CPM wants to get rid of ‘errant’ members

It’s the comrades’ very own transparency index.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) wants all its members to declare their immovable and movable assets, sources of income of all family members and relationships with businessmen and realtors (if any), at regular intervals.

The rule will be applicable to all — from members of the Politburo to those serving at the grassroots.

Although “whole-time” party members (those who don’t hold any other occupation) will be the main focus of the exercise, part-time members, who form the bulk of the CPI(M)’s total nationwide membership of around 1 million, will be under the scanner too.

The rule, one among many laid down in the “rectification” document that the party’s West Bengal secretariat sat to adopt on Saturday evening under the supervision of general secretary Prakash Karat, will be placed for talks before the party’s state committee on Sunday.

The committee meeting, which will last for over two days, aims to review the party’s position after the Lok Sabha polls.

The CPI (M) has around 318,000 members in Bengal.

Party sources said that the document admits to “disturbing erosion” of “communist values”, tendency to violate discipline, corruption and nepotism.

The aim was to weed out members who violated guidelines and therefore were in part responsible for the CPI (M)’s poor show in elections, sources said.

The document has been drafted following the norms formed by the CPI (M) during its 15th congress at Chandigarh in April 1995 and the 14th congress at Chennai in January 1992.

The document has stipulated regular appraisal of members in the format of report cards, from branch committees right up to state committees.

The Trinamool Congress-Congress combine won eight of the 10 assembly seats for which by-polls were held on November 7.

While the Congress won all seven seats where it had put up its nominees, the CPI (M) lost all five it contested.