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Left on the offensive

	November 06, 2006

With the Winter session of Parliament scheduled to begin on Nov. 22, the Left parties appear to be intensifying their offensive against what they call “the wrong economic policies” of the Government. They are also raising the issue of the Government’s deviation from the traditional foreign policy of non-alignment.



The CPI(M) said on Oct. 31 that the party will focus on the agrarian crisis, social development and what it called the “ongoing economic struggle” during the coming Parliament session. A party leader said, “more than half the government’s term is over. This is the time to act and get things done, because much of what was promised in the Common Minimum Programme remains to be done.”



The party is also insistent on introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the coming session. A party leader said the Congress president’s recent remarks on the Bill have put a question mark on the Bill.



In another significant development, the CPI(M) has demanded that the Central Government reduce the prices of diesel and petrol to the pre-June level since international crude prices are now hovering around dollars 57 to 58 a barrel against the peak of 71 a barrel during May. Party general secretary Prakash Karat has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he strongly felt that the price hike should be reviewed again in the light of recent developments.



In an interview with a news agency, Prakash Karat criticised the Government’s foreign policy, particularly what he called “strategic alliance” with the United States. He said the strategic alliance with Washington has gone beyond normal ties and close relations.



Karat disclosed that at one time after July last year’s nuclear agreement with the United States, the party seriously considered whether to continue support to the UPA and the Government was told about it. He said the CPI(M) came close to withdrawing support to the Government at the time. He said the move was abandoned after the Government woke up to the party concerns.



“There is a deep-rooted sentiment drawn from our experience of the freedom struggle about imperialism. In general, people react to this. The BJP underestimated it.



“We made it a big issue in 2004. There is great patriotism in this country. What I am saying is that let them [UPA] not underestimate that [patriotism],” Karat said, referring to the Parliament resolution against sending Indian troops to Iraq during the BJP’s tenure. “And if we feel that the Government is not protecting the interests, our vital interests, national interests, we will go to the people and the price will be paid later. What I am saying is that the foreign policy is of major concern to us,” he said.



Asked if at any time the Left had seriously considered breaking the support to the Government in the last two and a half years, Karat said “well, on foreign policy, definitely yes. Iran, and around that time, post-July 2005, has been a period when our party leadership discussed if this is the direction in which the Government is going, then it will be difficult for the Left to sustain our support.”



Asked whether it was an ultimatum, Karat said: “No. It was not an ultimatum. On Iran, definitely, they did not listen to us. They went ahead.”





No change in basic foreign and economic policies : PM



The Prime Minister used Left-ruled Kerala last week to defend the UPA government’s economic and foreign policies. Addressing a function in Thiruvananthapuram on Nov. 1 on the occasion of fifty years of Kerala’s formation, Dr. Manmohan Singh rejected the contention that globalization resulted in agrarian crisis and efforts to improve ties with the United States marked a radical shift in foreign policy.



Dr. Manmohan Singh dismissed the argument that globalization and imports were behind the periodic crises in plantation and traditional sectors, and said that the problem should be tackled by applying modern science and technology to improve yields. He promised a special package to bail out the crisis-ridden plantation and traditional sectors in Kerala and asked the state to invest more in skill-based education to provide employment to its youth.



Speaking at a Congress convention, Dr. Manmohan Singh took a veiled dig at the Left parties’ charge that the Centre’s policies were responsible for Kerala’s woes. He said the blame should not be put on the UPA Government at the Centre, but be placed elsewhere.



Alluding to the Left criticism of his Government’s foreign policy, Manmohan Singh said, “Sometimes confusion is sought to be created that there has been a change in foreign policy. In terms of our basic objective, there is no change.”



The Left parties, which provide crucial outside support to the UPA coalition at the Centre have serious differences over the Government’s foreign policy, accusing it of having a pro-US tilt.



India wanted the goodwill and cooperation of big powers like the US, Russia and China, but this did not mean there was a shift from the basic policies followed since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister said, adding there was some change in the flexibility of tactics as needed by the times.



While seeking to develop ties with big powers like the US, Russia and China, he said, India was trying to develop friendly ties with Pakistan despite the issue of terrorism.