No longer able to question the absolute economic growth that is happening in this country, without appearing stupid, the left is now concerned about the ‘nature and trajectory of growth’. CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, widely considered to be the second most powerful politician in the country, is so concerned that he made this issue the main point of his address at the ongoing party congress in Coimbatore.

What exactly is wrong with the nature and trajectory of our growth? The usual stuff – number of dollar billionaires swelling while farmers kill themselves. If Comrade Karat is to be believed, unemployment is growing in this country and people are starving themselves because per capita consumption of food grains has declined.

Some people just refuse to accept the obvious, because acceptance goes against their politics. The communists will never agree that economic growth since the early nineties has benefited anyone but the rich. They will rubbish statistics which show decline in poverty levels.

All they need to do is compare the pomp and pageantry at their own party meetings, between then and now. Even a decade back, they were relatively tame affairs organised with restraint and to a budget. The ongoing meeting in Coimbatore is equally grand as those organised by other political parties. Of course, the money comes from grassroots communists. But, how are they able to contribute more if the country’s economic growth has bypassed them?

How exactly do the communists want to shape the trajectory of our economic growth? By further pampering the minority organised sector workers, who form the power base of left parties? The communists talk a lot about the plight of the farmers. But, what have they done for the marginal farmers and farm labourers after the land reforms many decades ago?

Now that a big financial crisis has engulfed the capitalist world, the communists are trying hard to drive home the dangers of free markets. "For the leaders in government who talked of releasing the animal spirit and argue even now for full capital convertibility, we hope the current crisis will give them a sobering lesson”, Karat reminded. There is no point in arguing with them, his ilk will never get it.

When will our communists be willing to accept things as they are and play a constructive role as true left-leaning social democrats? Our democracy will be richer whenever they decide to do so.

PS: Ordinary Cuban citizens were this week allowed to own mobile phones, making them probably the last on this planet to enjoy this ‘luxury’. Is there a single Indian communist leader, who generally wastes no opportunity to extol the Cuban proletariat paradise, who doesn’t use a mobile phone now?