The Hindu : National : It’s improper camouflage, says CPI(M)

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Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007
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It’s improper camouflage, says CPI(M)

Special Correspondent

Shekhawat’s stand criticised

A candidate must state what platform he belongs to
This issue must be debated

NEW DELHI: Criticising Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat declaring himself an Independent in the Presidential elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has said the move is “not an honest position politically.”

“To camouflage and say he is an independent is politically not an honest position. For a person who has had a lifelong association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Jan Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, it is improper to pose as an independent now,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said at a briefing on the three-day central committee meeting, which ended here on Tuesday.

“A political process”

The election of the President was a political process. The CPI(M) expected a candidate with political affiliations to state what platform he or she belonged to, Mr. Karat said, and called for a debate on the issue. This was necessary since Mr. Shekhawat’s Government [he was Rajasthan Chief Minister then] was dismissed by the Centre in 1992 following the pulling down of the Babri Masjid and for its extending help in the demolition by sending “kar sevaks.” The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal.

As for the Vice-Presidential polls, Mr. Karat said there was a general understanding between the United Progressive Alliance and the Left parties that the candidate would not necessarily be from the Congress.

Food prices high

On the economic situation, the CPI(M) noted that food prices continued to remain high, though the Government claimed that the rate of inflation was going down. The wholesale price index for the week ended May 26 came down to 4.9 per cent, but the inflation rate for primary articles remained as high as 8.6 per cent. Charging the UPA Government with having failed to take effective steps to check price rise, the party reiterated that futures trading in essential commodities should be banned and the public distribution system strengthened.

The list of below the poverty line (BPL) beneficiaries should be expanded by changing the “unreasonable criteria and patently incorrect estimates” made on the basis of Planning Commission guidelines.

The draft Bill on social security for unorganised workers was “totally inadequate.” The meeting endorsed the party stand on regulation of retail trade and demanded that large-scale evictions in various States be stopped, pending finalisation of rules under the Forest Tribal Act.

Nuclear deal

On the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, the party said it was not clear what was being agreed to by the Manmohan Singh Government. The Hyde Act, passed by the U.S. Congress, set terms and conditions that were not acceptable. “The UPA Government should not try to clinch an agreement by compromising on vital issues or by trying to avoid such issues in the 123 bilateral agreement. It must realise the serious consequences of compromising on such an agreement, which will have permanent repercussions on our national interest and foreign policy.”

The party disapproved of the UPA Government’s decision to allow the USS Nimitz, a nuclear aircraft carrier, to call at the Chennai port.

The central committee decided to hold the 19th party congress in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, by the end of March next.

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