Dalington Dympep. Telegraph picture

Shillong, April 14: Dalington Dympep is the classic case of a man who came in from the cold.

A central Intelligence agency field official who lived a life of anonymity once, Dympep gave up his job to light the torch of Communism in Meghalaya way back in the seventies.

Driven by a passion for social justice, Dympep is a contestant for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat.

The 79-year-old “comrade” is a low-profile candidate who does not believe in large public rallies. As an intelligence official, he served mostly in Nagaland and Myanmar, before quitting to join the Communist party.

“I used to travel a lot and after realising the pitiable conditions of my people, I decided to join the Communist party,” he said. And it was not the best of times for a Communist party leader.

“They (the local people) thought the red fag of the party was an anti-Christian symbol and must be avoided,” said Dympep.

Most people turned their faces when they passed the CPI party office where the red flags fluttered at Quinton Road in Shillong. It was in 1973 that Dympep became a full-fledged member of the CPI despite stiff opposition from the Church.

A resident of Mawlai Mawroh locality of Shillong, Dympep is one of the two tribals from the entire state who joined the Communist party in the seventies. The other was late Jogendro Lanong from Mawprem.

The anti-Communist propaganda is one of the reasons why the party made such slow progress in the state, Dympep feels. Besides, the absence of grassroots democratic movements in Meghalaya also retarded its growth.

But times are changing. The party is trying to make some inroads into the rural areas, he said. True to his Communist ideology, Dympep does not believe in a show of extravagance. Besides, he also does not have the monetary resources to organise large campaigns.

But that has not affected his popularity. At a meeting held at the CPI office, people from remote villages like Diengling in East Khasi Hills and Mawkyrwat in West Khasi Hills came to wish him luck. “They came from far-flung villages with their own money,” said Dympep, touched by their affection.

In a state where money speaks, Dympep says: “I do not have the money to fight elections. But I am happy that the love of the peasants and the downtrodden gives me strength”.

It was in 1989 that Dympep first contested the Lok Sabha polls from Shillong. Before that, he had served as the national council member of CPI for 10 years and had associations with veteran Communist leaders like A.B. Bardhan. Dympep’s poll agenda is to fight the growing inequality between the rich and the poor in the state.

Unlike the NGOs, what concerns him most is not the influx of foreigners, but the influx of poor villagers to the city in search of jobs.

“Once elected, I will fight for ensuring minimum wages and social security for the labourers, especially those in the rural areas, to check their influx to Shillong,” the secretary of the Meghalaya State Council of the CPI said.

Winning or losing is not an issue for Dympep who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections after a gap of 20 years.

“Whether I win or lose, I will continue to work for the people who are less privileged,” said Dympep.

The septuagenarian faces Vincent Pala of the Congress, Martle Mukhim of the MDP and John Kharsiing of the UDP.