Is the Left right?
That the Left parties, at the national level, undertook responsibility without power-craziness or spoils of office was indeed a rare feat. The UPA cannot expect such gestures from Samajwadi Party or RJD or NCP or even from AIADMK.
EVERY TIME there is a crisis at the Centre for the formation of the government, the Left parties are expected to “do the good Samaritan’s job” of providing support from outside without any share in the power. It is a thankless job. The Congress after the power is grabbed and enjoyed, kicks the Left at its sweet will and the humiliation meted out to them is still felt as an aggressive act of ungratefulness.
But unfortunately, the promise the UPA gave to the Left was broken when US imperialism was pampered in the name of signing the Nuclear Treaty. This was a gross violation of the Common Minimum Programme as it affected the independent Foreign Policy which India was expected to pursue for promoting multipolarity in world relations and to foil all attempts at unilateralism. Other promises in the CMP meant for the welfare of the toiling millions –their education, employment, and providing minimum amenities of life to them – were also not kept. Inflation is sky-rocketing, and people face indescribable hardships.
The Left played an important role always in the formation of the Third Front, the main purpose of which was to give India a secular government and to make it committed to the implementation of the Common Minimum Programme for the welfare of the people. The Vajpayee government, on the 13th day after assuming office, was defeated in the trust vote and the United Front assumed office. Those who accuse that the Left was responsible for the political growth of BJP are irrationally substantiating their claim. They never go by facts. The Left has never been a friend of the BJP and this is proved by the fact that in West Bengal, Kerala, and Tripura, the BJP has never been able to win a single assembly seat.
The Left parties have always tried to forge a non-Congress and non-BJP secular alternative government at the Centre. It supported Congress only to keep BJP away from the power.
The Left is right at present in helping the Third Front to emerge as a viable power and the Left was right in the past in supporting the UPA. Probably this is why Congress is trying to woo the Left. But this is not a very sincere gesture by the Congress yet again. In West Bengal today Congress forged an electoral alliance with Trinamool Congress (TMC) only to defeat the Left Front. But if Congress is compelled again to take the support of the Left including the major stakeholder Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI - M), then the Congress-TMC alliance may collapse and the dream of Mamata Banerjee to capture the chief minister’s chair may get shattered. The CPI (M) chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee does not rule out post poll alliance with Congress to hold BJP at bay.
But will the Congress be really able to woo the Left when it very well knows that it cannot then pursue its pro-American foreign policy so easily after gaining the conditional support of the Left? True, the spectre of communalism is there if BJP is not prevented from coming to power at the Centre. It is also undeniable that the Left will have an obligation to support Congress at least from outside. But in the recent past they had to withdraw their support on a grave issue. This time their support may prove very costly for Congress and it is also a fact that UPA will not come to power at the Centre if it does not take support of the Left.
So the Left is right. The Left was right. The Left will also be right in the future - is this your latest realisation Mr Prime Minister?
The Left parties have always tried to forge a non-Congress and non-BJP secular alternative government at the Centre. It supported Congress only to keep BJP away from the power.
The Left is right at present in helping the Third Front to emerge as a viable power and the Left was right in the past in supporting the UPA. Probably this is why Congress is trying to woo the Left. But this is not a very sincere gesture by the Congress yet again. In West Bengal today Congress forged an electoral alliance with Trinamool Congress (TMC) only to defeat the Left Front. But if Congress is compelled again to take the support of the Left including the major stakeholder Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI - M), then the Congress-TMC alliance may collapse and the dream of Mamata Banerjee to capture the chief minister’s chair may get shattered. The CPI (M) chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee does not rule out post poll alliance with Congress to hold BJP at bay.
But will the Congress be really able to woo the Left when it very well knows that it cannot then pursue its pro-American foreign policy so easily after gaining the conditional support of the Left? True, the spectre of communalism is there if BJP is not prevented from coming to power at the Centre. It is also undeniable that the Left will have an obligation to support Congress at least from outside. But in the recent past they had to withdraw their support on a grave issue. This time their support may prove very costly for Congress and it is also a fact that UPA will not come to power at the Centre if it does not take support of the Left.
So the Left is right. The Left was right. The Left will also be right in the future - is this your latest realisation Mr Prime Minister?
Login
 Login through Social ID
|
Not finding what you are looking for? Search here.
