Says Communist Party of China includes religion in its constitution

NEW DELHI: Even as the Catholic Church and the CPI(M) in Kerala are locked in a verbal war over a deceased comrade’s religious belief, for the first time Communist Party of  China has included religion in its constitution. Relishing the CPC move with glee, the Church is now asking the Indian communists to learn a lesson or two from their Chinese counterparts.

Last week, marking another step away from its Marxist roots, the 17th Congress of CPC incorporated “religion”and “business” in its constitution as part of  Hu Jintao’s “scientific outlook on development” to promote private industry and protect religion. Though the CPC has been atheistic officially, it had never prohibited religious beliefs of party members. But the shift towards religion last week, has surprised some desi comrades. Taking cue from Beijing, church officials are wondering as to why the Marxists are still clinging to their disdain for the “faithful”.

Welcoming the CPC move, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of Catholic Church in India, said “it was an inevitable outcome of  the long cherished dream of suppressing and even erasing religion from the life of people and society.”

“The changed attitude and atmosphere in the Communist Party of China sends out a loud and clear message to the contemporary Indian communists that they have to be relevant and meaningful to the changing times,” said CBCI spokesperson Father Babu Joseph.

In a veiled warning to the CPI(M), he said “any coercive attempt to subject religious faith to social and political ideologies and pressure tactics have not stood the test of time”.

“It only goes to show the religious aspirations are more fundamental to human beings than any other ideologies,” Father Joseph said, adding “communist ideology presented itself as an alternative meaning system to religion has not been received well by most people in the world”.

Asked why religion is not included in the constitution of the CPI(M), a party leader here said there is no need for it in India as religion is recognised by the Indian Constitution. Raju Joseph Podipara, a Roman Catholic but a staunch Marxist hailing from a traditional CPI(M) family in Kerala, said the party constitution does not bar any believers.

“But between party and religion, party will be given weightage. We are in for class struggle. If religion comes in between,  community struggle instead of class struggle will begin. And human beings will shrink ….as Christians, Muslims and Hindus, etc. We see everyone as a worker,” Podipara said.

The traditional, half-a-century old Church-CPI(M) spat took a new turn a fortnight ago with the claim of Thamarassery diocese Bishop Paul Chittilappilly that Mathai Chacko, CPI(M) MLA, who was administered “last sacrament” on his deathbed last year was a “religious believer”.

Though there is no ban on a believer joining the atheist party, the Bishop’s claim triggered a virulent attack on the clergy by top CPI(M) leaders. Chief minister VS Achuthanandan said the “efforts to create the impression that the deceased Marxist leader was a religious believer in his last days was not at all fair.”

State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan called the bishop a “wretched creature” and a “liar”. Kerala finance minister TM Thomas Isaac told reporters last week the party was never against and would never obstruct any party member from being a believer.