Date:04/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/04/stories/2009010459680900.htm

National

“Approach U.N. rather than rely on U.S.”

Staff Reporter

Prakash Karat

KOLKATA: India should approach the United Nations Security Council with the evidence collected on the Mumbai terror attacks rather than relying on the U.S. to solve the problem, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Saturday.

Addressing the 43rd anniversary celebrations of the CPI(M) daily Ganashakti, Mr. Karat said: “It is unfortunate that the ruling establishment thinks that terrorism can be fought with U.S.’ help … What prevents the Indian government to go with the evidence they have collected to the U.N. and ask the Security Council to take action against Pakistan according to Resolution 1373?”

Instead of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram handing over evidence to the U.S. during his visit to that country, “let us internationalise the Mumbai attacks because not only Indians, many people from other countries had also died in the attacks.”

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, both West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mr. Karat stressed the need for a political alternative to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, based on the principles of secularism, an independent foreign policy and pro-people policies.

The struggle for alternative economic policies and rights for the working class would not succeed if the Left parties alone took it up.

“We have to gather other powers around us for carrying forward the struggle,” Mr. Karat said.

He cautioned that the struggle would not succeed until the communal forces, “trying to deepen the divisions in society,” were “weakened and isolated.”

Speaking on the trouble and unrest brewing in several parts of West Bengal, Mr. Karat said: “What is happening in Lalgarh, Kolkata, Nandigram and north Bengal cannot be seen in isolation. It is a well-planned onslaught against the CPI(M) and the Left Front government where every kind of instrument is used to isolate and weaken the party and the government.”

Mr. Bhattacharjee said Maoists, political elements from Jharkhand and the Trinamool Congress misled the tribal people in Bankura, Purulia and Paschim Medinipur districts. “The Nandigram incident would not have happened if the Maoists had not joined hands with the Trinamool,” he said.

On the Gorkhaland issue, he said: “Why cannot we live together in harmony? Let there be an election and that will decide who will govern but what is the reason to break away?”

The Chief Minister underscored the need for greater industrialisation as agricultural development alone could not take the State forward. He regretted that unlike as in other States the Opposition here was bent on impeding development.