It8217;s the deal

In tune with the confrontationist mood among Left parties over the nuclear deal...

In tune with the confrontationist mood among Left parties over the nuclear deal, the latest issue of People8217;s Democracy has reserved some harsh words for the 8216;pro-nuclear deal lobby.8217; In an article titled 8216;Turning Point has Arrived8217;, PD says that attempts on the part of the pro-US media, supported by some 8220;sources in the PM8217;s office and the MEA, to picture the ongoing rounds of IAEA discussions as 8216;successful8217; is nothing but 8216;pure baloney.8221;8217;

According to the article that comes with the byline of 8216;Political Commentator8217;, the problem is not with the safeguards agreement with the IAEA but with the Hyde Act and the bilateral 123 agreement with the US.

PD alleges that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee continue to harp on the government8217;s effort to go ahead with the deal ignoring its earlier commitment to the UPA Left co-ordination committee. It says 8220;If the government thinks that after arriving at an agreed text with the IAEA on a safeguards agreement they can proceed to take the next steps for operationalising the agreement, they are mistaken. It will amount to gross violation of the majority of opinion in the Parliament8221;.

Reiterating that the Left parties will take 8220;all the necessary steps to stop the government from taking such a harmful step8221;, it says that it is for the Congress leadership to decide whether it wants to be seen as 8216;kowtowing8217; to the pressure of the US or acting democratically and heeding the voice of the people.

The article ends with a warning that the future of the government depends on the decision it will take on the nuclear deal.

Deoband8217;s call

According to an editorial, the fatwa issued by the Darul Uloom rejecting terrorism as 8216;un-Islamic8217; will have 8220;far reaching implications and profound consequences for the Indian polity.8221;

The PD editorial says that the fatwa has come at an 8220;important time in the context of the global war against terrorism launched by the US8221;. The fatwa has reiterated that terrorism has no religion; it also counters the argument that the Muslim clergy has been mainly silent over terrorist violence. 8220;Muslim organisations and Islamic institutions have often been as alert as any one else in condemning terrorist violence8221;, says the editorial.

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Criticising the RSS/BJP for categorising Muslims as 8216;anti-national8217;, the editorial accuses the BJP of trying to spread communal hatred for the sake of consolidating the majority vote bank.

The Deoband declaration is of immense value for strengthening the forces of secular democracy in the country and the unity of our multi-lingual and multi-cultural society, the editorial concludes.

Disturbed by budget

The PD has some good words and some bad words for the Union Budget. It feels that though the government has taken some positive steps in addressing agrarian distress, they fall short of what is required to address the concerns effectively. 8220;The FM8217;s announcement of debt relief for farmers in the budget is a welcome and long overdue step. But the debt relief measures proposed are deficient in some aspects8230;8221; it says.

According to the article, income tax relief announced in the budget is a positive step but it has failed to address the inflationary trends in the economy. A 8216;disturbing aspect8217; of the budget, it says, is its 8220;failure to provide an adequate fiscal stimulus to the Indian economy at a time when the world economy is poised for a down turn8221;.