Directionless after its worst-ever performance in the general elections held in May, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Sunday decided to hitch onto the austerity bandwagon to keep the party cadres busy.
The party’s top decision making body — the Politburo, finalised a rectification document to check the “wrong trends” in the party.
West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who had been staying away from the Politburo meetings following the Lok Sabha defeat, was finally present on Sunday.
The main Left party, which faces a near impossible task of saving its crumbling citadels in West Bengal and Kerala, when both states go to assembly polls in May 2011, wants its cadres not to fall for “neo liberal” lifestyles.
Now reduced to a marginal player from its position of strength in 2004, when it dictated terms to the UPA government, the CPI(M) did not forget to attack its friend turned foe — the Congress.
“We have seen the Congress style austerity, in which an MP buys an economy class ticket, sits there till the flight takes off and then moves to the business class. This is not the style of austerity which we are talking about,” senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters.
{{/usCountry}}“We have seen the Congress style austerity, in which an MP buys an economy class ticket, sits there till the flight takes off and then moves to the business class. This is not the style of austerity which we are talking about,” senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters.
{{/usCountry}}“Our party leader and workers practice austerity in their daily lives. We have decided to renew our pledge to lead simple lives and fall prey to neo liberal lifestyles,” Yechury said.
The CPI(M), which has long followed a principle of sharing MPs flats, salaries and other perks with party workers, has been hit by rampant corruption among its cadre in the states where it is in power.
Its Kerala party boss, Pinarayi Vijayan, earlier this year, earned the distinction of becoming the first Politbureau member to face corruption charges.
Bhattacharjee, has raised within the party, the issue of party leaders in Bengal having become corrupt.
“All wrong trends in the party will be rectified. The rectification will be done at all levels,” another party leader M K Pandhe said.
The rectification document finalised by the Politburo, will now be placed before the Central Committee, in its three day meeting between October 23-25.