Among Old Comrades, There Are Red Faces
MOSCOW — Old habits die hard at the Soviet Parliament where delegates in the post-Communist era are still calling each other tavarishch (comrade).
Even President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who gave up the Communist Party leadership Aug. 24 in the wake of the failed coup that dealt a death blow to the party, has used the term when speaking at the Congress of People’s Deputies session, which opened Monday.
The 2,000 deputies burst out laughing when a deputy from Soviet Central Asia opened a speech by saying: “Comrades” before pausing in confusion.
Another deputy apologized as he used the term, saying, “I’m sorry for calling you ‘comrades,’ but I’ve done it for so many years.”
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