03-11-2006, 12:24 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Left to Congress: How dare you?
Author: Seema Mustafa
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: March 5, 2006
A confrontation has erupted between the Left parties and the Congress-led government, which is accusing supporting allies of "communalising" the situation and playing "vote bank politics" after the large-scale demonstrations in all parts of the country against US President George W. Bush.
Minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma accused the Left parties on Saturday of playing "vote bank politics". CPI(M) MP and politburo member Brinda Karat responded angrily, saying, "Shameful, how dare they talk like that? It is this government that is trying to communalise the situation by refusing to ignore the secular resistance against US hegemonistic efforts."
Sharp differences have also developed between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Left parties over the discussions he had with President Bush on the situation in friendly countries. Left leaders are also particularly agitated at the government's silence over the US President's call for cooperation in reaching out to the "reformers and dissidents" in countries like Syria, Cuba and Zimbabwe, all regarded as friendly countries, at least till now, by Indian governments. The CPI issued a strong statement questioning President Bush's remarks "on Indian soil".
The participation of the minorities in the widespread protests has created a stir in the Congress Party with the government now seeking to minimise the impact. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be calling a meeting of Muslim scholars and intellectuals, the sources said, to explain to them that the nuclear agreement with the US was not directed against them or any "Muslim" country, but was beneficial for India. He will try and convince them that the nuclear deal was not an endorsement of US policies in Iraq. The sources said Iraq was a "problem" and that it was "sincerely hoped that Iran will not become a problem, we would not like the region to be destabilised".
The Left leaders said they were fully aware of the government's efforts to insist that only the Muslims were demonstrating in large numbers, and that the resistance to President George W. Bush's visit had a communal flavour. Ms Brinda Karat said it was amazing how the government had completely failed to "recognise the mood of the country" against the US. She said it was "extremely dangerous" for the government to try and communalise the protests in this manner. Significantly, while Congress Party leaders admit to being very worried about the street response and the impact this will have in the elections, the effort of the government is to brand this as either a Muslim protest, or conversely, as Mr Sharma said, a Left-sponsored protest in which the Muslims were mobilised. The Left parties. which had been supporting the Congress government on
the grounds of secularism, appear to have discarded this argument altogether as a reason for continuing support to the UPA government. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, leading the attack from the front, only last month accused the Congress Party of not tackling communalism in the country, and specifically in Gujarat. Addressing a massive demonstration in New Delhi now against the visit by President Bush, Mr Karat warned the government that the Left considered imperialism to be as dangerous as communalism in what the cadres read as an indication that support to the government on the basis of fighting communalism could no longer be taken for granted.
The CPI was visibly angry about the manner in which President Bush had attacked countries friendly to India "on Indian soil". US national security adviser Steve Hadley made it clear that Prime Minister Singh and President Bush had together also spoken about Iran, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan and Sudan as indicative of the "broad range of issues we discuss, and that the US and India are increasingly working together to address not just bilateral or regional issues, but also global issues of concern to both." Government sources here admitted that such discussions had taken place and that there was a convergence of views definitely on terrorism in Pakistan and Nepal. On Burma, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had "explained the compulsions" that led the government to support the regime, largely because Indian insurgents were otherwise being sheltered in north Burma in particular.
Prime Minister Singh, the sources said, had indicated to President Bush that more time and more space should be given to Iran. The issue will be discussed on March 6 at the IAEA board of governors meeting at Vienna and the Indian position, the sources said, will depend on the nature of the resolution. Mr Hadley told the American journalists earlier that the two leaders had discussed "the threat Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons poses to stability in the region". According to him, they also discussed Darfur and the President "spoke about the challenge to the international community to avoid genocide in Darfur" and spoke to Dr Manmohan Singh of the need to participate in the peacekeeping force there. The Left parties have warned that they will not tolerate deviation from the principles of an independent foreign policy, as stated in the common minimum programme. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So the same fifth column who once cut up the nation and shows more concern about Pan Islamic causes than Indian national interests is more important to Manmohan Singh than the majority of Indians that he even has to justify India-US nuclear deal to these traitors, shows the pathetic situation India is under.
Author: Seema Mustafa
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: March 5, 2006
A confrontation has erupted between the Left parties and the Congress-led government, which is accusing supporting allies of "communalising" the situation and playing "vote bank politics" after the large-scale demonstrations in all parts of the country against US President George W. Bush.
Minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma accused the Left parties on Saturday of playing "vote bank politics". CPI(M) MP and politburo member Brinda Karat responded angrily, saying, "Shameful, how dare they talk like that? It is this government that is trying to communalise the situation by refusing to ignore the secular resistance against US hegemonistic efforts."
Sharp differences have also developed between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Left parties over the discussions he had with President Bush on the situation in friendly countries. Left leaders are also particularly agitated at the government's silence over the US President's call for cooperation in reaching out to the "reformers and dissidents" in countries like Syria, Cuba and Zimbabwe, all regarded as friendly countries, at least till now, by Indian governments. The CPI issued a strong statement questioning President Bush's remarks "on Indian soil".
The participation of the minorities in the widespread protests has created a stir in the Congress Party with the government now seeking to minimise the impact. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be calling a meeting of Muslim scholars and intellectuals, the sources said, to explain to them that the nuclear agreement with the US was not directed against them or any "Muslim" country, but was beneficial for India. He will try and convince them that the nuclear deal was not an endorsement of US policies in Iraq. The sources said Iraq was a "problem" and that it was "sincerely hoped that Iran will not become a problem, we would not like the region to be destabilised".
The Left leaders said they were fully aware of the government's efforts to insist that only the Muslims were demonstrating in large numbers, and that the resistance to President George W. Bush's visit had a communal flavour. Ms Brinda Karat said it was amazing how the government had completely failed to "recognise the mood of the country" against the US. She said it was "extremely dangerous" for the government to try and communalise the protests in this manner. Significantly, while Congress Party leaders admit to being very worried about the street response and the impact this will have in the elections, the effort of the government is to brand this as either a Muslim protest, or conversely, as Mr Sharma said, a Left-sponsored protest in which the Muslims were mobilised. The Left parties. which had been supporting the Congress government on
the grounds of secularism, appear to have discarded this argument altogether as a reason for continuing support to the UPA government. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, leading the attack from the front, only last month accused the Congress Party of not tackling communalism in the country, and specifically in Gujarat. Addressing a massive demonstration in New Delhi now against the visit by President Bush, Mr Karat warned the government that the Left considered imperialism to be as dangerous as communalism in what the cadres read as an indication that support to the government on the basis of fighting communalism could no longer be taken for granted.
The CPI was visibly angry about the manner in which President Bush had attacked countries friendly to India "on Indian soil". US national security adviser Steve Hadley made it clear that Prime Minister Singh and President Bush had together also spoken about Iran, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan and Sudan as indicative of the "broad range of issues we discuss, and that the US and India are increasingly working together to address not just bilateral or regional issues, but also global issues of concern to both." Government sources here admitted that such discussions had taken place and that there was a convergence of views definitely on terrorism in Pakistan and Nepal. On Burma, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had "explained the compulsions" that led the government to support the regime, largely because Indian insurgents were otherwise being sheltered in north Burma in particular.
Prime Minister Singh, the sources said, had indicated to President Bush that more time and more space should be given to Iran. The issue will be discussed on March 6 at the IAEA board of governors meeting at Vienna and the Indian position, the sources said, will depend on the nature of the resolution. Mr Hadley told the American journalists earlier that the two leaders had discussed "the threat Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons poses to stability in the region". According to him, they also discussed Darfur and the President "spoke about the challenge to the international community to avoid genocide in Darfur" and spoke to Dr Manmohan Singh of the need to participate in the peacekeeping force there. The Left parties have warned that they will not tolerate deviation from the principles of an independent foreign policy, as stated in the common minimum programme. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So the same fifth column who once cut up the nation and shows more concern about Pan Islamic causes than Indian national interests is more important to Manmohan Singh than the majority of Indians that he even has to justify India-US nuclear deal to these traitors, shows the pathetic situation India is under.