Author: Bhaskar Roy
Publication: The Times of India
Date: October 9, 2001
Veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu's
critical remarks about the activity of certain Islamic groups in West Bengal
have come as a surprise to some of his colleagues in the Left front.
Commenting on the situation following
the Centre's ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) at the
People's Front meeting here last Friday, Mr Basu expressed concern at the
uneasy nature of the utterances and functioning of such outfits.
Mr Basu, chairman of the front,
deplored the fundamentalist activity in the districts of Murshidabad and
Malda.
He was of the view that raising
pro-Pakistan slogans by such elements was anti-national. According to sources,
Mr Basu felt that action should be taken against such groups on the basis
of evidence. "Such things cannot be allowed to go on," he apparently remarked.
Interestingly, Mr Basu's views did
not form part of the press note issued after the People's Front meeting.
The unpublicised comments have generated curiosity in the Left circles
as for their purpose. One view is that it was an astute way of making it
clear that the Left establishment in Bengal was uncomfortable with the
growing presence and rabid tone of some of these groups. The state government
some time back drew the attention of the Union home ministry to this issue,
particularly in the districts bordering Bangladesh.
Though the CPM is hesitant to openly
talk about the activities of such groups because of its secular stand,
the former chief minister's remarks seem to have been intended to reflect
the uneasiness in' the state's ruling front about the fringe fundamentalist
groups. Mr Basu had mentioned that tapes and Osama bin Laden's pictures
were recovered by the police during raids on these groups.
But CPM politburo member Prakash
Karat on Monday reaffirmed the party's position that the government should
produce evidence against SIMI to justify the ban. "What about other fundamentalist
organisations like the Bajrang Dal?" he asked. He said the West Bengal
government had arrested activists of certain organisations on the basis
of information provided by the Centre.
RSP central secretariat member and
MP Abani Roy felt that Mr Basu's remarks "signify that the Left is opposed
to all hues of communalism". He said the former chief minister had kept
the overall communal situation in mind.