RUSSIA’S COMMUNISTS REJECT YELTSIN’S PROPOSAL TO BURY LENIN.

Publication: Monitor Volume: 3 Issue: 112

Russian Communist leaders have rejected President Boris Yeltsin’scall for a nationwide referendum on removing Lenin’s mummifiedcorpse from its Red Square tomb. Visiting St. Petersburg lastweek on his first regional trip since last year’s presidentialelection, Yeltsin said Red Square should not be used as a graveyardand proposed that Lenin should be given a Christian burial. Hesuggested holding a referendum in the autumn. Communist memberof parliament Viktor Ilyukhin said Lenin’s removal could provoke"a major social conflict," but the Communist speakerof the Duma, Gennady Seleznev, was more restrained. "Russiahas enough problems already," Seleznev said, "and thisis not the most important." (Itar-Tass, Reuter, June 6 and7)

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