Bardhan would be made as the party chairman, a post abolished by the CPI in mid-80s, sources said.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) may amend the party constitution to retain one of its leaders, Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan as a top party office-bearer. The 86-year-old is all set to step down as party general secretary soon.
Bardhan would be made as the party chairman, a post abolished by the CPI in mid-80s, sources said.
Late Sripad Amrit Dange was the first and last chairman of the party. After the death of Ajoy Ghosh in 1962, the pro-Congress faction of the CPI almost forced the party to create the post of chairman for Dange when EMS Namboodiripad was the general secretary. After the split in 1964, Dange remained with the CPI as its chairman.
After the expulsion of Dange in the mid-80s due to his defiance of the new tactical line of friendship with the CPI(M), the CPI abolished the post of chairman.
Now after Bardhan steps down, S Sudhakar Reddy, party sources said, may step into his shoes.
However, Reddy and CK Chandrappan, also a central secretariat member, based in Kerala are against Bardhan line of appeasement of CPI(M). The AITUC general secretary and CPI group leader in the Lok Sabha, Gurudas Dasgupta, too, has reservations about Bardhan’s discouragement to friendly polemics with CPI(M).
“CPI(M) is our big brother although we had an upper hand before 1975. But they should not wield the stick,” Dasgupta said.
However, Bardhan loyalists like D Raja, Rajya Sabha member, and Gaya Singh of Bihar would feel isolated without Bardhan at the top.
This apart, CPI(M) brass at the party headquarters AK Gopalan Bhavan too want Bardhan in the policy making of CPI. “He is the senior most communist leader in top leadership and so his role in the advisory capacity is necessary”, said a CPI(M) polit buro member.
A CPI veteran and a whole-timer at national headquarters Ajoy Bhavan has a different story to disclose. “Bardhanda has more friends in the top leadership in CPI(M) than in CPI. If he is at the apex, AKG Bhavan honchos can pull strings. It may not be easy to get the amendment through.
However, amending constitution may not be an easy task. A sizable section of senior comrades in every state, including Maharashtra, want Bardhan to gracefully quit.
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