The Hindu : New Delhi News : Left plays the Right role

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Left plays the Right role

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, OCT. 13 . The political ground appears to be slipping from under the feet of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Capital with each passing day. Plagued by severe infighting and inaction, the party has been unable to turn the heat on the Sheila Dikshit Government on important issues including closure of industries leaving the field open to other players particularly the communists who have grabbed the opportunity in a bid to expand their base in city politics.

The saffron party, going through the organisational polls in Delhi, has been unable to corner the Congress Government on such an important issue.

On the other hand, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have been quick to steal the show from the BJP and have virtually taken over the agitation against closure of industries in the Capital.

Interestingly, when the senior BJP leaders were battling within the party, senior national CPI and CPI (M) leaders hit the streets to be among the lakhs of industrial workers and entrepreneurs whose livelihood stands threatened. The CPI (M) and CPI leaders had also taken up the issue with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, for taking necessary steps to resolve the issue. Political observers feel that it was a well calculated move by the two communist parties to expand their base in the Capital in view of the absence of any other third force and failure of the BJP to take up the issue effectively.

The effective presence of communists on the Delhi political scene is nothing new as in the past also they have made it to the Delhi Metropolitan Council. However, over the last two decades, their representation in any elected set-up has virtually been nil.

The lack of any proper alternative or effective political direction has made the communists go into a re-thinking mode.

By taking up the issue of closure of industries, the communists are now clearly trying to widen their acceptability levels in the Capital's political circles and cash in on the failure of the saffron party to cater to this segment.

By taking up the cause of the affected parties the communist parties are not only making inroads into the labour sector but also a different strata of society, which could prove to be helpful in the long run.

This is the very reason that the supporters of the Rajasthan Governor, Madan Lal Khurana, are pressing for his return to city politics. It is felt that Mr. Khurana would be able to generate the interest and heat over the issue and motivate the party cadres into action.

The communists had also been critical of the Sheila Dikshit Government on privatisation of power, an issue that the BJP failed to take up effectively despite severe indictment by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his latest report tabled in the Assembly.

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

New Delhi