Tuesday, March 20, 2001,
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 19. The NDA Government should resign to resolve the political crisis following the Tehelka expose on defence deals, the CPI(M) general secretary, Mr. Harkishen Singh Surjeet, has said.
Inaugurating the first phase of the EMS Academy here this evening, Mr. Surjeet said that Parliament will not be allowed to function till the Government goes. No business has been allowed to transact in Parliament since the scam was exposed. The House wanted an answer on the issue. The stalemate would continue if the Government refused to quit, he said.
The RSS and the VHP which have firmly come out against the Government on the defence deal, have now changed the tone and tenor of the criticism. They are trying to find a scapegoat. The Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, who made a statement following the exposure, offered to discuss the issue in Parliament after saying there was nothing wrong in the system. This is unjustified, he said.
The entire nation is seized of the issue. The issue cannot be tackled easily. Even the Congress has been forced to take a stand at its plenary session in Bangalore. This shows the gravity of the issue.
The RSS and BJP were trying to create dissensions in the name of mandir and masjid to divert attention from the core issue, he said.
The Communists in India have made tremendous sacrifices both during the course of freedom struggle and after. But the Communists should not hesitate in admitting the failure to assume the leadership of the national movement as in the case of China and some other Asian countries.
"The failure lies in our application of the Marxist understanding to the then prevailing Indian situation," he said.
EMS was a leader par excellence. He was like a saint to many and always lent an ear to anyone who approached him. Even while building a party with a mass following, EMS always emphasised that becoming a member and accepting its programme alone does not mean that one had become a Communist, he said.
To become a real Communist, one has to comprehend the basics of Marxism-Leninism, EMS had said. EMS and the CPI(M) stood steadfast to re-dedicating itself to building socialism. The CPI(M) rightly concluded that the setbacks were not because of theoretical flaws but due to erroneous application, Mr. Surjeet said.
The academy chairman, Mr. M. A. Baby, presented the report. The academy will be developed into an academic institution of par excellence and a non-formal university wherein all the disciplines will be taught and researched. The initial focus will be on catering to the needs of the workers, peasants, youth students and women. The first phase of the complex has been limited to the academic block, entrance buildings audio-visual and print library and hostel facilities.
The academic block covers around 12,000 sq.ft and has classroom facilities in addition to the conference and seminar rooms. The audio-visual and print library which covers around 6,000 sq.ft will incorporate modern information system. The hostel can accommodate 100 persons.
So far Rs. 4,28,74,720.60 had been collected from the public and Rs.1,40,65,953.32 spent for the first phase, Mr. Baby said.
The CPI(M) district secretary, Mr. M. Sathyanesan, welcomed the gathering. The Chief Minister, Mr. E. K. Nayanr, presided. The vice-chancellors of Sanskrit, Kerala and Kannur universities, Dr. K. N. Panicker, Dr. B. Ekbal, Dr. P. K. Rajan, the Mayor, Prof. J. Chandra, and Mr. Venganoor Bhasakaran, MLA, offered felicitations.
The reception committee secretary, Mr. Thiruvallom Sivarajan, proposed a vote of thanks.
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