War of words over caste

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, APRIL 19. The inclusion of a new column on caste in the membership form by the Ernakulam district unit of the CPI(M) has led to a war of words between the party and the BJP in Kerala.

While the State secretariat of the CPI(M) dismissed it as a faux pas, announced a probe into it and vowed to take action against those responsible for it, the BJP characterised it as the nadir of ideological bankruptcy of the CPI(M).

The State secretariat dismissed reports that the party had decided to seek the caste of its members as baseless and for propaganda purposes. It pointed out that according to the reports, the scrutiny form which the members had to fill while renewing membership sought the community in which they were born. It asserted that the CPI(M) had not taken any decision to find out the caste of its members. It was the State committee which prepared the membership scrutiny form and distributed it to the district committees for printing. There was no column on caste anywhere in it. No change was made in the scrutiny form which was in force since the birth of the party.

However, it had come to its notice that there was a question on community of birth in the form printed in Ernakulam district. It was not a change brought about on the basis of any discussion or decision. The secretariat viewed the mistake seriously, would probe the reasons for it and take action against those responsible.

It said the workers viewed the membership records very seriously. The questions in the form related to name, address, age, educational qualifications, class of birth, year of joining the party, mass organisation, sex, profession and monthly income. It should also say whether the person was a full-time worker. No decision had been taken to include any other question in the form. It deplored the bid to misinterpret the issue and tarnish the party over it.

The State secretary of the BJP, Mr. M. S. Kumar, however, viewed the development as the nadir of ideological bankruptcy to which the CPI(M) had plummeted. He said that Marxism which was hailed as the vision of fraternity devoid of caste and religion had progressed to the level of Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan (State secretary of the CPI-M) asking the caste of its members. He wondered what the DYFI workers who sang the refrain ``there is no Hindu blood in us, there is no Muslim blood in us, there is no Christian blood in us, there is only human blood in us'' had to say about the development.

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Section  : Regional
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