Dear Left, you remember April 30 for Hitler's death; what about the Ananda Margis?

On Saturday (April 30), a Young Turk of the CPI(M), a party which is known more for its gerontocratic than electoral significance in Indian politics, said Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had died on April 30. The young leader was factually right as the Nazi dictator had committed suicide on the last day of April in 1945 as the Allied Powers had started cornering the Axis Powers in the Second World War.

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Through the fact, The Left leader made an indirect dig at Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, whose constituency Bhabanipur also cast its vote on the same day.

On April 30, Hitler died: Also on April 30, 17 Ananda Margis were killed

But the fledgling Marxist also scored a same-side goal by making the statement. It was also on same April 30 in 1982, 37 years after the Fuehrer's death, that 17 Ananda Margis, including a nun, were burnt alive on Bijon Setu in Ballygunge-Kasba area of Kolkata in broad daylight.

On the morning of April 30, 1982, 16 Ananda Marg monks and a nun were dragged out of taxis at three spots that were taking them to an educational conference in Tiljala. They were beaten and set on fire even as thousands watched.

The then Left govt of Jyoti Basu had turned a blind eye to the gruesome murders

The then Left government in the state of the late Jyoti Basu was accused of turning a blind eye to the gruesome killings. It was even reported that the Basu government hid the facts of the murders from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The NHRC decided to take up the investigation of the case in 1996 but the Basu regime, which was still in power, did not cooperate. An IAS officer of the state cadre also said that he was targeted for not toeing the Left government's line and suspended.

The government also set up a commission of inquiry but it was nothing more than a farce for it did not go beyond notification and did not have a single hearing. No report of action was placed before the Assembly and CM Basu even appeared to have issued a veiled threat saying what consequences might have followed had Sachin Sen, the then CPI(M) legislator from Kasba, chosen to attack the Margis' centre with thousands of cadres. A CID probe was done but it produced little result.

The Ananda Margis appealed to Mamata Banerjee after she came to power in 2011

The Margis appealed to the Mamata Banerjee government to set up a probe commission on the issue in October 2011 after the TMC came to power and in October 2013, the state government set up a commission to look into the matter and some recent depositions before the panel and a set of new evidence created the possibility of some heavyweight CPI(M) leaders being summoned.

According to the panel sources, some documents allegedly showed that some important CPI(M) leaders of the Kasba-Jadavpur area had a meeting on February 6, 1982, to discuss the issue of the Margis. Kanti Ganguly, a former Left minister who is contesting this election against the TMC's Debashree Roy; late CPI(M) MLA Sachin Sen; former MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee were reportedly present at the meeting, among others.

Left's ideological disaste for the Ananda Margis

The Left was upset with the Ananda Margis because of their ideological opposition [just like Hitler was against Stalin and others] and the CPI(M), which was leading a government that came to power just five years earlier, was deeply suspicious of their activities in the state. In fact, the first attack on the Marga came in 1967 in Purulia in which five Margis were killed, allegedly by the CPI(M) cadres.

In 1969, another Marga assembly was attacked in Cooch Behar in North Bengal. On both the occasions, the Left was in power in the state as a party in coalition governments. In April 1990, too, five Ananda Margis were killed in Purulia, also allegedly by CPI(M) cadres.

The Left remebers the more distant history because it is convenient

Today, a young CPI(M) leader aspiring to be the legislator, is speaking about Hitler's demise but not the horrendous murders of 17 people that happened more recently.

This is precisely what the Left in this country is known for and each and every leader in that party---from the top to the bottom---are skilled in fooling people, in the name of ideology and goodwill.

The Left showed no regret in joining hands with the Congress, their eternal enemies in the state till the beginning of this election, and now is even conveniently choosing history to show its 'sympathy' for the people.

The Young Turks of Left have learnt the trick early

It is even more shocking to see the Young Turks in the CPI(M) learning the tricks of the game so easily even before proving their worth as leaders. The young blood in the Left are mostly seen giving bytes on in air-conditioned television channels as their best way out to connect to the common people, though on the face of it they are supposed to be fighting for the have-nots. But the Left should remember that not all people can be fooled for all time.

The "Hitler died on April 30" remark will make the Left's fanatic supporters excited but for those who know to apply their brains, this exposes the Left's hollow politics more. Whether Mamata wins or loses is for May 19 to reveal, but the Left is no option to weigh for the people of a state which they have systematically ruined over three decades.