the port,he was handed a party ticket for the civic polls in 2002 by Seth. He quit the crane job and is today the managing director of Five Star Group,a company that deals in supply of labour and building material,export of iron ore and logistics.

Muzaffar is the talk of Haldia town,a millionaire with more than a dozen godowns,a luxurious house on NH 41. He has sent two of his four sons to business schools in UK and Australia.

Son Ajgar Ali,director of Five Star,said: We have very good relations with Lakshman Babu. He is a visionary. May be they are creating trouble for him now for political reasons. To run a political party,money is a basic requirement.

In Haldia,the CITU is the employer. It frames rules for employment,decides labour laws,even subscription amounts. The daily average requirement for labour in this town is around 60,000.

Sujeet Kumar Singh is from Jhargram. A pay-loader mechanic,Singh was treasurer of the CITU union of a handler firm in Haldia.

We have to pay at least Rs 150 per month to the CITU under different heads like the Nandigram fund,subscription for Apanjan (a weekly tabloid published by Seths ICARE),bonus fund,promotion fund etc. On pay day,five-six boxes are placed on a table and all labourers have to make the payment. I am a Hindi-speaking person from Jhargram. Yet I have to to buy Apanjan which is a party tabloid in Bengali, he said.

Such allegations dont bother Seth. Asked about comrades involved in lucrative businesses,he said: I do not see any immorality if they go in for commercial and business ventures. My brother-in-law has been doing business for 20 years. What is wrong with that? My son has opened a consultancy firm. Is it mandatory for communist leaders to bring their children into politics? It is all prejudice.

On the allegations of exploitation of workers,Seth said: All this is motivated. What is collected is not commission,workers pay donations to CITU. How will we run the party if they dont pay?