Saints Lenin and Stalin?

Sir, - The demand of Leftist intellectuals from Kolkata for the withdrawal of the Russian film, Taurus, by Alexander Sukorov from the ongoing film festival (Nov. 16) is strange. If they do not like the film depicting Lenin and Stalin in a different light, they need not see it. The question arises whether communism has become a religion to its followers and Lenin and Stalin are canonised saints of the holy church of Karl Marx.

From the script, it appears the filmmaker has dealt with the characters rather lightly. The crimes of Stalin were first exposed by his successor Nikita Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress in the Fifties. Since then a great deal of hidden information on the Lenin and Stalin years has accumulated.

There was a time when Stalin was implicated in the murder of millions of people and Lenin was by and large absolved from State terror. But fresh evidence has come to light which proves that Lenin was also a ruthless, inhuman ruler who used terror. The latest view of the October Revolution in 1918 is that it was in fact a bloody coup'd etat accomplished by Lenin who seized power and consolidated it by systematic physical elimination of leaders of rival parties such as the Social Democrats (Mensheviks), Socialist Revolutionaries and the Kadet Party.

It will be a pity if a small band of people in India are able to prevent truths about the Soviet Union and its rulers from reaching the people.

K.P. Joseph,

Kochi, Kerala

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