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Journalism of Courage
Should the UPA be celebrating the return of the Left to the coordination committee? Or should it now give up any attempts at proposing economic reforms and prepare, instead, to tailor all its policy initiatives 8212; foreign or domestic 8212; to fit the Left agenda? Since Left parties opted out of the coordination committee with such ease and came back after having successfully cowed down the Manmohan Singh government on the issue of Bhel disinvestment, they may have learnt the dividends of blackmailing the Congress. Indeed, if we are to go by the soundbites emanating from the smaller Left parties, the prospects of smooth coordination between the Left and the UPA appear remote.
There are numerous differences between the Left and the UPA: on India8217;s position at the WTO, on India8217;s foreign policy, on India8217;s nuclear policy and policy towards Iran, on the new pension system, on the role of the government and on the role of public sector. The most recent example of the Left8217;s willingness to strike and wound the UPA and its government was the nation-wide trade union strike called on September 29. In the latest issue of People8217;s Democracy, not only has Karat applauded the nation-wide strike, he has threatened more.
