Kolkata: A former CPI-M strongman Lakshman Seth, who was dumped by the party for alleged dissident activity, on Sunday dubbed its leadership in Bengal as "authoritarian" and called for reforms.
"The present (state) CPI(M) leadership is authoritarian and is centred around an individual," Seth, a former CPI-M MP from Tamluk in East Midnapore district, said on the sidelines of a programme here.
"I was chucked out of the state committee at the last party conference going against the rules framed by the central committee," said Seth, who had fallen foul of the leadership for his alleged role in the forcible land acquisition at Nandigram in 2007, which paved the way for Trinamool Congress to come to power.
The state control commission of CPI(M) has initiated an investigation into allegations of corruption and anti-party activity of Seth. Following which he sent a letter to the leadership expressing a desire to quit from all posts and the party itself.
"What would you call the injustice meted out to me? This is much worse than a bourgeois system," Seth said.
He compared former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, without taking his name, to King Lear and observed that the party too would face its Waterloo like the communist rule in Russia did in 1991.
"When there is lack of democracy, authoritarianism takes over. But this system within the party can`t go on for an indefinite period. The fall is imminent just like what happened in the former USSR," Seth said.
Informed sources said that the once-formidable leader was miffed at the party for not standing by him in his darkest hour.
