Chandigarh, March 29
The Communist Party of India (CPI) today called for unity amongst all Communist parties that could act as a platform to jointly fight against the Congress and the BJP, clearly indicating that the political equations were undergoing changes in the country.
“The UPA government cannot take our support for granted and this support is not perpetual.” That’s the straight talk the CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan did while addressing a mass rally on the eve of the 19th party congress here.
Indicating that the UPA government was taking several decisions which were contrary to the Common Minimum Programme, he said the Left parties would not continue to extend outside support to the Congress-led coalition if it continued to violate the letter and spirit of the CMP.
On the controversial Patents Bill, which has been passed by the government with the support of the Left parties, he said “the last word on Patent’s Bill has not been said. This is only a third amendment to the Act and if need be fourth amendment would be brought in.”
He expressed the apprehension that drug prices would skyrocket and the poor would be deprived of life saving drugs and many would die due to lack of it.
Mr Bardhan said the decision of the Congress to “ditch” some of the allies in the Bihar and Jharkhand Assembly election has only benefited the BJP.
“What has the Congress party achieved by this. Jharkhand is now ruled by BJP and in Bihar it is a hung Assembly where President’s rule has been imposed. The Congress, after having tasted power at the Centre after a gap, thought that it can take the secular parties for a ride,” he said.
Mr Bardhan said the Congress party should mend its ways or it would be in a big trouble.
On the sale of F-16s to Pakistan by the US, he said this is Washington’s move to initiate an arms race in
South Asia.
Mr Bardhan urged the government not to fall in this trap. He warned against going ahead with the purchase of F-18s, as promised by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her recent trip to the country.
All these years, when we required arms, Washington had been opposing it and now the US wants to sell arms to India, he said.
He described this move of Washington as an attempt to thwart the ongoing peace initiatives between the two nuclear South Asian neighbours.
People to people contact between India and Pakistan was the way forward in forcing the governments in the countries to take peace initiative to the logical conclusion, he said. The Kashmir issue was a delicate issue which could only be solved through talks.
On the water dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad, he said “When the water issue between Punjab and Haryana and Rajasthan cannot be resolved, how can we expect the water dispute between two countries to be resolved quickly.”
He urged the UPA leadership to declare Wagah border as the border of peace to send a strong confidence building measure between the two nations, especially in view of the visit by the Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, to watch the cricket match in Delhi.
Expressing his displeasure over the increasing interference in the country’s decision making process by the US, he said “India should not follow the dictate of Washington and should frame its energy security policy in accordance with the national interest.”
Ms Rice during her recent tour to the region had objected to the Iran-India gas pipe line, which has to pass through Pakistan.
