08-05-2006, 12:52 AM
What if a 'Lebanon' comes up on our border
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Maoists's hatred of India -- indeed for Hinduism -- is no secret. Mere months after the weak seven-party alliance took power in Kathmandu the Maoists began to present the bill for their support, and even the Manmohan Singh ministry has been forced to take notice. (Interested readers should peruse this.) Please note that the Maoists are not against foreigners per se, they are making Indians a specific target, not, say, the Chinese. Draw your own conclusions from that!
There are some apologists who believe that there is no harm in the Maoists coming to power in Nepal. <b>These are the myopic men who applauded Sitaram Yechury's trip to Nepal, where the CPI-M Politburo member talked to the local Maoists. There was even talk of the Maoists in turn 'helping' with their Indian brethren, the Naxalites</b>.
This nonsense holds water only if you are living in a fool's paradise. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Naxalites as the greatest internal threat to India. And <b>West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee put it very tersely when he said, 'What do the Naxalites here ask for? They do not want us to construct roads or to conduct health camps. I see no logic in their demands. They don't have any socio-economic programme. All they want is to kill the police and the CPI-M.'</b>
In the same interview <b>Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also said, 'They will come to attend this constituent assembly (in Nepal). If the Maoists join mainstream politics, one can well imagine what the outcome will be. It is sheer madness." </b>It is worth reading the Rediff interview for the chief minister's views on illegal immigration from Bangladesh too!
The civil war in Spain began as the outcome of an outraged army taking on a radical Left. The civil war in Lebanon began as a conflict between Christians battling Muslims. Whether caused by religion or ideology, the result was the same. I see some of the same conditions being created in Nepal. King Gyanendra is indeed unpopular, but the middle class and the army are uneasy about their ministers' eagerness to appease the Maoists, not least in compromising the status of the Hindu religion. What will happen if the Maoists go too far?
I hope the Himalayan kingdom is not wrecked by the same bloodshed that stains the Lebanese hills. But, even as we hope for a peaceful evolution in Nepal, it would be prudent to prepare for a worst-case scenario. <b>Does the Manmohan Singh ministry -- functioning without an external affairs minister for over six months -- have any policy for Nepal?</b>
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Maoists's hatred of India -- indeed for Hinduism -- is no secret. Mere months after the weak seven-party alliance took power in Kathmandu the Maoists began to present the bill for their support, and even the Manmohan Singh ministry has been forced to take notice. (Interested readers should peruse this.) Please note that the Maoists are not against foreigners per se, they are making Indians a specific target, not, say, the Chinese. Draw your own conclusions from that!
There are some apologists who believe that there is no harm in the Maoists coming to power in Nepal. <b>These are the myopic men who applauded Sitaram Yechury's trip to Nepal, where the CPI-M Politburo member talked to the local Maoists. There was even talk of the Maoists in turn 'helping' with their Indian brethren, the Naxalites</b>.
This nonsense holds water only if you are living in a fool's paradise. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Naxalites as the greatest internal threat to India. And <b>West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee put it very tersely when he said, 'What do the Naxalites here ask for? They do not want us to construct roads or to conduct health camps. I see no logic in their demands. They don't have any socio-economic programme. All they want is to kill the police and the CPI-M.'</b>
In the same interview <b>Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also said, 'They will come to attend this constituent assembly (in Nepal). If the Maoists join mainstream politics, one can well imagine what the outcome will be. It is sheer madness." </b>It is worth reading the Rediff interview for the chief minister's views on illegal immigration from Bangladesh too!
The civil war in Spain began as the outcome of an outraged army taking on a radical Left. The civil war in Lebanon began as a conflict between Christians battling Muslims. Whether caused by religion or ideology, the result was the same. I see some of the same conditions being created in Nepal. King Gyanendra is indeed unpopular, but the middle class and the army are uneasy about their ministers' eagerness to appease the Maoists, not least in compromising the status of the Hindu religion. What will happen if the Maoists go too far?
I hope the Himalayan kingdom is not wrecked by the same bloodshed that stains the Lebanese hills. But, even as we hope for a peaceful evolution in Nepal, it would be prudent to prepare for a worst-case scenario. <b>Does the Manmohan Singh ministry -- functioning without an external affairs minister for over six months -- have any policy for Nepal?</b>
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