The Communist Parivar worth Rs. 4000 crores

The Maoist Communist publication "People's March" has an interesting article blasting CPI(M). While sectarian clashes among Communists is nothing new, what sets this article apart is the section on CPI(M)'s assets in Kerala. For those reading this blog from outside India : 10 million = 1 crore.

http://www.peoplesmarch.com/archives/2005/june2k5/cpm.htm

Excerpt:

Kerala Inc. & CPM Mafia

The recent CPM State Conference re-elected the same leadership by rejecting the opposition from the hardliners led by V.S.-Achuthanandan and the CITU. It was clear that the winners had the backing of the top leadership as these elements have been ridi-culed as the "materialist boys" and have been charged with pursing a "revisionist course", compromises with foreign capital and "corrupt and bourgeois life-styles".

In Kerala the CPM now functions like a business empire with the Pinarayi faction having ousted the old guard. It is estimated that the CPM’s extended parivar is worth Rs.4,000 crores and growing. Party leaders squabble over foreign junkets and plum posts. The empire stretches from Amusement Parks, to super-specialty hospitals, mega-supermarkets, IT parks, to TV Channels and foreign-funded rubber cooperatives. No party in Kerala owns as much property and land as the CPM.

What has shocked many is the party’s forays into the promotion of imperialist culture through the setting up of amusement parks and the floating of the new outfit The Malabar Pleasures Private Limited. Funds for these outfits have been even mobilized from liquor barons and bootleggers. One Chennai based liquor baron bought Rs.25 lakhs of shares in the TV channel and so has the bootlegger Manichan, who is now in jail responsible for the death of 36 for the hooch supplied by him. It is the general secretary of the party, Pinarayi Vijayan, who pushed this Kairali TV Channel five years ago!!

The ‘party of the working class’ will soon add another feather in its cap of business achievements — a water theme park. The amusement park at Parassinikad-avu in Kannur district, being developed by the Chennai-based Real Fun Consultants, will cost Rs 25 crore. The business venture is promoted by Malabar Pleasures Private Limited, a company fully owned by Malabar Tourism Development Co-Operative Ltd, the society formed by the CPM when EK Nayanar was the chief minister.

It was E.Narayanan who first set up the rubber cooperative in 1997 which now has annual sales of over Rs.450 crores. In a plan of massive expansion the coop. is seeking Rs.1,300 crores, mostly from foreign financial institutions. The CPM has also floated the Tellicherry Medical Foundation which has set up a network of hospitals and is now planning a super-specialty hospital. They are also planning a mega-super-market, along the lines of what exists in the West. So successful has been its business empire that it now plans to set up IT Parks in all districts of Kerala.

No doubt with the full possibilities of it coming to power in the coming year it predicts vast expansion of its business empire. Already the bulk of the enormous factional fights in the Kerala CPM is over the spoils of office; now to this is being added the battles for control of these vast funds. For much of the rhetoric at the party Congress CPM bosses are more involved into big business and the high flying alliances are part of the games of the ruling classes.

Said old time CPM member, Berlin Kunjanandan Nair "Pinarayi Vijayan, the present party secretary, is a son of a poor toddy (local liquor) tapper. After reaching the top post, he became an adopted son of the corporate mafias. The party secretary post has been reduced to that of a CEO of a private company".

All this has gone on with the full backing of the central leadership. What then can be expected from such a party? All those intellectuals that consider the CPM as progressive need to think again, unless of course they hope to get in return some gains in their professions and climb the ladder in the academic world.

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