New Delhi: CPI National Secretary Annie Raja has revealed that the CPM attempted to sideline her after she raised concerns about the abuse of women during the Singur-Nandigram protests, which took place under Left rule in West Bengal. In an interview with the annual edition of Malayala Manorama, Annie also criticized the positions taken by both the CPM and CPI on women's issues.
During the protests, the National Federation of Indian Women, where Annie serves as secretary, sent a team to the protest sites in West Bengal to examine the issues women faced there. When Annie facilitated the disclosure of the team's findings, the CPM accused her of siding with anti-Left forces.
Yet another incident that drew CPM’s ire was when Annie invited activist Medha Patkar, the leader of the anti-Coca Cola protests in Palakkad, to a memorial meeting for Mayilamma. Medha had taken a strong stand against the West Bengal government during the Singur-Nandigram protests, which further fuelled the CPM’s discontent.
Annie recounted the CPM's approach to handling her involvement in Singur and Nandigram: “In an attempt to influence me, CPM leaders tried to steer me through my husband. Although he didn’t give in, he hinted at what their intentions were. Still, I continued my work. Eventually, CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat wrote to CPI’s then-General Secretary AB Bardhan, claiming "I was aligning with anti-Left forces."
She was then summoned by the party secretariat and faced a barrage of questions about the situation of women in Singur and Nandigram. Annie recalls, "I asked Comrade Bardhan, ‘There were numerous rapes during the Gujarat riots—does the party condone such acts?’ Bardhan responded, ‘How could the party approve of that?’ I then asked, ‘So this is the party line, correct?’ He agreed. I told him, ‘I’m staying within the party line: a rape is a rape, whether it occurs in Gujarat or Bengal.’"