Opinion View from the LEFT

His argument — the US firmed up a strategic partnership with India keeping China in mind and as part of its Asian strategy. Besides,Washington wants to be advantageously placed to invest and exploit India’s huge market and would like New Delhi’s support for its Af-Pak policy. Essentially,the Manmohan Singh visit has underlined the character of the Indo-US strategic alliance. “The US has enlisted India as a military ally and is on the way to becoming a large scale supplier of weapons which will enormously benefit its arms companies. Besides,the US has been able to prise open various sectors of the economy for American capital and is now looking forward to FDI in higher education,retail and other services. The Indo-US nuclear deal has straitjacketed India into adopting positions contrary to an independent foreign policy,he says.

Washington,unlike what the pro-American acolytes in the Indian establishment want,will continue to accord importance to Pakistan,which is not only a non-Nato major ally but also its dubious partner in the “war against terror”. Referring to Manmohan Singh’s first visit to the US in 2005,he says “nothing has changed in between except that India is now more firmly aligned with the United States.

Dubai and its copycats

The Dubai World debacle prompted the CPI to take a dig at Union Surface Transport Minister Kamal Nath,who it says had some time back lauded the UAE-government-owned firm as a model of future development of real estates. The lead editorial in CPI’s weekly organ New Age says Kamal Nath wanted the model to be adopted in India with major share from the private sector including foreign capital. “Will he now learn a lesson or two from the Dubai debacle or will continue to beat drums for the international finance capital that is at the root of the global economic melt-down?” it asks.

As regarding the crisis faced by the Dubai World,it says if immediate measures are not taken by the rulers of Dubai,and other oil-rich emirates refuse to come to the rescue of Dubai,it may lead to the government of Dubai itself going broke. “If that happens,it will definitely trigger another serious phase of the global meltdown.”

BJP on the brink

Contrary to the general perception,the CPI feels the Liberhan report on the demolition of Babri Masjid may hasten the downslide of the BJP. An article in New Age says the report has come out at the worst time for the BJP and was bound to aggravate the internal crisis. “Even before the party could decide on a smooth succession to the next generation of leaders,the revival of memories of the only successful,though highly divisive,movement it had ever organised was bound to exacerbate its internal rifts,” it says.

It observes that L.K. Advani,who had been indicted by the probe panel,would now seize the opportunity provided by the urging of majoritarian sentiments in the party and in the sangh parivar,to try and return to centre-stage. Besides,the report has given an opportunity to the hardliners in the party to bounce back,which could also pose a threat to the NDA,the article analyses.