From the year 2000, after "updating" the Party Programme the earlier projection of the ‘left’ government as provider of "immediate relief", now, under the CPM leaders’ aforesaid perceived change in the situation, they talk about "providing relief to the people and strive to project and implement alternative policies"⁹² Prakash Karat in the above mentioned article in ‘The Marxist’, April-June 2002 states that "here the struggle for alternative policies have to be conducted in West Bengal as part of the all-India movement…"⁹³ In the industrial sector the CPI(M) – led Government with all such relief giving and alternative policies in mind the CPM even unmasked itself further while shedding crocodile’s tears for the working class.

Mr. Karat without any shamelessness referred to the CPM CC’s December 1994 resolution on the "Role of the West Bengal Left Front government in the context of the new economic policies" for revising the earlier stated positions only for pragmatism’s sake. The resolution stated: "Unilike in 1985, when the struggle was against the discrimination of the Centre ……. It is upto the Left Front government to initiate steps to attract capital investment in West Bengal. This can be done only by allowing greater investment of private capital in various sectors. This is the basis on which the Left Front government has to adjust its policies in West Bengal to meet the new situation brought about by the Centre’s policy of liberalization…"⁹⁴

Anil Biswas in the same issue of "The Marxist" in the article captioned "West Bengal: Towards an Alternative form of Governence in the Indian Union" admitted with pride that under the leadership of Jyoti Basu the Left Front government welcomed both private and foreign investment.⁹⁵ And with such investment, Mr. Biswas would have us believe, industrial production recorded growth and "The fact that in 2001, although a year of national recession, West Bengal attracted an investment of Rs. 2194.54 crore is ample testimony to the level of industrial growth in the state."⁹⁶ At the same time, while reeling out statistics they never fail to add foreign investors can not dictate terms to the ‘Left’ Front Government as well as to mention the ‘limitations’ of such government under the existing system, particularly in the stressful situation of globalisation and liberalization. Can any honest Marxist believe this dirty lie that, foreign investors, MNCs, World Bank, etc. do not and cannot dicatate terms particularly when the CM runs a state government under the prevailing semi-colonial conditions.

Buddhadeb, the timid small fry with some familiarity with the world of drama, raises his voice to a high pitch in a ridiculous fashion to declare: "Various state governments in India have struck direct agreements with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank to secure money, conceding condition, like Chandra babu Naidu. We here till date shall not enter into any conditional agreement with the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank, even with the Indian Government…."⁹⁷

Dear Readers! Don’t laugh. Pity this clown. However, we can resist our hatred at least for his frank confession: "We are taking money from Asian Development Bank."⁹⁸ Buddhadeb receives our compassion for clarifying the quintessence of CPI(M)’s Industrial Policy adopted in 1994. In his own Words "… What is the crux of that Industrial Policy? In a word we are inviting here private capital. We are saying that as there lies the necessity of the state sector there is similar importance of the non-government sector, we are saying this openly and emphatically…."⁹⁹

This fact was not so openly and shamelessly disclosed. This process is unavoidable. Jyoti Basu grew angry with reporters way back in 1967 when they asked him what urgency he fell to talk to Mr. Birla in a tete-a-tete in Kolkata and what they talked about. The intensity of the revisionist grip tears off the veil.

The current call to "Boycott American-British goods" given by CPI(ML) People’s War and some other organizations, to the anger and psychological jilt, forcing stoic silence of the CPI(M) when American-British planes kept bombarding Iraq nakedly exposed the tall talk of Mr. Buddhadeb and his accomplices. This deafening silence amidst world-wide hatred against the fascist alliance of the US-UK tellingly brings to the fore the extent of submission of the "Left" Front to the conditionalities voluntarily accepted during striking inequal agreements with the MNCs and international organisations.

Any Tom, Dick and Harry in the third world knows the fundamentals of American or other capitalist states’ and their business magnates’ basic conditions: safety of their Capital, ensuring peaceful state conditions and potentials for whopping profits. So-called Aid is nothing but imperialism’s unchecked exploitation for super-profits. So also the West Bengal government, in an economically poor province of India, having allowed the pumping in of investments by imperialist props like the World Bank, MNCs etc. with obvious conditionalities, can at best make some mellowed criticisms of the U.S and the U.K – and they also thus far look the other way – but can it tolerate boycott of US or U.K goods? The red carpet has been permanently laid out for American and British officials and business magnates even in the CPM headquarters on Alimuddin street since its assumption of office in 1977. We simply quote below portions of a Times of India (April 18, 2003) news item during the boycott call, satirically captioned "Uncle Sam’s bucks keep Leftists mum" written by Mr. Biswajit Roy to shed light on the flooding of foreign funds in the so-called Left Front rule:

"More than 32 percent of the FDI involves American companies. The investment included both technical know-how and financial involvement in IT and other sectors including commercial exploration of natural gas like coal-bed methane" said an official.

"The official maintained that out of the FDI projects involving financial investment, 141 had already been implemented, another 114, were in various stages of implementation. While US giants like Pricewater House Coopers, IBM, Morgan Stanley and Research Engineers Corporations, are involved in IT and ITES sectors, Caltex, Mckinsey, Methane Corporation, ONDEO-NALCO Chemical, Delta Corpn and Trans-America Corparation are among the big names in oil and gas exploration sector.

"US oil major UNOCAL is also courting Writers’ Buildings with an eye on Bangladeshi gas. Talks with Cola-giant Pepsi is in an "advanced stage" in the field of food and fruit processing as well as bottling of green coconut water for airline passengers, while HLL and Cargill are interested in commercial farming and export of Bengal variety of aromatic rice and better processing of trash fish and shrimps, according to officials."

The above is quite self-explanatory to comprehend the tightening noose around the necks of the West Bengal people and their resources. It also makes crystal clear the conditions imposed on the so-called Left Front Government since those investments have nowhere in the third world been made without conditionalities from the Industrial tycoons. This explains the awkward predicament of the CPM leaders mouthing anti-US slogans, while kowtowing to the imperialist masters.

When the media and even the lower level cadres of the CPM kept pointing their accusing fingers at the criminal indifference, rather opposition to the boycott call for US – UK goods, Buddhadeb tried to dramatically wriggle out of this uneasy state. He referred to the American war on Iraq at the meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries in the presence of British deputy high commissioner and U.S consul-general. They left the meeting. But this apparently bubbling ‘protest’ of Buddhadev was burst by the senior CPM leader Somenath Chatterjee, the investment scout, who assured the media men on that very day: "I don’t see any problem in seeking investments from the US or the UK while boycotting an odd programme."¹⁰⁰ This is also part of the standard revisionist drama laced with elements of humour to ward off monotony.

The World Bank, IMF, ADB, MNCs must have grown a deep love and acceptance of this harmless Marxism of the CPM, voicing on paper or in processions against imperialism and MNCs but simultaneously courting them obligingly. The hypocrisy is intolerable when the last party Congress of the CPM in 2002 still sang the refrain: "The CPI(M) will resolutely fight the growing US imperialist influence by mobilizing all patriotic and anti-imperialist sections of the people. The Party will struggle with redoubled vigour against the policies of liberalization and privatization and for alternative economic policies…."¹⁰¹

Through this process of blatant hypocrisy, falsehood, service to their imperialist masters and their native class agents, through the process of mingling with the state mechinery, as its trusted political arm by unhesitatingly killing, repressing the workers and peasants in militant movents, the CPM has now turned into social fascist in its 25 years of rule in West Bengal.

Notes

92. Programme, Ibid. 7.17.

93. Prakash Karat, Left Front Government: Bastion of Left Democratic Force, The Marxist, April-June 2002, p. 10.

94. Ibid p. 10

95. Ibid pp. 22-23.

96. Ibid. p. 23

97. Buddhadeb Bhattacharyee, Rananiti, Ranakaushal. Bamfront Sarkar, In Saral Bisewas (ed) partir Rananiti, Ranakaushal Ebong Banfront sarkar (Strategy Tactics of the Party And Left Front Government), National Book Agency Private Limited, 2002, p. 23, stress is ours.

98. Ibid. p. 23.

99. Ibid. p. 24

100. The Telegraph, 10 April, 2003.

100a. Ananda Bazar Patrika, 24 April, 2003

101. Political Resolution, Adopted at the 17th Congress, Hyderabad, March, 19-24, 2002 p. 40.