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A television news channel, hospitals, a supermarket, and now an amusement park. The CPM has its hands full
Sixty years ago, Palora Matha, an illiterate old lady, donated her only calf to EMS Nampoothiripad at a function to raise funds for setting up the cpm's newspaper Deshabhimani. Palora Matha's generosity has now become a fairy tale for the new-generation Marxists living in an age of party-owned TV channel, hospitals and supermarkets.
The party of the working class will soon add another feather in its cap of business achievements - a water theme park. The amusement park at Parassinikadavu in Kannur district, being developed by the Chennai-based Real Fun Consultants, will cost Rs 25 crore. The business venture is promoted by Malabar Pleasures Private Limited, a company fully owned by Malabar Tourism Development Co-Operative Ltd, the society formed by the cpm when EK Nayanar was the chief minister.
"Work is going on. We hope to open this venture by September 2005, " says party mla MV Govindan Master, who resigned from the chairmanship of the society after becoming the cpm district secretary.
Fingers are being pointed at the party, which was at the forefront of the agitation against Coca-Cola in Plachimada for using groundwater.
Allaying fears of water exploitation, Govindan claims the company will meet its requirements from water harvesting on three acres and will construct an artificial lake to store water. "It is immature to compare us with Coca-Cola. Ours is a people's part y. We are not going to take a single litre of water from outside. We will meet everything from rainwater harvesting," says Govindan.
There are many sceptics. CR Neelakantan, an environmental scientist, says the park will need nearly 3,00,000 litres of water every day. "Even if they resort to recycling, they will have to bring in 30 percent fresh water daily," he says. Neelakantan is not convinced the park's needs would be met by water harvesting. "Theoretically, three crore litres of water is available from harvesting on three acres. This is simply not enough for running a water park. They will have to tap groundwater or surface water. I am sure they are eyeing the nearby Valapattanam river for their needs," he says.
The project had kicked up a storm within the party at the time it was finalised. But the setback suffered by the hardline faction led by the Leader of the Opposition, VS Achuthanandan, in the recent state party election has meant that the resistance to the park has lost steam. Achuthanandan, who led the Plachimada protests against Coca-Cola, has turned silent. "Let me study the situation first. I can talk only after studying the matter comprehensively," he says, when pressed for comments. MP Veerendrakumar, a Janata Dal mp who spearheaded the Plachimada agitation along with Achuthanandan, also declined comments. His silence is not surprising given that his party is part of the cpm-led front in the state. Many cpm insiders feel the party will now have to distance itself from the Plachimada movement.
"The party is controlling a lot of cooperatives. We registered this venture under the Companies Act for easy administration. This is a capitalist activity with a humane face. You may write as you please. Everyt hing will give us popularity. Party will interfere in all aspects of human life," says Govindan, who belongs to the Pinarayi Vijayan faction that emerged victorious in the party elections.
Berlin Kunjanandan Nair, who held
Communist party membership in erstwhile East Germany and had been a cpm
member in India for 65 years, slams the increasing corporatisation of the
party. "EMS was born in an aristocratic family. After donating all his
assets to the party, he proudly claimed that he was an adopted son of the
working class. Pinarayi Vijayan, the present party secretary, is a son
of a poor toddy (local liquor) tapper. After reaching the top post, he
became an adopted son of the corporate mafias. The party secretary post
has been reduced to that of a ceo of a private company," says Nair, an
Achuthanandan loyalist who was sacked a few days ago."Young comrades now
see party activity as a shortcut to becoming the ceos of party-sponsored
multimillion establishments," he laments.
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