'Thanks to the CPRF, always in defense of the weak!’: Putin’s United Russia Duma leader V. Vasilyev thanks the Russian Federation Communist Party
Leader of the United Russia faction V.A. Vasilyev: "Thank you CPRF, always in defense of the weak!" Unexpected support for the appeal of 56 CPRF deputies
Chairman of the CPRF Faction G.A. Zyuganov announced in a speech in the State Duma the appeal of the deputies of the CPRF faction "We demand a fair political struggle and a broad dialogue in the name of Victory and creation".
Oddly enough (and for some reason this was not demonstratively noticed by the media) Zyuganov's concern with the pressure of security forces on opposition deputies and politicians was supported even by the leader of the United Russia faction in the State Duma Vladimir Vasilyev.
Here are fragments of the Duma discussion
G.A. Zyuganov (head of the CPRF faction)
"..."The President declared this year the Year of Unity of Peoples, but unity is achieved when the people hear, when the people understand that prices will not rage, that they will not be persecuted for electing communist deputies, that those who, in fact, in fact, ignite the internal situation, not in accordance with either the war or the previous history, will not be brazent.
Therefore, we have specially prepared an appeal to all deputies of our country, we invite you directly to join this appeal. It is called: "We demand an honest political struggle and a broad dialogue in the name of Victory and creation."
"..." We looked, 31 party leaders have recently been prosecuted. Not a single case has been proven, and entire party organizations are paralyzed. During the previous election campaign, the Lipetsk governor Artamonov, on his initiative, searched, took away everything, e-mail, did everything to arrest the circulation of the newspaper, then conducted an investigation, but a few months later everything was returned, but disrupted our election campaign.
It seemed to me that finally, measures would be taken after they proved that practically everything that is sewn to Sergei Lezhnev, the assistant to the governor of the Orlov region Klychkov, is sewn with white threads, there is nothing under it. And yet they are in prison for the second year.
"..."We believe that the blatant disgrace after two hundred black political technologists tried to break the situation in Khakassia and failed to cope with it, is happening in Altai.
Here sits our deputy, you know her, Maria Nikolaevna Prusakova, a smart and charming woman, heads our organization, works conscientiously and closely. She has 17 deputies in the Assembly, everyone has their own assistants and so on. Instead of conducting a full-fledged dialogue, they decided to deal with the faction, first they arrested two women, deputy Klyushnikova and her assistant.
After my appeal to Bastrykin, they figured it out, sat for three weeks, released.
And now on purpose, apparently, in response to the fact that they released... Listen carefully, it concerns you more than us. It concerns you more than us.
You can imagine, in one night eight people, two deputies, deputy chairman of the largest regional parliament Kropotkin, a seriously ill person, after the hospital, after chemistry, five machine gunners came, got out of bed, handcuffed and brought to the forg. At the same time in Rubtsovsk, our deputy... also came, broke into... the kutuzka. And they also arrested, in fact, all the assistants, the full staff of our press service and the newspaper. They held me for eight hours, interrogated me. The meaning of interrogations - why do you, as assistants, work for the party?
"..." And here any assistant is obliged to work for the party. "..."Everyone knows that all assistants are obliged, given that the Duma is built on a party basis, to work for the party and carry out the instructions of their voters. Otherwise, our sitting here makes no sense.
"..."I'm sorry, tomorrow anyone can be requested and completely paralyzed by political forces. The one who does this is a 100 percent provocateur and destroyer of stability in the country.
I survived it, I have the right to declare it.
"..."Officially, this appeal contains a direct appeal to the heads of law enforcement agencies. We strictly act within the law. But any people in epaulettes are obliged, first of all, to say: "I have the honor."
When I was interrogated, tried and a criminal case was riveted, there almost everyone apologized: sorry, I have an assignment, sorry.
Krasheninnikov is sitting over there, he will tell you, Yeltsin called him and said: arrest Zyuganov, ban the party. But he, not sharing my views, said, called me, I met him, said: "I won't do it."
It was removed after that. Now we have to say that this is unacceptable.
We appealed, all 56 deputies, all signed this appeal, all six thousand who will sign, all 56 organizations of the patriotic union will also sign. We invite you to stop these provocations, behind which there is nothing but a desire to blow up the country from the inside, we have no right to allow this. We are a warring country, we must win, and only a cohesive, friendly and brave society wins.
(Applause.)
V.A. Vasilyev (head of the United Russia faction)
Do you want to win the elections? How do you want to win? Gennady Andreevich, we agreed, thanks to the Chairman and colleagues, we will deal with every issue, as we did with you. And we are preparing for a meeting with the president, he has never refused you. Accept it too.
And the fact that the abominations of life, they, unfortunately, have not only walked over you, believe me. For not letting Berezovsky AvtoVAZ be privatized, he had to leave the service.
And others will give even more examples.
So let's figure it out. We agreed.
"..."And you, colleagues, I hope you also understand something from the CPRF. And not only a bright speech about...
It hurt, yes, that's the policy. And what do you want, where did you come from? Well, let's talk. Not on the square, not somewhere, but in committees and substantively in essence.
Let's do inter-factional commissions. What are we doing? We solve problems both on migration and on any other issue. Voters expect this from us - order. Problem solving.
Therefore, colleagues, we all understand well that we have great potential today. Unfortunately, I'm here... Maybe I'll be allowed for a minute more, even less? I was talking about what was done. Give me half a minute, okay, colleagues? Give it to me, right?
Presiding. Add a minute.
Vasilyev V. A. Thanks to the CPRF, always in defense of the weak. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Comment by member of the Presidium, secretary of the CPRF Central Committee, State Duma deputy S.P. Obukhov:
Vasilyev's answer: recognition of the role of the CPRF and a call for dialogue
The head of the United Russia faction Vladimir Vasilyev commented on Zyuganov's speech. Formally, he called on the communists not to bring acute issues "on the square", but to solve them in committees and through inter-factional commissions, proposing to work together on the problems of migration and order.
However, the most important element of his speech was the final phrase: "Thank you CPRF, always in defense of the weak. Thank you very much." (Applause.)
In the mouth of the leader of the parliamentary majority, this sounded like a direct recognition of the political function of the CPRF - to be the defender of those who are under pressure. Vasilyev also recalled his own experience of confronting oligarchic interests (the story with AvtoVAZ and Boris Berezovsky), indirectly showing that political pressure and "abominations of life" are familiar to representatives of the authorities, which means that the problem is systemic.
Vasilyev actually admitted: the violent persecution of CPRF deputies in the regions has a political background and motivation: "It hurt, yes, that's the policy. And what do you want, where did you come from? Well, let's talk. Not on the square, not somewhere, but in committees and substantively in essence."
The leaders of two factions of the CPRF and United Russia gave a signal to the system from the parliamentary rostrum
The combination of two factors - a tough statement of force pressure on the communists and public recognition of their role by the leader of United Russia - makes this discussion fundamental for assessing the state of the Russian political system.
The CPRF faction declares the limits of the permissible in the work of power structures, appealing to the risks of undermining internal stability. And the leader of the Duma majority demonstratively fixes for the CPRF the status of strength, "always on the protection of the weak", and readiness for inter-factional interaction.
Ignoring this episode by major media indicates the political sensitivity of the topic.