Left's incessant desire

Vikash Ranjan

New Delhi

Tue, 15 Jul 2008: 

Left is flying high in its constantly augmented scathing attack on Congress. Left allies were first seen adamant on Indo-US nuclear deal and now its increasing stubborn approach has stunned every political analyst. At least it is being considered the Left would not like to spoil relations with the Congress in-perpetty so that they could not get ways to return in future.

However, soon after withdrawing support to the government, the CPM leader Sitaram Yechuri said that alliance with Congress in future could be possible, with certain conditions.

But now it seems that Left parties are adamant to break up all relations with Congress and ready to jump in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with new political equations.

Left, which was critical of Mayawati led-Bahujan Samajwadi Party, can be seen today on the same platform. Though the current matching frame of mind is being talked about limited to voting against the government on “trust vote”, it is evident here that politicians does not unravel their cards at once rather they wait for the ripe time and open it one-by-one as best fitted to the existing circumstances.

It should not be a surprise if pre-poll alliance between Left and BSP comes as the next political development. The Third Front evacuated by the Samajwadi Party could replace Bahujan Samaj Party and if Left want to form another front with Mayawati and other UNPA leaders, it must need to know other political parties' stand on nuclear deal.

If any political party is opposing Congress move on nuclear deal is not because it is against the deal rather opposing it owing to its personal equation with Congress. If, today Samajwadi Party is stood by the UPA government, that's not because of nuclear deal or national interest, but because of its own political advantages. Likewise, Mayawati's maintaining distances with Congress and her withdrawal of support to the UPA is because of her own political gains and exigencies, and not owing to party's political dogmas.

Today's Left Front is completely different from what it was known for; its political principles, doctrines, definite stand etc. It seems that with changing time it has also transformed itself from a “principled party” taking cause of common men to the “unprincipled power hungry political party.” If it’s not true then how could it allow itself to stand along with other political parties known for their unprincipled politics? In fact, Left has a dual personality: on one side it talks about the “principle” on nuclear deal and pledges not to bend and on the other hand is prepared to shake hands with those political parties which again I would say, are known for their unprincipled politics whose party's ideologies change with time to suit their political interest.

Left alleges that Congress also stood with BJP in pulling down VP Singh government. Does it mean it just following Congress' track? Or, does it mean that Left has no objection with Saffron party's ideology? Some of Left leaders though are talking about approval with BSP or BJP on voting against trust vote only, but, if they cradle the same mentality, time is not far away when they would be seen together battling elections against Congress.

However, Left leaders are themselves looking divided over nuclear deal. Some of them are critical in coming on the same platform with BJP and many, including the party patriarch veteran Jyoti Basu consider BJP the biggest threat than deal.

But overlooking all these differences of opinion, the CPM leader Prakash Karat- led Left perhaps has made the issue of deal as its question of prestige. And so they have no hesitation to go to any extreme to pull down the Congress-led UPA government. The present pressure mounting upon the Lok Sabha Speaker, who is above the cheap politics, to withdraw from the post is not different from the Left's pressure tactics.

Other issues of national interest infused with people's worry like price rise, inflation etc that is not less in significance than deal would no doubt be pushed to the corner by all the parties in whose eyes their political gains are prime than other issues affecting people a lot.