Left Sees Red, Readies Billboards

THE CPI-M has its red flags, placards and slogans ready. India is not for Sale, is the party's war-cry in the run-up to President Clinton's visit to India.

As part of its efforts to step up its campaign against the US gameplan in the region and the BJP government's surrender to it, the CPI-M has come out with a publication that demands that the superpower keep its hands off India.

Along with this, the party had earlier joined hands with like-minded forces to hammer out an anti-imperialist charter of the Indian people" which was the basis of a powerful manifestation of India's patriotic sentiments" against the US.

 

In its latest publication, the party pointed out that while normally, a visit by the Head of a State of a country would be a welcome event, the Clinton visit is invested with more than usual significance, it said.

The USA is aggressively pushing forward its plan for global hegemony and India is one of the prime targets in this global strategy of US imperialism," Politburo member Prakash Karat said in the 20-page booklet, adding that the Vajpayee government accepts the need for a strategic partnership with the US.

Accordingly, he said, Clinton will bring his own agenda for India, an agenda which is shaped by the interests of American big business and the ruling establishment.

Mr Clinton's list of demands, he said, would include that India sign the CTBT, stop development of missile technology, discuss Kashmir with Pakistan under US auspices, open up further for American companies and liberalise the imports for American goods.

Mr Clinton will press that India accepts more stringent provisions under the WTO regime, including labour and environmental standards, and will offer closer military and security collaboration, he said.

However, Any concessions offered will be subject to the Vajpayee government accepting the role of a junior partner in a strategic alliance, the CPI-M leader warned, emphasising that Mr Vajpayee has no right to barter away the country's interests.

CPI-ML stand: The CPI (ML) Red Flag has broadened the scope of its anti-Clinton and anti-imperialism campaign to include an attack on the RSS for cheating the people with its overtly swadeshi overtones.

Giving details of the party's action plan, party all India secretary K N Ramachandran said that the weeklong programme will express people's hatred towards imperialism.

Branding US imperialism as the arch enemy of the world's people, Mr K N Ramachandran pointed out that Mr Clinton is coming not to deliver us out of economic crisis, but to create more favourable conditions for the plunder of the MNCs. He is coming here not to lessen Indo-Pak tensions and arms race but to intensify them.