THE COMMUNISTS in Kerala began amassing huge quantities of wealth soon after they came to power in the state almost five decades ago, according to a document released by the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The world's first elected communist government took office in 1957 and started accumulating wealth "through official coercion, bribes and kickbacks", the CIA says in a 240-page document titled "National Intelligence Survey India (1959)". Today the CPM in Kerala is believed to own property worth Rs 5,000 crore. Besides, it runs industrial units, shopping malls, super speciality hospitals, TV channels, soccer tournaments and amusement parks. In 1958, the undivided CPI in Andhra Pradesh collected Rs 8 lakh and "more than half of this collection may have been profits earned through a rice purchase arrangement between Andhra Pradesh traders and the communist government of Kerala," the document posted on the official website www.foia.cia.gov claims. "In the first two years in office, the Kerala unit of the party is estimated to have collected four to five million rupees," the document says. "The Soviet and communist bloc embassies in New Delhi have been reported to make cash contributions via agents to avoid direct tie-ups. Other assistance has been provided by paying ad- YOf tlS1119 I'21CUS 101' CE11'1'Y111P IPatUFO 211- ticles in the communist press, commissioning Indian editions of Russian books and by providing large quantities of books and pamphlets to CPI bookstores," the document says. CPM leaders said they were yet to see the document and would react to it only after going through it.
From HT
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment