Opinion View from the LEFT

Interestingly,the lead editorial in CPI mouthpiece New Age says the language and phrases being used by Union ministers,particularly P. Chidambaram,is deplorable by all means and it cannot accept concepts like “waging a war” against Maoists,keeping open the option of using the army and the air force. “There is no question of waging war against our own population. It will only aggravate the situation and may lead to civil war-like situation in certain areas controlled by these forces,” it says and notes that the deployment of army and paramilitary forces for long periods in disturbed areas like J&K and the Northeast have led to human rights violations resulting in further isolation of people in these areas.

The CPI,however,agrees with the CPM’s view that Maoist insurgency cannot be fought merely as a law and order problem and it has to be dealt with politically and countered with massive developmental activities to isolate them.

Modi’s boost

The war of words between Congress and Amitabh Bachchan may have subsided,but the comrades in hindsight feel that the controversy only helped Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as it diverted the focus from his questioning by the SIT in connection with the Gujarat riots. “The Congress successfully bailed out Narendra Modi while targeting Amitabh. They think they can create embarrassment for Amitabh,and perhaps there are not far from the truth. But does it help to isolate Modi?” CPI Deputy General Secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy asks in an article in New Age.

Recalling Bachchan’s association with Rajiv Gandhi,he says the actor was never known to be pro-BJP,but “now the Congress is trying to force him to get closer to the BJP. “Sometimes I wonder whether the Congress is shortsighted,or does it commit mistakes with a purpose,to save their political rival,the BJP? The Congress attack against Amitabh is one such step.”

The buck stops

Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s visit to Lalgarh and his “buck stops with you” advice to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya certainly angered the CPM. In an article in the latest edition of party mouthpiece People’s Democracy,the party calls that the Home Minister’s journey to Lalgarh “uneventful”,noting a special helipad had to be built at Lalgarh for his “bump-free landing”,at some considerable cost to the cash-strapped state government. “Well,one takes such VVIP visits in unfazed stride — and merely tightens one’s belt,” the article quips.

So what did the home minister do in Lalgarh? In the CPM’s words,“well,he got out of the helicopter,cuddled a few babies in the best style of US presidential candidates on the campaign trail,had one or two good words of greetings to say to the villagers… had a smile on his face even when he listened to the villagers talking grimly of the torture tactics,arson,mayhem,kangaroo courts,and killing by sharp weapons of CPM leaders as well as workers….”

And then he told the rural masses — “who had gathered around more out of curiosity than anything else” not to romanticise the Maoists.

“By coming to Bengal and Lalgarh,he certainly satisfied and reassured the depleting leadership and cadreship ranks of the Pradesh Congress,” it says — and,interestingly,notes that the Maoists made no efforts to cause any discomfort or mental agony to the home minister despite having called for a boycott of his visit.

“Unlike Buddhadeb’s visit to Salboni last year,no mines were blown,no IED’s were exploded,no protest marches ordered. Is the message clear politically,or what?”