No place in CPI-M for corrupt, haughty members: Buddhadeb

In a stern warning to a section of party members who have strayed from communist ideals, CPI-M leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Monday said those indulging in corruption, money-making and behaving in a high-handed manner with the people have no place in his party.

Stressing the need to speed up the ongoing rectification campaign in the party, Bhattacharjee said: "We will look within ourselves and go ahead with our rectification campaign the way we have planned. We need to speed up the process".

"The rectification campaign is taking time. But we will complete it. We will mould the party the way people want," Bhattacharjee, a former West Bengal chief minister, said addressing the 125th birthday function of Communist Party of India-Marxist founder Muzaffar Ahmed.

Coming down heavily on leaders indulging in unethical activities, he said: "Those who are in the party to make money and assets, leave the party. You can then make as much assets as you want. You cannot continue in the party so as to behave in a high-handed manner with the people. We have identified such people."

"There are those who are corrupt. They have no place in the party. There are some even whose faces people don't want to see. We are conducting a rectification programme. There is a process in the party for that. But we have to fast forward it because people want that."

The CPI-M took up a rectification programme in the party in 1996 in the wake of the controversy over the party's refusal to accept prime ministership for Jyoti Basu that was proposed by leaders of the then United Front.

The programme started hogging the limelight after the downturn in the party's fortunes in West Bengal since 2009 when it fared poorly in the Lok Sabha elections and was ousted from from powerin the state two years later.