CPIM can never ever forget their Corporate friends

Sandeep Banerjee

CPM or as they call their party CPI(M) – could not forget their Corporate friends even at the height of this farmers struggle – even while writing a political article on it! On Dec 31, 2020 their General Secretary wrote an article on this farmers’ struggle in his own website [Repeal These Agri-Laws -- Sitaram Yechury (https://sitaramyechury.in/repeal-these-agri-laws/)]. What an outstanding way of ending the memorable year. And translated version of that was published by Ganashakti – their mouthpiece, on Jan 1, 2021 [Shreni Akromon Mokabilay Chai Shreni Protyaghat OR Class Retaliation is Needed to Combat Class Assault, Jan 1, 2021, Ganashakti Page 4 (http://bangla.ganashakti.co.in/Home/index/2021-01-01/)].

When the farmers and the government are in a head on battle, when more than a million farmers from mainly from Punjab and Haryana, but also from Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra are encircling the capital at all entry points with over a hundred thousand tractors, when everybody is looking for a solution – what did the General Secretary of CPIM write? “The demands of this protest action are completely reasonable and any rational government would have accepted it.  All that is being asked from the central government is to repeal these laws now (to avoid pressures of such a possibility, amongst others, the central government cancelled the winter session of the Parliament abdicating its responsibility to be answerable and accountable) and then discuss with the farmers, the agricultural community, the corporates, all stakeholders and on that basis frame new laws and enact them in the Parliament after a structured discussion and debate.”

The first sentence says, “The demands of this protest action are completely reasonable and any rational government would have accepted it.” Well, good. But now see the main part of the second sentence – without what is written in brackets – “All that is being asked from the central government is to repeal these laws now and then discuss with the farmers, the agricultural community, the corporates, all stakeholders and on that basis frame new laws and enact them in the Parliament”. Therefore, they ask BJP Govt to repeal these laws AND ENACT NEW LAWS, DISCUSSING WITH THE FARMERS, THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY, THE CORPORATES, all stakeholders!

Well. Wherefrom the request for New Laws did pop up? Nobody, no farmers' body, asked for that. They simply demanded to repeal the three laws. What is in your sleeves Mr Yechury!

How could CPIM even think of corporates in the discussion table at the mid of this struggle against total corporatisation of agriculture?  From where do the corporates come in this so-called ‘new law’ making exercise or discussion? Why discuss with big capitalists? Does the the CPIM wants to take the view of those big capitalists about what type of ‘new laws’ they want?

In Kerala the ‘lefts’, the CPIM, could not enjoy uninterrupted power for long – Kerala always did swing from LDF to UDF and back. But in West Bengal the CPIM enjoyed uninterrupted power for 34 long years. It made them very loyal and well-versed constitutional ‘democrats’ – as much democracy you see in India to that extent. Like many other parties, they are like Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. They always serve the Bourgeois Landlord state. They help foreign and desi corporate kings whenever they are in trouble. They keep workers under domesticated Trade Unions and ‘fight’ with calculations – spreading fear among the workers ‘so that the factory does not make loss and close down’.

So, it is not strange to see their general secretary remembering their corporate friends and are eager to see them at the discussion table. Perhaps they are giving Modi a formula for honourable retreat so that Adani, Ambani, Tata, Unilever, Patanjali, Amazon et al do not misunderstand Modi if he repeals the three farm laws. And this way CPIM also showed the Corporate bosses how ‘responsible’ their party is towards ‘all’ stakeholders, not only responsible towards workers and peasants!

Hope all friends pondering about united anti-corporate-raj fight, anti-fascist fight &c will keep this point in cognizance.

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Jan 13, 2021