Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao today took time out of his busy schedule to enquire about a regional issue close to the heart of the communistsin India — the political challenges faced by the CPI(M) in West Bengal.
During a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the evening, Jiabao met CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury. The Chinese premier asked Yechury – a Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal – what the prospects were like for the CPI(M) in the forthcoming elections in the state.
Interestingly, both heads of state – US President Barack Obama and Jiabao – during their recent India visit, were interested in finding out how the communists faired in India’s political arena.
Obama, in another private dinner hosted by the Prime Minister, had asked Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee (who was sitting at the same table) on how the communists have merged in the political mainstream in India. Mukherjee explained at length how the communist movement in India emerged and their participation in parliamentary politics.
Jiabao, the head of the largest communist nation, met Yehcury at a time when the CPI(M)-led Left Front government faces ouster from its 33-year-old bastion.
Yechury told Jiabao that an alliance of “all right wing forces” has joined force against the Left in the West Bengal. The CPI(M) leader also said how the Maoists are selectively killing CPI(M) comrades in the state ahead of the election. Jiabao, according to Yechury, “is well aware of the Maoist problem in the state.”
China’s interest in CPI(M) goes back to 1983. The Communist Party of China (CPC) did a self-critical review of its assessment of the CPI(M) and admitted that it had made a mistake in judging the CPI(M). The Chinese party always maintained a cordial relationship with their counterparts in India, especially the CPI(M).
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Yehcury had come down to Delhi for a day from Hyderabad to receive the
first China-India Friendship Award presented by the Chinese premier on Wednesday. The two leaders also discussed various national issues at length.