Opinion Restraint in Kashmir
In the light of the turmoil in Kashmir,the CPM says that the alienation of the people is expressing itself through mass protests...
In the light of the turmoil in Kashmir,the CPM says that the alienation of the people is expressing itself through mass protests and strikes when there are atrocities committed by the security forces. Given hardline separatist tactics of inciting the youth to confront the police,it calls for maximum restraint and says stone-throwing youth must be tackled without resorting to firing.
The lead editorial in CPM weekly mouthpiece Peoples Democracy says what stands out in the J&K situation currently is the complete lack of any political initiative by the Central government and points out that it was time the UPA gets down to the serious business of providing the political framework for the process of dialogue and the crystallisation of a political settlement within the state of J&K. The prime ministers visit to Srinagar in the first week of June was remarkable for the lack of any worthwhile political initiative to tackle the basic problems. The round-table talks have gone nowhere. The UPA government seems oblivious of the need to revive the political process whereby issues such as provision of maximum autonomy for the state and regional autonomy for the three regions can be discussed and concretised alongwith the dialogue with Pakistan which is just beginning to resume.
Righting the Left
As the Left Front government completed 33 years in office,Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee made yet another desperate bid to win back the confidence of the people. He gave an interview to party daily Ganashakti confessing that his government had made mistakes and is trying to make amends.
After the setback in Lok Sabha election,he says the Left Front has identified areas in the governments planning and action where mistakes have been made. Bhattacharjee identifies land acquisition as one such area. We have now become more careful. The policies for acquisition of land for industries and rehabilitation must be made more realistic,so that the peasantry and the people in general accept that and participate voluntarily, he says.
We will protect the fertile lands while non fertile lands would be used for industrialisation. In this case too,we have to be much more sincere on compensation and rehabilitation. If the poor people feel ignored in any area of government and panchayat activities,we have to correct those mistakes. We have to be more sincere about the development of minorities, he says. Besides,he says there have been instances of undesirable activities which have dented the partys image and we have decided to rectify quickly.
Covering tracks
The CPI feels the Group of Ministers on the Bhopal tragedy has made an attempt to hoodwink the people. It says the motive behind the swiftness with which the GoM came out with its recommendations was to cover up certain serious crimes committed by the Congress regime of the early 1980s and the follies of the rulers in the succeeding years.
The editorial in CPI mouthpiece New Age says the GoM did not feel it necessary (either) to remove the apprehensions in the minds of the people that the judicial process,even at the highest level was manipulated to help the American multinational. By all accounts,it is obvious that Rajiv Gandhi government had deliberated allowed the American culprit to run away from the country. It could not be the decision of either a state chief minister (Arjun Singh) or the then Union home minister (P.V. Narasimha Rao) alone. The then prime minister was very much responsible for the episode, it says criticising the GoMs silence on this aspect. The compensation package announced has also come under criticism since it has not covered all the victims till date,it says noting that the culprits Union Carbide and its present owner Dow Chemicals have not been touched at all.
Compiled by Manoj C.G
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