‘Jai Ma Tara’

CPI(M) heavyweight glorifies a goddess and calls Jyoti Basu a Krishna reincarnate. Divine revelation or historical blunder?

Ashish Biswas Kolkata

Why is the CPI(M) afraid of  Subhas Chakravarty, party heavyweight and freewheeling transport minister in the Bengal Left Front regime, who routinely flouts all norms of party discipline? His activities have appalled and mesmerised Marxists and their opponents alike. Chakravarty recently visited the Tarapith temple in Birbhum district with his wife, accepted flowers, reverentially greeted the priests and worshippers. He left chanting, “Jai Ma Tara!” like most devotees.  However, he did not offer puja. 

His self-defence seemed strong, as he addressed bemused journalists. “My name proclaims my Hindu and Brahmin roots. It is no sin to show respect to a deity or behave well in holy places. We should not be rigid. Why have we not grown beyond three states in India? I find our namaskar gesture is far more acceptable to people than the clenched fist salute. If you follow certain norms visiting the Golden Temple (in Amritsar) or Lenin’s Mausoleum (in Moscow), why can’t we do it elsewhere?” 

As if this was not provocation enough for his party, Chakravarty committed another transgression: he likened Jyoti Basu (of all people!) with Lord Krishna, in a signed article. Here, the logic was more convoluted: if victory followed wherever Lord Krishna went, it has followed Basu too! Basu’s reaction to his self-proclaimed disciple was that Subhas has gone mad. Chakravarty’s instant reposte, “Let them expel me if I am mad.”

In this war of words, the helplessness of the leaders became starkly apparent. First, they said CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose would talk to Chakravarty. But the state committee meeting refrained from addressing the issue. Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri said there was nothing in the party constitution to disallow believers from joining. Others said one’s religious views were personal.

The feisty Chakravarty remained unfazed. “Let the party take action, if it so pleases. My methods are better than those followed by some leaders who preach atheism but worship deities in private.” Left watchers feel there are two solid reasons why the party is letting sleeping dogs lie. First, Chakravarty has been the most effective trouble-shooter and fund-raiser for years. He is privy to many nuggets of  juicy information and records whose disclosure could prove  extremely embarrassing for the CPI(M).  “In Lyndon Johnson’s colourful language, far better to have him within the tent  pissing outside, than having him pissing in from outside!” said one analyst. 

Second, Chakravarty is addressing bigger issues, while rocking the party boat.  Sample his sharp observations:

• “Certain things are sacred for humans: one’s mother, mother tongue, state and country.”
• “Today, the working class is not the most influential force. That mantle has fallen on the middle class.”
•  “If the old bourgeoisie is dead, there must be a new bourgeoisie to ensure progress.”

Evidently, he is closely monitoring the changing realities in the world, unlike many of party stalwarts who prefer rhetoric or a meaningful silence. His bete noire, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, has suddenly become an unexpected ideological ally. Bhattacharjee has  also joined the chorus of complaints: “There are some people among Marxists who have not read beyond the Communist Manifesto.”

Chakravarty is not the first major leader to get away with flouting party discipline, if not the party line. Jyoti Basu showed the way by criticising the central committee’s decision not to join the United Front government at the Centre as a “historical blunder”. Chakravarty will continue to remain a thorn in the party’s flesh. CPI(M) leaders will find it difficult to restrain him in the absence of the late Anil Biswas, former party boss in West Bengal.  And the big guns are in no mood to initiate an ideological debate. Between two hard choices, they seem lost: Subhas or historical blunders?