05-10-2006, 02:39 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-acharya+May 10 2006, 02:18 AM-->QUOTE(acharya @ May 10 2006, 02:18 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-gangajal+May 9 2006, 08:39 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gangajal @ May 9 2006, 08:39 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->
Yes, you can have an example. Look at the IT scene. CPIM was opposed to IT till 2000. They have changed their attitude towards IT. IT has grown at 72 % rate since 2001.
IT has been declared an essential services sector. Last year CITU tried to organize a strike in the IT sector. Buddhadev Bhattacharya told the IT sector that they should just contact the police and he will get the CITU activists arrested. This attitude would have been unthinkable 5 years ago. A CPIM CM, asking for arrest of CPIM cadre, was unthinkable even a few years ago.
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This is directly related to the IT becoming prominent among the middle class and IT people have become influencial in the policymaking in the center as well as states. The old ideas are no longer taken up by the middle class. The WB/CPI middle class and stars are losing influence in the national scene with IT taking the dominant mindshare among the middleclass.
The leftist/communist control the media and the mindshare of the middleclass in India.
[right][snapback]50919[/snapback][/right]
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I have to disagree with you here. CPIM and in general Communists have traditionally thought of the middle class as parasitic. After all it is the middle class that opposes Communists. Kolkata has proved to be very difficult ground for CPIM electorally. One of the reasons for Communists to destroy west Bengal's educational and industrial infrastructure was to tame the middle class. Their goal was to make everyone to the status of landless labourer. So why have they changed?
The reason for the change of heart of CPIM is more complex than you think. They were coming under fierce criticism that they have ruined west bengal and their behaviour is even worse than the British colonialists. Of course the collapse of Communism in USSR and China also helped. Also West Bengal govt is tottering on the edge of bankruptcy. Remember that CPIM has to pay a monthly salary to 700,000 workers. CPIM is not helped by volunteers unlike Congress. All CPIM workers are paid by CPIM every month. They can field 2000 paid workers in every constituency unlike the non_communist parties. So where are they getting the money? It is clear that a part of the taxes raised by WB govt goes to pay the salaries of CPIM workers. How would they pay their workers if west bengal govt goes completely bankrupt? If you don't believe this, I would remind you that central auditors came to the conculsion that 2500 crore rupees supposedly paid to the panchayets were missing in 2000. We have still not heard anything about where that money went. Where do you think that money went? There are also other reasons.
I would suggest that you take a look at the archives of soc.culture.indian and soc.culture.bengali, in the period 1998 to 2001, where I and many others took part in debate with pro-CPIM guys. You will see that very detailed criticisms of CPIM were made. In fact detailed suggestions were offered on how to change things around. You would be surprised at the similarity of Buddhadev's talk and action and the suggestions made in those forums. I suspect that those debates were forwarded to CPIM leadership.
Yes, you can have an example. Look at the IT scene. CPIM was opposed to IT till 2000. They have changed their attitude towards IT. IT has grown at 72 % rate since 2001.
IT has been declared an essential services sector. Last year CITU tried to organize a strike in the IT sector. Buddhadev Bhattacharya told the IT sector that they should just contact the police and he will get the CITU activists arrested. This attitude would have been unthinkable 5 years ago. A CPIM CM, asking for arrest of CPIM cadre, was unthinkable even a few years ago.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is directly related to the IT becoming prominent among the middle class and IT people have become influencial in the policymaking in the center as well as states. The old ideas are no longer taken up by the middle class. The WB/CPI middle class and stars are losing influence in the national scene with IT taking the dominant mindshare among the middleclass.
The leftist/communist control the media and the mindshare of the middleclass in India.
[right][snapback]50919[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I have to disagree with you here. CPIM and in general Communists have traditionally thought of the middle class as parasitic. After all it is the middle class that opposes Communists. Kolkata has proved to be very difficult ground for CPIM electorally. One of the reasons for Communists to destroy west Bengal's educational and industrial infrastructure was to tame the middle class. Their goal was to make everyone to the status of landless labourer. So why have they changed?
The reason for the change of heart of CPIM is more complex than you think. They were coming under fierce criticism that they have ruined west bengal and their behaviour is even worse than the British colonialists. Of course the collapse of Communism in USSR and China also helped. Also West Bengal govt is tottering on the edge of bankruptcy. Remember that CPIM has to pay a monthly salary to 700,000 workers. CPIM is not helped by volunteers unlike Congress. All CPIM workers are paid by CPIM every month. They can field 2000 paid workers in every constituency unlike the non_communist parties. So where are they getting the money? It is clear that a part of the taxes raised by WB govt goes to pay the salaries of CPIM workers. How would they pay their workers if west bengal govt goes completely bankrupt? If you don't believe this, I would remind you that central auditors came to the conculsion that 2500 crore rupees supposedly paid to the panchayets were missing in 2000. We have still not heard anything about where that money went. Where do you think that money went? There are also other reasons.
I would suggest that you take a look at the archives of soc.culture.indian and soc.culture.bengali, in the period 1998 to 2001, where I and many others took part in debate with pro-CPIM guys. You will see that very detailed criticisms of CPIM were made. In fact detailed suggestions were offered on how to change things around. You would be surprised at the similarity of Buddhadev's talk and action and the suggestions made in those forums. I suspect that those debates were forwarded to CPIM leadership.