The Hindu : Left parties criticise Govt. silence on Palestinian cause

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 11, 2003

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Left parties criticise Govt. silence on Palestinian cause

By K.V. Prasad

NEW DELHI SEPT. 10. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today charged that the Vajpayee Government had abandoned even the pretext of supporting the Palestinian cause for independence during the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. In a statement, the CPI(M) politburo said the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in his speech at the banquet made no reference to India's support for a Palestinian State except saying that India would like to see an end to violence and the restoration of "peace in these troubled lands."

"Even the United States of America states that for peace in the region to be ensured, an independent Palestinian State has to be set up. But the BJP-led Government is not even prepared to say what its mentor states," the statement said.

The refusal to even mention that peace could be ensured in the region only when Israel agreed to the setting up of a Palestinian State showed the extent to which the BJP had compromised India's position in order to ally with the Sharon regime which was notorious for its military expansionism.

In a statement, the CPI(ML) condemned the BJP Government's `game plan' to tag India with the U.S.-Israel `reactionary axis' which it said was totally against India's national interest.

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