Monitoring Indian Communists - 3

[dhu]

Congress Maoist nexus is quite in the open now.



[url="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101229/jsp/nation/story_13364399.jsp"]Cong uneasy with Sen sentence[/url]

The life term handed to rights activist Binayak Sen has led to a deep sense of disquiet among Congress leaders and the unease can be felt at different levels, beyond even those known for their left-of-centre views.



If general secretary Digvijay Singh, who had argued against a military solution to the Maoist problem, sought a review of the Chhattisgarh trial court’s sentence, others voiced “strong disapproval” of the punishment.



Sen, Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Calcutta-based businessman Piyush Guha were on Friday sentenced to life in prison for sedition. Fifty-eight-year-old Sen, a paediatrician by training and vice-president of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties, was charged with acting as a courier for Sanyal.



“I feel that Sen is a very fine human being and because of this, the judgment against him needs to be reviewed,” Digvijay said.



Others feared the punishment given to Sen “would send a wrong message”.



“Any sensitive person will have a problem with the verdict,” a Congress minister told The Telegraph on the condition that he wouldn’t be named because of legal issues. “This is not going to help our efforts in addressing the sense of alienation among the tribal people either.”



Most Congress leaders are willing to believe that Sen might have had links with Maoists and could even be labelled a “sympathiser” but feel the punishment is extremely harsh.



Party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed, however, refused comment on the verdict. “We don’t usually comment on court verdicts. The higher judiciary will look into the matter and hence we will not even comment on the merit of the case,” Ahmed said today.



Asked if the Congress would ignore the unrest among a section of civil society and rights activists after Sen’s conviction, Ahmed said: “We have learnt from the media that there are discrepancies in the case. We would like the prosecuting agencies and the judiciary to address these concerns. We hope the higher judiciary will look into these issues.”



The party’s official response stopped short of demanding a review but the hint was it was not happy with the verdict.



Asked if the Congress saw any merit in the responses of rights activists, Ahmed said: “The judiciary should address the discrepancies in the case keeping in mind the support extended to Dr Sen by some sections of the society and the issues raised by them.”



Quizzed on whether the Congress thinks there should be a greater degree of tolerance for alternative views on complex issues like the Maoist menace in a liberal society, the spokesperson said Naxalism was “not a simple law and order” problem.



“We have always supported a holistic approach. If there are genuine grievances of the people, they should be addressed,” he said.



Asked about space in society for Maoist sympathisers and ideologues, Ahmed said “there cannot be any lenient view” on persons who believe in violence and kill innocent citizens.



“The law of the land has to be upheld by governments. But if someone had joined the Naxalites and wants to return to the mainstream after realising his or her mistake, they should be given a chance. (But) those who support killing of innocent persons should be dealt with firmly,” the spokesperson added.



Does the party think Sen supports killing innocent people? The Congress would rather let the courts decide that.