China’s “Bo Xilai ” Scandal - The Special, the Astonishing & the Peculiar - Part 1
In the beginning of November, a new political party was floated in China. The name of this party is “Zhi Xian Party”. In English it means “The Supremacy of Constitution”. The party has been established by a woman named Wan Zheng. She is a supporter of Bo Xilai who was shunned from the Communist Party of China which was in power then.
The background for the establishment of this party is the scandal of Bo Xilai which churned the political circles of China which was in power. Before we talk about the scandal, it is imperative to know who “Bo Xilai” was. In the ruling Communist Party of China during the decade of 1980 to 1990, a group of powerful political leaders was known as “Eight Elders.” Bo Xilai is the son of Bo Yibo.
Bo Xilai who became a part of a group “Red Guard” during his school days entered the Communist Party in the year 1980. After that he became a Vice President in the Dalian region. In the year 1993, he succeeded in becoming a mayor of the city. His position in the Communist Party and his influence on people began to grow as he became the governor of Liaoning. After that he became the Commerce Minister of China and then scaled the height by becoming the chief of the party in Chongqing. During this period, for some time he worked as a member of the Politburo of the Party. In the year 2002, he was also a part of the future leadership list of China. At that time, his competitors were people such as the current President of China, Xi Jinping and the current premier of the state council, Li Keqiang.
While working in the region of Dalian, Liaoning and Chongqing, Xilai was known to be an attractive personality and a staunch proponent. Since he was the Commerce Minister, he was known at an international level. This was a slightly odd thing for the ruling party and for the leadership which had shied away from visibility and popularity.
During this time, Bo Xilai’s political aspirations were also rising. Though rejected during the annual 15th and 16th plenum, Xilai had got a chance to become a member of the Politburo during the 17th plenum of the Party. He had begun to dream of leading China especially in the light of the fact that he had solid support from the Ex-President Jiang Zemin and was also under the powerful influence of his own father. During this time, he had also taken the charge of campaigning the thoughts of the founder of the Communist Party, Mao. As a result he had begun to get the support of senior leaders and of the class of people who had subscribed to the thought process of Mao. During this time, several broadminded contemporary thoughts were shared by President, Hu Jintao and the Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao. In the ruling party of China, the power of the group of people who were opportunistic and proponents of development was increasing.
With this background, the 18th Seminar was being talked about in the month of February 2012. Bo Xilai started working towards gaining a higher post by demonstrating his contributions emphatically. During this time, a murder of a British businessman by the name Neil Heywood surfaced. Neil Heywood was considered as a member of the close circle of people of Bo Xilai group. A chief police officer from the Chongqing province by the name Wang Lijun confronted Xilai in the context of this murder. Around the same time, an enquiry had begun by the leadership team of the Communist Party based on the complaint received. Lijun cited danger to himself and sought the protection of American Consulate. He requested for protection and a refuge. This created chaos and ruckus in the then ruling party.
After the incident of Lijun, Bo Xilai was relieved from his position in the Chongqing province. In April 2012, Bo Xilai was also relieved from the central team of the party and also from the Politburo. In the end, in the month of November 2012, he was thrown out of the party.
To be continued...