08-24-2007, 01:07 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Let Left do it now </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
And share blame for the mess
The Central Committee of the CPI(M) has met and decided, as was expected, to endorse the Polit Bureau's stand on the 123 Agreement to operationalise the India-US civil nuclear cooperation deal. Those looking for straws to clutch as the UPA Government inexorably inches closer to a looming crisis would claim that CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat's comments to mediapersons after the two-day meeting of the Central Committee indicate a softening in the stand of the Marxists and hence suggest that the Left is willing to step back rather than force the issue by taking the conflict to a point of no return. But this would be an erroneous assessment and while it may calm frayed nerves in the Treasury Benches, it is unlikely to bring about any material change in the situation that has now gathered a momentum of its own. The Central Committee has recorded that it "does not want the current crisis to affect the Government", but it has added a caveat: "However, this is contingent upon the Government not proceeding further with the agreement." For good measure, it has authorised the Polit Bureau "to take whatever necessary measures to see that the agreement is not operationalised." Lest the Marxists's intention be misinterpreted despite such clarity in the Central Committee's resolution, reiterating the CPI(M)'s official position, Mr Karat made it a point to tell newspersons: "If the Government decides to operationalise the agreement, the responsibility for the future of this Government lies with the Government... It is dependent on how the Government acts."
The Prime Minister has only two options at this stage: He can either 'act' and push ahead with operationalising the deal by initiating discussions with the IAEA on India-specific safeguards as a prelude to taking India's case to the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers' Group, or he can call a halt to the process. <span style='color:red'>Either way, the Prime Minister has to make his Government's decision public; he may have succeeded in keeping the deal a secret till the text of the 123 Agreement was finalised, but he cannot conduct discussions with either the IAEA or the NSG behind the smokescreen of secrecy</span>. In a sense, he finds himself trapped between a rock and a hard place, a situation as much of his own making as that of the Left. So does the Congress find itself in a massive jam: If it gives the political go-ahead to the Prime Minister, it will signal the breaking of relations with the Left; if it tells the Prime Minister to lump the deal, then it will run the risk of losing face both at home and abroad. Mr Karat, therefore, has summed up the situation without over-stating the Left's contention by asserting that "it is dependent on how the Government acts". No doubt, this is excellent political strategy, but it does not necessarily fetch credit to the Left, especially the CPI(M). <b>If 'ideology' is the main issue that has energised the comrades into demonstrating that they can do more than just 'bark' at the Government, then there is no reason why they can't reach out and topple the regime. Not only would that prove they mean business and are willing to go to any extent, but also spare the country needless political instability. Let's face it: With each passing day, the UPA Government is becoming increasingly untenable and its authority is rapidly diminishing. If it must exit, let the departure not be delayed.</b> More important, let the Left not escape its share of the blame for the consequences of its politics of cynical opportunism.Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So why he want to keep it sceret anymore, bring it out.
The Pioneer Edit Desk
And share blame for the mess
The Central Committee of the CPI(M) has met and decided, as was expected, to endorse the Polit Bureau's stand on the 123 Agreement to operationalise the India-US civil nuclear cooperation deal. Those looking for straws to clutch as the UPA Government inexorably inches closer to a looming crisis would claim that CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat's comments to mediapersons after the two-day meeting of the Central Committee indicate a softening in the stand of the Marxists and hence suggest that the Left is willing to step back rather than force the issue by taking the conflict to a point of no return. But this would be an erroneous assessment and while it may calm frayed nerves in the Treasury Benches, it is unlikely to bring about any material change in the situation that has now gathered a momentum of its own. The Central Committee has recorded that it "does not want the current crisis to affect the Government", but it has added a caveat: "However, this is contingent upon the Government not proceeding further with the agreement." For good measure, it has authorised the Polit Bureau "to take whatever necessary measures to see that the agreement is not operationalised." Lest the Marxists's intention be misinterpreted despite such clarity in the Central Committee's resolution, reiterating the CPI(M)'s official position, Mr Karat made it a point to tell newspersons: "If the Government decides to operationalise the agreement, the responsibility for the future of this Government lies with the Government... It is dependent on how the Government acts."
The Prime Minister has only two options at this stage: He can either 'act' and push ahead with operationalising the deal by initiating discussions with the IAEA on India-specific safeguards as a prelude to taking India's case to the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers' Group, or he can call a halt to the process. <span style='color:red'>Either way, the Prime Minister has to make his Government's decision public; he may have succeeded in keeping the deal a secret till the text of the 123 Agreement was finalised, but he cannot conduct discussions with either the IAEA or the NSG behind the smokescreen of secrecy</span>. In a sense, he finds himself trapped between a rock and a hard place, a situation as much of his own making as that of the Left. So does the Congress find itself in a massive jam: If it gives the political go-ahead to the Prime Minister, it will signal the breaking of relations with the Left; if it tells the Prime Minister to lump the deal, then it will run the risk of losing face both at home and abroad. Mr Karat, therefore, has summed up the situation without over-stating the Left's contention by asserting that "it is dependent on how the Government acts". No doubt, this is excellent political strategy, but it does not necessarily fetch credit to the Left, especially the CPI(M). <b>If 'ideology' is the main issue that has energised the comrades into demonstrating that they can do more than just 'bark' at the Government, then there is no reason why they can't reach out and topple the regime. Not only would that prove they mean business and are willing to go to any extent, but also spare the country needless political instability. Let's face it: With each passing day, the UPA Government is becoming increasingly untenable and its authority is rapidly diminishing. If it must exit, let the departure not be delayed.</b> More important, let the Left not escape its share of the blame for the consequences of its politics of cynical opportunism.Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So why he want to keep it sceret anymore, bring it out.