Suicidal moves

In the latest issue of People8217;s Democracy - which was an Independence Day special - Prakash Karat says...

In the latest issue of People8217;s Democracy 8211; which was an Independence Day special 8211; Prakash Karat says independence and national sovereignty are inseparable and argues that the strategic alliance with the US will prove detrimental to India8217;s national sovereignty. In the article titled 8220;Independence requires defence of national sovereignty8221;, he says the determination with which the government is going ahead to operationalise the Indo-US nuclear deal shows that the Congress cannot be relied upon to defend national sovereignty. 8220;By adopting such a pro-imperialist policy, the Congress will not be able to counter the BJP and the communal forces8230;8221; he says.

Banking on polarisation

The editorial, which focussed on strengthening the sovereign secular democratic foundations of India alleges that the BJP and the RSS were bent upon intensifying communal polarisation and enlarging the Amarnath confrontation to the national level. 8220;Clearly, they see a window of opportunity to consolidate the 8220;Hindu vote bank8221; at the expense of mayhem and bloodshed that this may well lead to8221;.

The communal forces are abetted by the separatist extremist forces in the Kashmir valley. 8220;A temporary change in the land use pattern to provide facilities for the yatris only for the duration of the yatra has been projected by these forces as a permanent settlement8230;,8221; it claims. The UPA government, which has come into existence primarily on the claim to safeguard the secular foundations of India, has failed so far to douse these flames, it claims.

Science versus belief

Another article titled 8220;Ram Setu: A Myth or Reality8221; by Professor Suraj Bhan argues that Adam8217;s Bridge was not a manmade structure and says propaganda being indulged in by right-wing political parties and their ideologues is totally unscientific. The controversy was caused by images taken by space shuttles and space capsules of NASA some years back which created an illusion of a ribbon like causeway below the sea level. The formation was explained as a series of barrier island caused by tidal action and sedimentation. A study by The Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad concluded that it comprised of 103 small patch reefs in a linear pattern. 8220;Literary, archaeological and geological investigations have demonstrated beyond doubt that the Ram Setu or Adam8217;s Bridge is not a manmade structure,8221; he adds.