Look who146;s communal

This is with reference to T.V.R. Shenoy8217;s article, 8216;Too many Red faces8217; IE, November 17. I am rather disappointed that he h...

This is with reference to T.V.R. Shenoy8217;s article, 8216;Too many Red faces8217; IE, November 17. I am rather disappointed that he has chosen to attack the Samajwadi Party-Left Front stand on the US-Iran standoff on fallacious grounds. His observations are astounding and obliterates the finer differences between a seasoned journalist and a politician with a particular agenda.

First, it8217;s outrageous to state that we are guided by communal considerations and had called the Islamic clergy. My friend, Prakash Karat, talked about the long historical ties India shares with Iran, which dates back to five thousand years ago. This has been twisted out of context by certain sections of the media. I am rather amazed by Shenoy8217;s observation that we hijacked domestic politics by raking up this issue. When were our views on this topic ascertained by the Sonia Gandhi-led UPA regime? This is ample proof of the Nehruvian consensus on foreign policy being torn to shreds under the Congress leadership.

Second, the present situation has certainly generated a fear psychosis among the minorities, especially Muslims who have had to suffer for the generalisations being made 8212; post-9/11 8212; about jihadis and Islam, around the world. In the case of India, the ambiguous signals sent out by the UPA regime over the war on Iraq and on the US-Iran standoff, has aggravated the situation. If our moves are being given a communal colour, then why is Shenoy shying away from extending the same treatment to Sonia Gandhi8217;s regime8212; which has allegedly colluded with the US?

In any case, the Samajwadi Party8212;under the leadership of Mulayam Singh8212; has better means to woo what Shenoy terms as 8216;Muslim votes8217;. Our track record in terms of the empowerment of the weaker sections and minorities is well-known and so is our record in curbing any kind of communal strife in the state. We would rather humbly submit that it would be suicidal for India to join the US bandwagon and its chorus on war on terror, this time by trying to gag Iran.

As for Mr Shenoy, it8217;s probably the right time for him to consider joining active politics and expressing his views as a politician. While political issues can be deliberated upon and analysed along ideological and ethical lines, there clearly exists a difference between the world of journalism and that of politics. The segregation is important for a journalist who 8212; whatever his personal ideological orientation may be 8212; is expected to be neutral. Which is why they say, the pen is mightier than the sword.

The writer is the general secretary of the Samajwadi Party