Nothing New: For Yechuri, Lenin is more important than Prabhu Ramchandra

NewsBharati    24-Jan-2024 11:02:31 AM   
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By abstaining from the ‘Pranpratishtha’ ceremony and paying floral tribute to Lenin on the eve of Ayodhya function, Communists have proved that Ayodhya (Hindu sentiments) simply do not exist for them. Communists have demonstrated that the Hindu cause would never be on the party agenda. Communists have shown that they continue to draw intellectual inspiration from foreign lands. This is happening even after the collapse of Communist Russia.

sitaram yechuri lenin

January 22, 2024, was the day when the entire nation was immersed in Ram Bhakti. People were eagerly waiting for the ‘Pranpratishtha’ of Prabhu Shri Ram at his birthplace in Ayodhya. So much excitement and enthusiasm among the people that a viral joke on social media said that it was probably the first and last Sunday when people were waiting for Monday. Non-BJP parties abstained from the ceremony but their ground-level workers were seen participating and organizing Ayodhya-related functions all over the country. Non-BJP parties surely do not have any attachment to Ayodhya or Hindu cause but ground-level workers were politically wise to participate in Ayodhya celebrations.

However, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is an exception. The party has once again demonstrated that it is adamant, inconsiderate, careless, and negligent about Hindu sentiments. The party was never bothered about Hindu causes in the past. Neither it has learned a few lessons from its consistent decline for the past two decades. In the process, CPI (M) lost its status as a national party but its ideological arrogance continued.

On January 21, CPI (M) general secretary posted a photo on the social media platform, paying floral tributes to Vladimir Lenin, who led the first Communist revolution in the world. Lenin led the Russian revolution in 1917 and January 21 is his death anniversary. Bhartiya philosophy does not object to showing gratitude or respect to anybody. In fact, the people of Bharat have been taught to treat the enemy with respect. On this count, nobody should object if anybody is paying floral tributes to Lenin on his death anniversary. However, it is very serious when it comes to political ideology.
 
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Bharat is a democratic party. Communists, who ideologically believe in revolution, have also accepted a democratic system. Even though some groups of Communists still believe in armed struggle, CPI (M) participates in the electoral process. The party shows some sympathy for Naxalites but it has accepted democracy in a broader sense. Accepting and respecting popular will is the essence of democracy. By abstaining from the ‘Pranpratishtha’ ceremony and paying floral tribute to Lenin on the eve of Ayodhya function, Communists have proved that Ayodhya (Hindu sentiments) simply do not exist for them. Communists have demonstrated that the Hindu cause would never be on the party agenda. Communists have shown that they continue to draw intellectual inspiration from foreign lands. (This is happening even after the collapse of Communist Russia).

Sitaram Yehuri and his comrades were paying floral tribute to Lenin when Bharat was entering into a new era of `SWA’. Yechuri and his party were showing respect for Lenin on the one hand and neglecting popular sentiments on another hand. This negligence of Hindu sentiments is nothing less than the humiliation of Hindus.
 
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On the day of ‘Pranpratishtha’, Communist leader and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan `rued the departure from the times when those holding constitutional positions were meant to stick to the line that demarcates the State from religion.’ Vijayan was quick to release a video message, praising Jawaharlal Nehru, who always insisted on the separation of religion from state. In the same video message, Vijayan has expressed concern over `The line that demarcates religion and State seems to be getting thinner and thinner.
 
 
This is a major departure from the times when our constitutional office-bearers have been cautioned from taking part in religious events, as it would cast aspersions on our credentials as a secular State,’. We do not need any explanation or counterargument on the points raised by Vijayan but it shows how Communists think when something comes to the Hindu cause. Three days before ‘Pranpratishtha’ in Ayodhya, CPI (M) released a press note, objecting to the Union government's decision to announce a half-day holiday to its employees. This time also CPI (M) felt that the government was mixing politics with religion. These steps of CPI (M) are logical and not surprising as Sitaram Yechuri had earlier declined an invitation for the ‘Pranpratishtha’ ceremony. ‘Pranpratishtha’ in Ayodhya has completely exposed the undemocratic attitude of CPI (M), which always pledges with constitutional values. Despite knowing the severe opposition of Communists to Ram Janma Bhoomi, Ram Janma Bhoomi Teerthkshetra exhibited its mature attitude by inviting Sitaram Yechuri. However, ideological arrogance and an indifferent attitude towards Hindu sentiments, accompanied by appeasement, proved decisive factors and Yechuri’s refusal of the invitation.

This is happening despite the reality that CPI (M) electoral performance is continuously at decline for the past decade. In 2004 CPI (M) bagged 43 Lok Sabha seats while its performance improved in 2009 when it won 60 seats. Communists managed to win only nine seats in 2014 while the party was at its lowest in 2019 when it managed to emerge victorious in only five seats. During this period, the party lost two states – West Bengal and Tripura, where it ruled for decades. Communists are restricted to Kerala, where it is ruling. However, in Kerala too, the party is unable to form the government on its own and has been forced to join hands with small parties for red flags. In Kerala, CPI (M) has 62 MLAs out of 140. As a result of the electoral debacle, CPI (M) lost its status as a national party but it continued to stay in the ivory tower.
 
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However, the continuous defeat of CPI (M) should not make one complacent. Communists have successfully penetrated non-BJP parties to run their ideology. Congress and Shiv Sena are glaring examples of this connection. Communist design also needs to be understood against the backdrop of previous experience. Communists will always try to play `spoil’ when it comes to `nation first’ or Hindu cause.

Remember how Communist thinkers and historians tried to field Muslims against Hindus in the Ayodhya case? When Muslim parties were ready to hand over land of disputed structure to Hindus, Communists intervened

and managed to convince Muslim parties that their case was strong legally and historically. K K Muhammed, former Region Director (North), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who was involved in an excavation in Ayodhya, has exposed how historians like Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, Bipin Chandra Das and S Gopal manipulated in Ayodhya case and almost pushed the country in a serious turmoil. In the Ayodhya case, Communist thinkers/historians even presented false evidence in the court for the sole purpose of misleading the judiciary.

Communists will always try to oppose Bharatiya's ideology in some or other way. Electoral defeats or decline will never bother them and they would opt for some other strategy, which will be in operation covertly. The reason is very simple. For Communists – Lenin is always more important than Prabhu Ramchandra.

Satyajit Shriram Joshi

Satyajit Shriram Joshi is Pune based senior journalist.