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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Karat stops short of ‘Thank you, Didi’ by JP Yadav

Karat stops short of ‘Thank you, Didi’ by JP Yadav

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published Published on Dec 7, 2011   modified Modified on Dec 7, 2011

Prakash Karat today came close to thanking Mamata Banerjee, not for defeating the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government but for thwarting the Manmohan Singh government.

“Will be very happy if she hijacks our issue,” the CPM general secretary said in reply to a question whether Mamata had snatched the Left’s plank on foreign direct investment in retail.

After the pat — presumably in jest — came the prod. “I think Trinamul should not be satisfied with abeyance (of the FDI decision). They should argue for complete cancellation of the decision,” Karat said, releasing a booklet on FDI in retail.

If Mamata is willing to oblige him, what Karat said after that should make the chief minister cringe, given her allergy to the BJP and the years of toil to bury her one-time association with the NDA.

“We will unite with all other forces opposed to it (FDI in retail),” the CPM leader said. Since the BJP is at the forefront of the Opposition forces against FDI, Karat’s statement would seem to include the NDA spearhead as well.

It is not clear which will be more anathema to Mamata — being advised by Karat on how to make his party “very happy” or being clubbed in public with the forces that once cost her dear.

However, as always in matters related to the CPM, the Bengal chief minister may relish the flip side.

Karat has now publicly acknowledged, in a lighter vein or otherwise, Mamata’s role in persuading the government to rethink the FDI decision. Unwittingly or otherwise, he has also vacated the anti-reforms space to Mamata.

This effectively means that Karat has anointed the leader of the Bengal government as the de facto opposition leader as well, leaving the still-crestfallen Bengal unit of his party officially unemployed.

The CPM boss went on to praise the BJP for changing its position on economic reforms. “It’s good. I am very happy more and more parties understand the reality. I hope they (BJP) will take a re-look at their position (on the pension bill).”

Digging in his heels on the eve of the all-party meeting on FDI, Karat claimed the government’s move to “suspend” the FDI decision was a ploy to push it through the backdoor and vowed not to allow it.

“We want complete cancellation of the policy. If the government thinks they can manoeuvre and bring this back, they are mistaken. We will unite with all other forces opposed to it,” the CPM general secretary said.

Any relationship with the BJP is a core ideological issue for the CPM. Karat’s intention to join hands with all forces, including the BJP, is believed to reflect the party’s desperation given its depleted strength at the Centre.

Leaders close to Karat sought to justify his stand, saying that aligning with the BJP for a larger cause was a prudent tactical line.

A CPM leader said: “The biggest danger before the country is the neo-liberal policy being followed by the present government. What is wrong in co-ordinating with the BJP to stop the government from taking measures that will impact the livelihood of the poor?”

However, it remains to be seen how the Bengal unit, yet to recover from the desertion of minorities, will view such a sentiment.

Party insiders said the CPM was chalking out its strategy in close co-ordination with the BJP. The Left was not in favour of stalling Parliament indefinitely, but it would not shy away from backing the BJP till a rollback assurance was given to Parliament, they said.


The Telegraph, 7 December, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111207/jsp/frontpage/story_14848951.jsp


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