How should a socially committed communist react when his or her leaders are working for the capitalists? This seems to be a question for a number of sensitive communists in Kerala. Karl Marx envisaged the restructuring of the control of means of production in the economic process of society where by the the means of production will be controlled by the working class and not by the capitalists.
This has not happened either in West Bengal or Kerala. Forget it. But what is happening today is that the capitalists are restructuring the communist parties reducing them to be objects of public shame. It has happened in Nandigram. It has happened in Singur. And now it is happening in Vizhinjam. Analyse the recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report which says that Adani is the sole beneficiary of the much hyped Vizhinjam Trans-shipment Port. It is too clear from the report that the Kerala state government is using public money to increase the profits of a capitalist! Now what does Karl Marx have to say on this?
Some of his predictions might have gone wrong. That is understandable. He never had a claim of being an astrologer. But could he have predicted that the communists will be restructured by the capitalists? I read the communist manifesto again. He does not say that. What is even more interesting is that the Comptroller and Auditor General has become a better communist than our communist leaders by stating this obvious simple truth. Activists have been opposing the project on the grounds of social, ecological and economic implications for a long time.
But now this is not an activist speaking about the problem of Vizhinjam Transit Harbour. This is an important office of the government itself which is speaking the truth! And the irony that comrade Thomas Isaac and comrade Pinarayi Vijayan have spoken the same thing when they were not in power. But when they came to power, they have conveniently jumped to the other side by aiding the capitalists.
The communist party workers will remember the major story published by the CPI(M) party newspaper Deshabhimani on the front page questioning Adani and questioning the project, when the left was not in power. Adani has not changed. But the communist leaders have changed after they achieved power. Poor Karl Marx. He spent years in writing Das Capital. It still remains as the most powerful critique of capitalism. But he did not imagine that one Pinarayi Vijayan and one Thomas Isaac will interpret it differently much later in history using his name. If there is any communist in Kerala holding on to communist values, it is time to tell these leaders enough is enough. Do not shame the word communism!
K.P. Sasi is an activist and film maker. [email protected]