Visit Gives Warring Left Parties A Chance To Unite

THE US President has succeeded where Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the fall of the Vajpayee Government and the parliamentary elections have failed.

Mr Bill Clinton's visit prompted the four main Left parties to come together on a common platform today to announce that notwithstanding the ban imposed on rallies, they will organise a protest march on March 21 in Delhi and will also boycott his Parliament address the following day.

The smaller Left formations like the Forward Bloc and the RSP set the agenda by publicly announcing a boycott.

Later, at a joint Press conference of the four Left parties, CPI-M general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet made the agenda clear by asking, "Could you imagine us attending it?" and then wen on to add that they "would not attend it."

 

Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat maintained that the party's MPs would be "busy" in organising the campaign against US imperialism.

CPI's D Raja emphasised that the CPI and the other Left parties did not attach any significance to Mr Clinton's speech at Parliament's Central Hall.

While interacting with reporters, both Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc) and Abani Roy (RSP) were emphatic that the Left was boycotting the address. The CPI-ML (Liberation) had also announced at the very outset that its two members would boycott the address.

At the Press conference, the leaders also released copies of their letter to Union Home Minister L K Advani to protest against the blanket ban imposed on demonstrations in the Capital and demanded that permission be given for the protest rally on March 21.

If the government fails to adopt a democratic attitude in this matter, the committee formed in Delhi will go ahead with the planned demonstration to express the views of the Indian people on the hostile attitude of the American government.

Expressing "shock" that the Delhi Police authorities had refused permission for the demonstration, the four Left leaders queried whether India was following in the footsteps of Pakistan where the military regime had announced a ban on all political meetings and rallies.

In their letter, they drew the Home Minister's attention to the fact that the US sanctions on India, curbs on technology, interference in the Kashmir issue and attempts to divert markets in favour of US multinationals have been a cause for widespread concern in the country.

They have stressed that it is normal in a democratic country for political parties to organise peaceful protest against the policies of a country whose head of state comes on an official visit.

The CPI-ML (Liberation) and the CPI-(ML) Red Flag also announced a series of protests in Delhi and other parts of the country, particularly in the cities Mr Clinton is scheduled to visit.