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Journalism of Courage
Beyond the sound bites of the immediate political crisis which the Left parties have worked up over the nuclear deal, lies a larger predicament. This is not the first time that the Indian Left has taken a stand that is eye-catchingly at odds with the national mainstream. This is not the first time it has invited accusations that its tactical 8212; or ideological 8212; postures are inspired or dictated by national interests of other countries. This will not be the first time that Left parties will be paying a price for completely misreading the national moment. The only difference is that unlike in the past, Left wrong-footedness will take a higher political toll on it. The Left has more at stake this time, and therefore it has more to lose.
A line appears to run through the stances taken by India8217;s Left in 1942, 1962 and 2007. In 1942, the Communist Party of India officially refused to endorse the impassioned call to 8216;Quit India8217;. The reason was not far to seek, or only as far as Moscow. In 1941, Hitler had attacked the Soviet Union; for Indian communists, the fight against Nazism had become a people8217;s war, and Britain an ally. In 1962, a section of Indian communists chose to support China. It was a position that led to an implosion in the Party; it split into two. But there was no resolution, really. The consequences of both those choices 8212; in 1942 as well as in 1962 8212; have continued to chase the communist movement in India. They have lingered in the public consciousness as a reminder of the Indian Left8217;s lack of ease with its own place in the nation-state, defined not merely as a geographical entity but as a bounded way of political and cultural being. Now the Left8217;s knee-jerk opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal again suggests a lack of empathy for the national consensus, and a sympathy for China8217;s position on the issue.
