The latest issue of People’s Democracy has come down heavily on the Revolutionary Socialist Party for its move to form a larger Left Front. An article titled, ‘Whither RSP?’ accuses that party of taking “a stance which is harmful for Left unity nationally and for the strengthening of the Left Front in West Bengal.” Referring to the RSP’s move to convene “a conclave of Left parties, groups and like-minded intellectuals”, to discuss the formation of a “broader Left Front”, PD says,”There is no harm in striving to broaden the Left Front. But how does the RSP propose to go about it?” Questioning the RSP’s move to invite parties like SUCI, Naxalites and Maoists, PD says that the SUCI had forged an alliance with the Trinamul Congress during panchayat elections in West Bengal. “Is that what qualifies them for attending the conclave? Does the RSP consider such an alliance characteristic of a Left party?” it asks. Criticising the RSP for inviting Maoists for the Left conclave, the article says that more than 30 cadres of the CPM have been killed by Maoist gangs in the last two years in West Bengal alone. “For Kshiti Goswami and Abani Roy, the Maoists are the real Left. For the former, the CPM is not a Left party and for the latter, CPM leaders are ‘more evil’ than life-long capitalists. The CPM should presumably still be grateful, that it is at least being invited,” the article says. Continuing its tirade against the RSP, the article says that Abani Roy, in his anxiety to demarcate his party from the CPM, has crossed all lines of political decorum. “The RSP was a part of the Left parties call nationally and the Left Front’s call in West Bengal for a general strike against the petrol price hike. Yet, he condemns this strike in West Bengal by stating that the CPM ‘used threats and intimidation to enforce a bandh on June 5’”, it says. “Can there be a more hypocritical and deceitful position than this?” it asks. “One can understand political criticism and different views expressed by the RSP but such low level tactics do not behove a leader of a party who is a partner in the Left Front,” it adds. Ending the article on a conciliatory note, PD says that the CPM is prepared to discuss all political and policy questions with its Left Front partners, so that differences are ironed out and unity is strengthened. “This is what the people of West Bengal and the country want. It is for the RSP to decide whether it wants to be part of this process or aid those who wish to disrupt Left unity,” it concludes.Merits of the dealAn article titled, ‘Left Bashing At Whose Behest?’ says that CPM-bashing on account of its opposition to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal is reaching a crescendo. Taking up the main accusation against the CPM — that its opposition to the nuclear deal is at China’s bidding — the article says, “The CPM’s policy directions are always determined by its own perceptions of India’s interests. If our detractors are worthy of character and substance, then they ought to meet our arguments on their merits, not through perfidy.”Referring to the criticism against the CPM for preventing India’s energy augmentation by opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal, the article asks, “Is nuclear energy expansion the only, or the best option that we have today? Further, is nuclear power cost-effective?” “On the contrary”, it says, “it is the most expensive option. As compared to coal, it would be one and a half times more expensive. Compared with gas, it is twice as expensive”. “Is India then actually going in for this deal to bolster US economic interests? If the same amount of resources were to be spent on generating power through other sources. Thus, the nuclear deal not only exposes India to greater vulnerability in areas of strategic security concerns and independent foreign policy as noted in these columns in the past, it drains a huge amount of our scarce resources,” it says.
