Author: Shyam Khosla
Publication: Organiser
Date: November 18, 2007
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=210&page=5
Several security experts and political commentators
have underlined the need for the Congress and the BJP to set aside their differences
over the nuclear deal and to forge a common front to defeat the communists
who, they believe, are undermining national interests. They are not suggesting
an alliance or coalition between the two parties-that, in any case, is not
possible at this juncture-but a common understanding on broad framework of
foreign policy and security concerns so that India can maintain continuity
in policies on sensitive and crucial issues. What appears to have provoked
several well meaning intellectuals to make almost identical proposals at different
forums is the disillusionment with the Left parties' all-out efforts to derail
the process of building Indo-US strategic partnership. They bemoan lack of
adequate communication between these parties on major issues, particularly
Indo-US civil nuclear deal. K. Subrahmanyam, a noted defence analyst went
to the extent of urging nationalist parties to forge a common front against
the Left parties in Parliament on the issue. This is most unlikely to happen
not because there are fundamental differences on the issue between these parties
but because of the Congress party's inherent fear of losing Muslim support
if it were seen close to the BJP on any major issue. That partly explains
why the Congress never tried to seek BJP support on its policy of liberalisation.
The result is a major set back to economic reforms that is perceived to be
Dr. Manmohan Singh's primary concern.
Although there were sharp differences between
the Congress and the BJP in 90s when the Congress ran a minority government
under P.V. Narasimaha Rao, the then Prime Minister maintained cordial relations
with the leader of the Opposition. Quite often during that critical period,
he persuaded the Opposition to bail out the Government on crucial issues.
The motivation was not to allow the national interest to suffer at the hands
of competitive party interests. This informal arrangement collapsed after
Rao used the "hawala" cases to trap his detractors and critics in
the Opposition as well as his own party. During the NDA rule, the Opposition
didn't respond to Government's attempt to build national consensus on major
security issues. Pokhran II was a bold and strategic move that called for
national consensus. Unfortunately, several senior Congress leaders bitterly
attacked the Shakti tests accusing the BJP of undermining national interests.
The criticism was uncalled for as successive Congress Prime Ministers had
played a role in building nuclear arsenal and Pokhran II was a defining moment
in our post-Independence history. It was the starting point for India to be
taken seriously by the international community.
On the nuclear issue, BJP has serious reservation
over the manner in which the Government is conducting the negotiations. The
party has time and again said that its major concern is the impact the Hyde
Act may have on building our nuclear arsenal. It wants to be assured that
no provision in the deal would destroy or weaken the integrity of our nuclear
weapon programme. However, BJP is equally concerned that nothing should be
done that would affect nation's credibility among the international community.
It also wants that the process of Indo-US strategic relations set in motion
by it when it was in power should be taken forward. The party is equally interested
in liberating India from technology apartheid that has hurt our economy and
development for decades. Former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra,
who played no mean role in the shift in India's foreign policy during NDA
rule, says he is not happy with the manner in which UPA dealt with the Opposition
on the issue. He admits that Government kept him informed about the negotiations
with US on the deal but regrets that his repeated requests to deal with the
political leadership in the BJP was ignored. Recently, the Government has
made efforts, albeit belatedly, to reach out to the principal opposition party
to address its concerns. US too launched a diplomatic offensive to convince
the Opposition of the merits of the deal. It is, however, unclear if these
moves would be able to break the deadlock.
Prakash Karat's latest stand on the deal articulated
in a structured speech he recently delivered at Kolkata is revealing. He made
it absolutely clear that the Left parties' opposition to the deal is not on
technical grounds. Its opposition, he says, is based on its policy to prevent
a strategic partnership between US and India to frustrate American design
to encircle China. He finds it intolerable that an "imperialist"
power is using a "bourgeois" country to hurt the interest of a socialist
country. The Communists perceive it their bounden duty to prevent such a catastrophe.
Those who are aware of Communists' track record are not surprised for it is
not the first time that the Communists are betraying national causes to serve
international communism. They are the one who came up with ideological justification
for the country's Partition and followed it up by blaming India when Pakistan
attacked Kashmir in 1965. The communists were out of sync with the national
mood during the Quit India movement and sided with British imperialism to
serve the cause of erstwhile Soviet Union. Pro-China elements in the CPI opposed
the Government in the wake of Chinese aggression in 1962. It led to a split
between pro-Beijing and pro-Moscow factions. The Communists welcomed China's
nuclear tests in 1964 that posed a grave danger to our national security but
were extremely upset when India became a nuclear power and blamed the BJP
for disturbing regional peace and stability by conducting tests. Karat says
his party's would do all in its power to block Indo-US cooperation what to
talk of strategic alliance between them. While Communists are worried about
American strategy to encircle China, they never blame China for its strategic
moves to encircle India. They have not uttered a word of criticism for what
Chinese are doing in Tibet to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial
integrity. They see no reason to be concerned about Chinese moves to encircle
India by establishing naval bases all around it to monitor its naval movements.
Patriotic forces need to join hands to frustrate Communists' dangerous moves.
Those who are aware of Communists' track record
are not surprised, for, it is not the first time that the Communists are betraying
national causes to serve international communism. They are the one who came
up with ideological justification for the country's partition and followed
it up by blaming India when Pakistan invaded Kashmir.
