CPM expels youth leader for defying party line on supporting Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI: CPM on Saturday moved swiftly to quell dissent within ranks over its decision to support UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the July 19 presidential poll, expelling young party functionary Prasenjit Bose.
Bose, who was the convener of party’s research unit and seen as an upcoming talent, was charged with “maligning the political line of the party”.
The expelled functionary had resigned in protest against the party’s stand to support Mukherjee and had posted his letter spelling out his dissent.The CPM rejected “the contents of the letter” and expelled Bose invoking Article VIII (2) of its Constitution, which applies when a member who wants to resign is charged with “serious violation of party discipline”.
In his resignation letter, Bose, expressed “shock and dismay” over the CPM Polit Bureau’s decision to support Mukherjee , calling it a “grave error”. “I consider this to be a grave error which will harm the Party and disturb Left unity,” he wrote. He added, “The argument presented in the press conference addressed by the general secretary on June 21, 2012, justifying support for Mr Mukherjee, was wholly misleading.”
After a meeting of four Left parties to discuss the presidential candidate on Thursday, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat had said “We decided to support the candidate who has the widest acceptance. Since 1992, we supported Congress candidates though we were opposed to their policies. We will continue to UPA's oppose neo-liberal policies.”
Bose faulted the argument, saying it was not borne out by facts. “… never before has a sitting Finance Minister of a Congress government (or any Union Minister for that matter) been nominated as a Presidential candidate since 1991. Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma or Shri K R Narayanan were sitting Vice-Presidents, when they were nominated as Presidential candidates. Shrimati Pratibha Patil was a sitting Governor,” Bose wrote.
He said, “Moreover, Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma was supported as President in 1992 because the joint nominee of the VP Singh-led Janata Dal and the Left parties, Shri K.R. Narayanan, was accepted by the Congress leadership as the Vice-Presidential candidate. Shri Narayanan later went on to become President in 1997 with 95% of the votes in the electoral college defeating T N Seshan, who was backed only by the Shiv Sena (a good example of “widest acceptance”). Shrimati Pratibha Patil was supported by the Left as the Presidential candidate alongside the Left nominee Shri Hamid Ansari being supported by the Congress as the Vice-Presidential candidate. These prior instances simply do not compare with the current situation.”
He also supported the decision of the CPI and the RSP to abstain from voting in presidential polls, as an “eminently reasonable, transparent and principled position”.
CPM leaders justified the tough action by pointing out that Bose had made his dissent public. “In a Communist party, the individual submits to collective wisdom. Self-imposed discipline is a trait of Communist party members,” a leader said.
Another CPM leader said, “There are many platforms within the party to debate and discuss. Dissent is an inalienable right of a party member. But, once a decision is taken, members must accept it.”
In his letter, Bose said, “The Party leadership has committed one mistake after another since 2007.” He listed coercive land acquisition in West Bengal, Nandigram police firing, allowing the UPA government to approach the IAEA with the nuclear deal and calling for a non-Congress secular government in 2009.
The expelled functionary also said that party leadership had dealt with mistakes “in a cavalier manner in party conferences without fixing proper responsibility and conducting rectification”. “Party members are aghast and exasperated that their concerns are falling on deaf ears. Therefore, with great pain and agony, I tender my resignation from the primary membership of the party,” he said.