BHARAT BANDH, 20TH
SEPTEMBER 2012.
We all have witnessed the tamasha on Bharat Bandh, a call
given by BJP and eight opposition parties.
Otherwise what would have been a serious affair has turned out to be a ridiculous
event. What is very strange and
unacceptable is that CPM and CPI were sharing the stage with BJP. Later Sitaram Yechuri was questioned about
his participation in the Bandh and sharing the stage with BJP. He resorted to
justify his stand by saying that the event was called by traders and he was
with the traders’ agitation against FDI in retail. He even went out to bring Mulayam Singh
Yadhav to the venue to share the cause with BJP and others. We shall reflect on the drama staged by
Mulayam Singh later.
Does CPM and CPI not know that when NDA under the leadership
of BJP was in power they were keen to get FDI in multi brand retail to India? Do they not know the stand NDA and
particularly BJP had taken on disinvestment and their zeal to implement the Neo
Liberal policies initiated by Narasimha Rao?
BPJ and its spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad admitted just two days
before the Bandh that they would allow FDI in retail but their approach would
be different. He admitted this when he
was cornered with a question of their plan to bring in FDI in retail to India
during their rule and that in Panjab where they share power with Akali Dal,
Walmart is already operating since some years.
He had argued that the time for FDI retail is not ripe yet. The he was taunted with a statement, ‘the
time will be ripe when BJP comes to power’.
There seems to be so much truth in this.
We should recall the revelation made by Wiki leaks
cables. On May 6, 2005 Arun Jaitley
seemed to have remarked to Robert Blake at the US embassy that 'Hindu
nationalism' is an 'opportunistic issue' for his party (Economic Times and DNA March 26, 2011). Given this revelation we know that the
agitation by BJP against FDI in retail is also an opportunist issue and they
will implement this the moment they come to power.
It is pity that when the toiling masses are looking at the
left parties to champion their cause and take a principled stand on the issues
related to their plight that the left decides to play a drama.
After a while CPM
leaders are seen into another honeymoon with Mulayam Singh Yadhav about 20
meters away from the venue of NDA drama. Mulayam made it clear that he was not with BJP
and NDA in their bandh. He even
succeeded in preventing Telugu Desam chief, Chandra Babu Naidu from joining with
the BJP on their stage. Here Mulayam Singh
Yadhav declares a third front, an alternative to BJP led NDA and Congress led
UPA. Who authorised him to make this declaration? He complains
that the UPA did not consult him on FDI retail or diesel price hike. But an important issue such as formation of Third
Front he seemed to have consulted no one and all the parties outside UPA and
NDA are supposed to be part of this front.
May be the Left parties and TDP would be the only constituents of this
front. With all his show of agitation
against FDI in retial, diesel price hike etc he still continues to support
UPA. Whereas Mamata walked out of
alliance with UPA on these issues she did not call for a bandh in West Bengal.
We are not sure why Mayavati, Naveen Patnaik, Jaya Lalitha,
Shiv Sena, Mamata Banerjee did not participate in the bandh. Are they in the Fourth Front?