Left can’t stop harping on detoxification

The editorial explains the Left’s logic. It says: ‘‘The Left will continue to champion the interests of the country…It shall insist on purging the administration and the systems of all influences and personnel that sought to undermine the secular democratic character of the Indian Republic… It is such an agenda that the Left will continuously seek to set in the interests of India and its people.’’

This is a carefully thought out policy of the Left. Surjeet’s article was published only after the Government’s four months in office. The signal sent through the article was that enough time has been given to the Centre to initiate, what the Left believes, are corrective measures. There have been times during the BJP regime when the Left and Congress had together protested drastic measures taken against ‘‘secular’’ intellectuals. Besides, as Left leaders point out, the ‘‘secular’’ platform is one major area where they and the Congressmen really see eye to eye.

Already, differences over economic issues have caused enough bad blood. This is one demand, which Congress can concede, without bothering about ideology or other political concerns. The timing of this demand has raised a few eyebrows. There is speculation that this might be the Left’s way of hitting back at the UPA for the way it brought the curtains down on the Planning Commission dispute. Four Left-leaning members were shown the door, with the foreigners, when the mid-term consultative committees were dismantled in a single all-pervasive decision.

In this week’s editorial, the Left has hit out at BJP for all the criticism voiced in the wake of Surjeet’s article. It says: ‘‘All the hopes of RSS/BJP & Co. to try and exploit the differences between the Left and UPA in order to destabilise the Government are coming to naught…’’

The Left believes that in the ‘‘course of the last four months or so, the nature and character of national discourse has drastically changed.’’ The editorial argues: ‘‘During the period when communal forces ruled the roost through their control of state power, the national discourse was dominated by rabid communal issues which had very little to do with the day-to-day existence problems of the people — cricket pitches were dug up to prevent Pakistan from playing in India; Ghulam Ali was prevented from singing; M.F. Hussain from displaying his paintings; Deepa Mehta from shooting her film etc. All on grounds that sought to inflame communal passions.’’

It is obvious from the tone of the article that the Left won’t give up the fight. Not just I&B Minister Jaipal Reddy who, according to Left leaders, has not taken up the detoxification exercise in earnest, it even wants HRD Minister Arjun Singh to maintain the pace of the drive.

But it does not take credit for former Censor Board head Anupam Kher’s exit. ‘‘Things don’t move so fast in the corridors of power. Kher could not have been removed within 48 hours of the article. The government must have made up its mind earlier,’’ it says.