W.R. Varada Rajan, a 64-year-old left trade union leader in Tamil Nadu and a CPM central committee member, has committed suicide because he was unfairly hounded and removed from all posts of the party for some “offensive and inappropriate SMSes” he allegedly sent to a woman.
But before walking out of his home never to return, Varada Rajan wrote to CPM general secretary Prakash Karat detailing his woes. That letter has now been published by The Indian Express, and it presents the picture of a party being held hostage by careerists and opportunists.
Varada Rajan’s body was discovered in a lake, identified by his wife and cremated on Tuesday with none of the party bigwigs in attendance:
“I am shocked to find that for this “misconduct”, the party state secretariat had come out with a proposal of summary removal from all elected posts in the party as punishment. The imperative that any punishment ought to be proportionate to the misconduct may be dismissed as a bourgeois concept; but the proposed punishment in my case is grossly unjust and severe, in the backdrop of earlier cases of proven physical sexual relationship involving party members in Tamil Nadu at the level of CC member to state committee member.
“The reason for making such a harsh proposal, as adduced by the chairperson of the enquiry committee at the meeting of the party state secretariat, was that the secretariat faced humiliation in the last two meetings of the party state committee and hence to safeguard the credibility of the party state secretariat such a proposal was essential. To my regret the entire party state secretariat bought this argument and carried the proposal to the party state committee and had the same endorsed.”
On the strength of Varada Rajan’s letter, is there a fit case for the CPM leaders in Tamil Nadu and Delhi to be booked for abetment of suicide?
Put another way, would the media and intelligentsia be reacting in the same, supine way had a BJP leader written such a letter to Narendra Modi and walked to his death?
Read the full letter: Yours comradely, W.R. Varada Rajan
Image and text: courtesy The Indian Express
churumuri 
This affair seems to be an example of ridiculous “moral policing”. Our comrades who generally jump at the slightest incident of alleged moral policing acts (by “Hindu fundamentalists”, of course), are only too conspicuous by their silence. And where is Comrade Ram? Hiding behind Comrade Karat, or perhaps, hiding Comrade Karat?
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Why am I not surprised? Communist leaders seem to have a “use and throw” legacy inherent in their ideology.
Other victims of Communist hypocrisy or self-righteousness, in various ways, have included the French philosopher Louis Althusser, the American physicist Robert Oppenheimer, and our own EMS Namboodiripad.
I am surprised, though, that Mr. Varada Rajan did not suffer any direct violence from the party. I am also surprised that he chose to be cremated. May his soul find peace.
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Churumuri, why this sudden criticism of Communists and Congress? Are you going the chaddi way too?
Isn’t this Karnataka’s ‘Pravda’? ;-)
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Hope you will highlight this — States like ours to remain untouched by Railways’ generosity:
Mamata plans manufacturing units for the EAST … Two thirds of the six locations announced for Kisan Vision projects are in Bengal, namely at Mechheda, Dankuni and New Jalpaiguri and Singur.
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Comrade Varada decided to die than face the consequences of his actions. Shows a lot about the character of the guy. This does not do any good for the image of CPI.
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Can they be booked under abetment to suicide law?! Marxists double speak.
What kind of moral policing is this?
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verybleedeingheart,
Both are hiding behind you know hu.
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seetharam kesari once referred these chaps to delhi transport corp bus drivers, who signal left but take right turn. Confused chaps with confused identities. RIP Varadarajan
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there was confession by recently by a lady maoist from Chattisgarh, who surrendered to the police, who said that she was sexually abused by the higher ups and this is the story of most girls who join the movement…the skeletons are finally falling out of the communist cupboard
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The principle that punishment must be proportionate to the crime committed is bourgeois? What warped thinking! But we are discussing the glorious worker’s paradise aren’t we? Where the greatest crime – one that calls for summary capital punishment – is denying the Marxist-Communist doctrine, no punishment can be too severe. What a vile creed is this communism!
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“States like ours to remain untouched by Railways’ generosity”
@ Phase Shift
But you must be happy that she is helping poor states. You consider yourself much better than those poor states. “Let kannadigas appreciate the kindness of DIDI for her help to poor states.”
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“The imperative that any punishment ought to be proportionate to the misconduct may be dismissed as a bourgeois concept”
What surprises me most is that such language is still in vogue, and that too in India! I thought that died out with the Soviets!
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Trying to bring this to your attention, in case you missed it:
Out of the 94 new Adarsh or model stations Mamata announced, as many as 32 are for West Bengal. She allotted 23 of the 93 multi-functional complexes and two of the 10 worldclass stations to her state.
Amid vociferous protests against her ” pro- Bengal political budget” Mamata gave the state 30 outpatient clinics, 18 specialty hospitals and 17 multi-specialty hospitals to be built on railway land.
Projects worth Rs 8,200 crore are already at various stages of completion in this state. The budget has allotted another Rs 39,000 crore worth of projects. Where will the funds come from?” asked a senior railways official in Kolkata.
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p.s. he seems to contradict himself here: “The imperative that any punishment ought to be proportionate to the misconduct may be dismissed as a bourgeois concept; but the proposed punishment in my case is grossly unjust and severe,”
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