The CPM’s new minorityism
The Telegraph pointed out uncharitably that in its 43-year history, the party never had a Muslim or Dalit in its politburo.
You don`t say!
Darius Nakhoonwala
The preferences of `secular` editors can be quite baffling at times. Something momentous happened last week and except for two newspapers, namely, The Pioneer and the Telegraph, not a single other paper thought it fit to take note. They chose not to hear, nor see and indeed speak, any evil.
The development, because it was not an event, was the acknowledgement by the CPM that it would henceforth treat the Muslims as a category, just as the other parties do. Untll now, the CPM, as befits those whom John Foster Dulles called `godless Communists` preferred to treat Muslims just as some more voters. It paid no attention their religion. That was what made it truly secular in my eyes.
No longer, it seems. Giving in to the reality that the Muslims now constitute 23 of cent of the population in West Bengal, the CPM has come out with a document called "Charter of Demands for the Advancement of Muslim Community". According to the Pioneer this is the result of "the possibility of Muslims deserting the CPI(M) in droves in West Bengal, an exodus triggered by the Left Front Government`s aggressive land acquisition policy…"
So, says the paper "the Marxists are now bending over backwards to appease a community that comprises a quarter of that State`s population." It has even invented a new term which is theologically and sociologically impossible, `Dalit Muslims`.
It concludes by pointing out that "After three decades of ruling West Bengal , the Marxists, who are now pushing for a communal job quota, have been able to ensure a measly 2.1 per cent share in Government jobs for 25 per cent of the people of the State."
The Telegraph took a loftier approach but made the same point. "For communists, there never is an end of history or ideology. But the way the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has proposed to espouse the cause of the Muslims can only be described as an end to class struggle. It is a rejection of the ideological basis of a Marxist-Leninist party that can have far-reaching consequences for Indian politics and also for the CPI(M) itself…. the party`s move on the Muslims smacks of political opportunism of the most blatant kind."
Then it delivers a very rude barb. "But charity, even for a Marxist party, must begin at home. In its 43-year history, the party never had a Muslim or Dalit in its politburo. With credentials such as these, the CPI(M)`s minority report must be more than a little suspect."
Yes, Quite so.
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