Millionaire Marxist, industrialist treads party line

Host, friend and well-wisher of West Bengal’s CPM leaders, Bajoria’s name had cropped up in news columns just a week before the vote. It was at a dinner that he hosted in London that the party’s state chief Biman Bose allegedly made a controversial statement on the possibility of the party’s future relationship with the BJP.

So who’s this millionaire Marxist?

The combined assets of the companies he heads are estimated at Rs 532 crore. His SK Bajoria group companies operates in four continents and in sectors ranging from refractories and bioceramics to art and travel.

Though not a card-carrying Marxist, he sticks to the party line—even if it is on issues concerning his friends.

Bajoria, though a very good friend of Somnath Chatterjee, toes the hardcore Prakash Karat line on the Speaker issue. Bajoria says: “I would not get into any political controversy, But as an individual, my opinion is that Somnathda should have resigned as soon as his party withdrew support to the UPA. After all, he was elected from the party first and then became the Speaker.”

Bajoria’s association with the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation as an advisor had brought him close to Chatterjee when he had headed it and other CPM leaders associated with the corporation.

“I had my Left leanings right from the beginning. I believe in the Left ideology,” he says, rubbishing the perception that he also had links with the BJP and the RSS.

“I come from the creamy layer. I come from that 2 per cent population for whom India shining is always true, be there a Leftist government or a Rightist government. But I have a firm belief that Leftist ways can rid the country of its problems,” says the son of well-known industrialist B P Bajoria.

“Consider the subsidy issue, for instance,” he explains. “Why should there be a move to do away with all subsidies? Even developed countries have subsidy for farmers for different sections. We are still a poor country, so why not us?” says Bajoria.

When Bose was on a fund-raising mission for an NGO he runs for educating the underprevileged, Bajoria threw a party. “It was actually a very small gathering of about 20-odd people. Every year Bimanda normally goes to the United States for fund-raising during the Bengali festival. This time he was in UK and I threw a party. Bimanda was the sole speaker,”says Bajoria.