File photo of CPM General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury
The decks seem to be cleared for the re-induction of two veteran Marxist leaders into the Communist Party of India-Marxist or the CPM shortly. The homecoming of former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee and the only surviving member of the country's first Communist government of 1957, KR Gowri Amma is likely to take place soon, according to sources.
CPM general secretary, Sitaram Yechury will share dais with Mr Chatterjee at his hometown of Bolpur tomorrow at a Shantiniketan college function, this will be the second time in three weeks that both will be sharing the dais. The West Bengal unit of the party is likely to recommend the re-induction of the 85-year-old into the party fold.
In 1994, CPM had sacked Gowri Amma, after which she had formed her own party, the Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS). She had allied with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala. The state unit has recommended her return which is likely to take place on August 19 in Alappuzha.
When asked earlier, Mr Yechury had said, "there are certain methodologies for such cases. Those methodologies are already taking place. You will get to know about it soon."
Seven years earlier, Mr Chatterjee was expelled from the party after he decided to continue as Speaker, ignoring the party's directive to resign, maintaining that as the Lok Sabha Speaker he was above party politics given the nature of the post.