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Democracy under attack in West Bengal, says CPI(M)

KOLKATA: A call to CPI (M) members to fight the “forces of violence” that are threatening West Bengal's democratic environment was made by State secretary Biman Bose on Sunday.

“Reactionary forces, both international and from within the country, are lending support to those who want to put an end to the Communist movement in India.”

Mr. Bose was speaking at a function here to commemorate the 91 {+s} {+t} foundation day of the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI).

The undivided CPI was founded in 1920. At the seventh congress of the CPI held in Kolkata in 1964, the party split on ideological grounds and the CPI (Marxist) was formed.

Democracy in the State was under attack, lawlessness was being spread and people were being terrorised. To put an end to the violence and terror, there was need to reconnect with the people and conduct a massive campaign, Mr. Bose said. Maoists derived pleasure from killing poor farmers, daily wagers and Adivasis. Measures must be taken to bring back normality in the State.

Mr. Bose was also critical of “a section of the media” that thrived on “the business of lies.” Misinformation was being spread, he said citing a recent claim by a local newspaper that Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and 22 ministers would not contest the coming Assembly elections.

To counter these lies, the CPI(M) would have to intensify its campaign in its own publications. Contact with the people must be strengthened so that the party's message reached them directly.

Referring to another example of misrepresentation of information by the media, Mr. Bose said connections were being inferred between the reverses suffered by the CPI(M) in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and a rectification drive being undertaken by the party. “Rectification is a continuous process, but at times the process has to be intensified.” In the past also, rectification drives were initiated by the State Committee in 1983 and by the party congress in 1996.

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