This morning , while visiting the flea market , I managed to get my hands on the diary of a comrade . Though it is unethical to read a personal diary , I thought that I would share the contents of the diary in this writeup . I must inform all you useless people that the diary is reproduced ad-verbatim , and since Comrades are found mostly in West Bengal , I have only translated the parts written in Bengali . Therefore , I bear no responsibility towards the contents . Any grievance or appreciation be directed towards our dear comrade .
The relevant excerpts are reproduced hereunder :
JUNE 5 , 2008:
The bandh called to protest against the price hike in the petroleum products has been successful . This time our senior comrades have gone further and called bandh for a week , alongwith a call for its forcible implementation . Arre baba , we are such loving and caring people that people support our movements spontaneously , Na Korle Jabe Kothay , Pa Gulo Bhengey Debo ( we will break their legs if they don't) . We have developed the imposition of bandh into an art . Anybody trying to venture out on a bandh day , is taught the ART OF DYING . How dare they defy our call for protecting the interests of the poor . I still cannot stop myself from laughing when I remember the bandh called by our sister organisation CITU , a few years back . We caught hold of a few people while they were about to enter the international airport , to board a flight . There were a few women and children also , Ar Oder Chool Dhore Ja Tanlam ( dragged them by their hair ) . The way they were begging before us for forgiveness . Serves them right , doesn't it , for abandoning the poor and running away . The next day my photograph appeared in the newspapers , dragging a lady by her hair . I have gotten the photograph framed and it is hung inside my house . I was made the Gen. Secy. Of my local area committee after this brave incident . Somebody tell the senior comrades that why forcible implementation , when we can do so by love and affection only .
The media people keep on harping that the poor suffer the maximum during the bandhs as they cannot venture outside and earn a living . The media is full of middle class people , I tell you ! History is witness to the fact that revolutions are built on the dead bodies of the poor only . Look at the Russian Revolution . Did not hundreds and thousands of poor die during the revolution . But the result was there for all to see . Did our appartchiks not become the noveau rich , after all the blood had flown from the poor . This is the problem with the Indian poor , only thinking about the next meal .
That Bantoo Ghosh was saying that why doesn't the communist party withdraw support from the govt. for its anti-people policies and why does it fight with the Congress in West Bengal and Kerala and support them at the centre . He went on to say that there must be some magic in the P.M's tea since our comrades get pacified after meeting the P.M over a cup of tea . These anti revolutionaries are such a pain in the back . The Bantoo fellow will always drive a rickshaw in his life, I tell you . What does he know of politics anyway , he is not affected by rise in petroleum prices since he pulls a rickshaw , does not require petrol/ diesel , hardly earns anything , so does not need L.P.G. to cook food. He is saying that other goods like edibles will also get costly . FOOD……FOOD…. is that all they think about !! Here I am sitting in the latest Mc Donald's joint in Kolkata , thinking about revolution and the poor , without any care for inflation and stuff . Saala , Kaar Sahos Je Aamake Bill Debe ( who will dare to bill me ) . Unless and until the poor stop thinking of Food , their fate will not improve . There is so much in life to think about , people's revolution , egalitarian society , fighting the communal forces , and all they care about is FOOD!!!
Somebody told me that the actual cost of petrol is Rs. 22 only and the rest are taxes , and why doesn't the Govt. rationalise the taxes . Eder Ki Bolbo ( What do I tell them ) , this middle class does not want to pay taxes . Arre , if you do not pay taxes , how will our leaders go abroad ( to Cuba , ofcourse ) , how will we arrange a public reception for Hugo Chavez ( President of Venezuela ) . You people do not know that Venezuela is the IInd highest supplier of petroleum products to U.S.A . So you see, they can kill the great satan anyday they wish to .
Just hang on for a second , dear diary , let me attend to the call my son has made from U.S.A ., he is Green Card holder , you see . No , No , he did not study in Cuba or Venezuela , but studied in Iowa University .
Bantoo ( the Rickshawallah ) was telling me that why doesn't Chavez supply us petrol at a cheap rate , if he is such a good friend .
I told you na , these poor people , they do not understand market economics . Arre , why should he sell it to us at a cheap rate , if he can sell it at twice the rate to the great satan . Is a comrade not entitled to think of profit?
Talking of market economics , who better than our beloved Buddha babu to help us understand the concept . Have you seen the remarkable transition he has made to our policies , remember the one about a stateless and classless society and abolition of private property. After all we were the first to implement land reforms in the country , post Independence . The land was distributed amongst the poor , but the poor, the way they are, started resisting when we wanted the land back in Nandigram . After all , they say , they need the land for agricultural purposes and have refused to hand the land back to us for the purpose of SEZ . We again come back to the same logic of FOOD . Arre baba , how much food will you grow and consume . If you let us build SEZ , we will employ one person from each family in the factories . The employment will help you in buying food from the open market and you will also be empowered to buy Motorcycles , TV, Pepsi and stuff . Here we are on the verge of giving you so much and you insist on land . We have even ensured that the wonder car NANO is being built in West Bengal , at Singur . Taught the farmers in Singur a lesson they will not forget in a hurry . Now they are selling their land and will buy NANO with the money they get in compensation . But you Nandigram people are so selfish , Tomader Sudhu Zami Chayi ( you only want land).
These Nandigram people are so lucky that State Govt. is not permitted to have tanks , otherwise we would have shown them , the way our Chinese dadas did at Tianammen . Ungrateful wretches .
Dear diary , I must cofide in you . I have been given the charge of mobilising 500 cadres to go to Maharashtra to oppose the SEZ they are building there . Ki Bhabe , Ora Gorib Manoosher Zamin Nite Paare ( Do they think that they can take over the land of the poor people ).
I have just heard the news that the Trinamool Congress has called for a bandh tomorrow , to protest against the fuel price hike . These bourgeois think that they can get away with anything . Gorib Manoosh Kaaj Na Korle Khaabe Ki ( What will the poor man eat , if he is not allowed to work on a bandh day!). They have no consideration for the losses suffered throughout the state due to a bandh day . We will oppose the bandh with all our might . Dekhi Ke Dokan Ar Office Bandh Korate Paare ( we will see who can get the shops and offices closed ) .
KORBE LORBE JEETBO RE ( WILL DO , WILL FIGHT , WILL WIN)
POOR OF THE WORLD UNITE .
MAY 10, 2008
This governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi , who does he think he is ?
Mahatma Gandhier naati hole ki ? ( What that he is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson). He has decided that he will switch off the electricity at the Raj Bhawan for and hour every evening , to show solidarity with the common people in the city who are facing unscheduled power cuts . This business of empathising is ours, , how dare he usurp our role ? Our General Secy . Shyamal Chakravorti has put him in place , by saying that the Governor should eat once in a day , to empathise with the hungry , walk to programmes to save petrol etc. Daroon Boleche (brilliantly said) , HA HA .......
Arre this man is lucky . He should have consulted Dharamvir , the Governor in the late 1960' s , who was spat upon by our MLA's in the assembly . If Gandhi was posted as Governor in U.P. , he would never have tried to show his feelings by switching of electricity . Mayawati would have ensured that the lights never came back to his residence .
From the day he has come in , he is trying to teach us Gandhigiri . Imagine empathising with Taslima Nasrin, expressing sympathy with the people in Nandigram , calling for a debate on SEZ . Arre baba , what is there to debate !!! SEZ will be supported in West Bengal and Kerala , and opposed elsewhere . SIMPLE.... We have to protect the poor and oppressed elsewhere , whereas we already protect them in these two states . We have protected them like a specie on the verge of extinction . They have not been allowed to improve their standard of life , one wee bit .
This Gandhi fellow is quite like his Dadu (grandfather) . Prolific writer , has even reduced his security detail to a couple of cars . I cannot imagine anybody with only a couple of cars for security . Jyoti babu had 10 cars in his fleet and even Buddha babu , who started with two cars , is now protected by a large security detail . Threat from our ideological cousins , the Maoists , you see.
These Maoist fellows also claim to be fighting for the poor . I am completely confused ! How many people will fight for the poor and then fight amongst themselves , claiming to be the true representative of the poor . The poor remain poor but their representatives keep getting richer . This is the fun of poverty in our country .
MARCH 5, 2008.
Today , that badmash (rogue) Taslima Nasrin , has finally left the country . Baba , what a pain she had become . Our senior comrades gave shelter to her in Kolkata because we are so liberal and respect women .
But we have to look after our vote bank also . For years we have let in our brethrens from Bangladesh , unfettered into the country , provided them Ration cards , Voter I cards , everything a genuine citizen requires . So much so , the demography has completely changed in places bordering Bangladesh . But at least these people vote for us .
And this lady keeps on harping on women's rights in Islam and similar stuff .
Our Bangladeshi friends despise her and resorted to violence last year .
Dekho Kotha Bola Aalada ( Look it is a different thing to speak ) , but we cannot lose our assiduously built vote bank . We ensured that our firebrands Brinda Karat , Arundhati Roy , Shabana Azmi , did not utter a word in her favour and we subsequently forced her out of the city by simply refusing to protect the lady . What could she do , apart from runing away . Since she was not willing to stay anywhere else in India , apart from Kolkata , and we refused to let her in , what option did she have ?
It is our duty to absorb and protect millions of immigrants , but why should we bother about a lady . It is a democracy after all ::One against a million .
Tommorow Shabana Azmi is coming to the city , to participate in the seminar on Justice for women in Nigeria . I will be going there , after all women are our mothers and sisters .
I am going to sleep , dear diary.
LAL SALAAM.
THE END
UNDER CAPITALISM , MAN EXPLOITS MAN . UNDER COMMUNISM IT IS JUST THE OPPOSITE -----JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH
