Nirendra Dev
New Delhi: A major controversy has been kicked over the Indian communist leaders including Sitaram Yechury and D Raja attending a virtual meet to mark 100 years of the Communist Party of China (CCP).
"On July 27, to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Embassy in India held an online seminar themed "Sharing Experience on Party-Building, Promoting Exchanges and Cooperation", a release from the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said.
Ambassador Sun Weidong delivered a keynote speech and the session was attended among others by Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D. Raja (CPI), Dr. S. Senthilkumar (DMK) and Secretary of the Central Committee of the All India Forward Bloc G. Devarajan.
BJP leaders Anil Jain and Dilip Ghosh have criticised the Indian communist leaders for attending such an event.
The BJP leaders maintained that when it comes to issues of national security, everybody should follow a certain roadmap of Dos and Don'ts.
West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, also a lawmaker, said the loyalties of communists have always been with "outside" forces. "There was a time in West Bengal when they used to we can forget our parents' name but we cannot forget Vietnam".
Anil Jain also said there was no need for Indian communist leaders to attend such a meeting that glorified Chinese communists' party.
CPI leader D Raja, however, strongly maintained that a mountain was being built up out of a molehill.
"How can they say, we cannot talk to the Chinese. Everybody knows there is a dispute. Does military action or war can be a solution. Dialogue is the only way. Therefore, from time to time at different levels we have dialogues," Raja said.
He also said it was a global event and at least 500 communist leaders from across the globe attended the virtual meet organised by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.
G Devarajan of Forward Bloc also said the talks and interaction had "nothing to do with border issues".
At the virtual meet, Chinese envoy to India, Sun Weidong said the CPC sticks to its own path. "By constantly adapting the basic tenets of Marxism to China's specific realities, the CPC has finally found the right path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We created the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability rarely seen in the world".
"This is the right path proved by history and practice," he underlined.
