Left won’t buy China move

After their Long March to power, Chinese Communists gave in to the demands of the new economy and changed the Constitution to guarantee righ...

After their Long March to power, Chinese Communists gave in to the demands of the new economy and changed the Constitution to guarantee right to private property. But their comrades here — the CPI and the CPI(M) — refuse to have a fresh look at the basic tenets of Marxism.

‘‘All we can say now is that we are not surprised,’’ Prakash Karat, CPI(M) senior politburo member, makes light of the matter. ‘‘We have to look up the details. There cannot be any comprehensive response before that.’’

‘‘No, I don’t agree that they are opening the floodgates of capitalist economy,’’ that is CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan. He attempts to explain why China needs to change. ‘‘Countries like China and India are still backward. And you cannot industrialise without help from all sectors — public, cooperative, private and even foreign sources.’’

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Do we hear a new line? The Left is okay with MNCs and to FDI? ‘‘Investment is needed. We are not against investment. All we are saying is that don’t sell our PSUs. What China has done is giving a legal basis to whatever exists on the ground.’’

Karat may not want to pass judgment on the fraternity yet, but he says: ‘‘We accept the fact that right to property exists in India. There is no communist society in the world today!’’ But he refused comment on the real estate business boom that led to the change in the Chinese statute.

China expert and Left thinker from JNU G.P. Deshpande chips in: ‘‘It’s a definite move towards capitalisation of China. But parties here are yet to come to terms with the post-Soviet situation.’’