The Hindu : CMP's poser to Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 11, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

CMP's poser to Advani

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 10. The Communist Marxist Party (CMP) leader, C. P. John, has asked the Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, to clarify why a State like Uttar Pradesh, which has been the cradle of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, continued to be most backward in the country.

In an open letter to the Deputy Prime Minister, who is on his first leg of Bharat Uday Yatra, Mr. John pointed out that Mr. Advani's rath yatras of the late 1980s had been able to consolidate Hindu sentiments in the Hindi heartland mainly due to the lapses and divisions and inaccurate political assessments by secular forces, particularly the Left and its allies in the erstwhile Third Front. Now that Mr. Advani had shifted his focus from Ram Janmabhoomi to India Shining Campaign after five years in office, Mr. John wanted to know why Uttar Pradesh continued to be backward since Mr. Advani's political identification had been with Lord Ram, the symbol of good governance.

Mr. John wanted Mr. Advani to clarify the basis of the BJP's feel good campaign in the context of the situation in UP. He said that while South India was shining in the IT sector, the BJP strong-holds in North had made no significant development. In the case of Gujarat, Mr. John pointed out that the massacre of Gujarat had diminished India's image among the comity of nations.

"I would like to ask you whether you have any programme to meet the victims like the innocent Best Bakery family, who suffered on account of the riots and the cruelty on the part of your Government," he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala