Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 21

The Secretary General of the CPI, Mr A.B. Bardhan, today hailed the proposed Indo-Pak summit scheduled between July 14 and 16. However, he cautioned that there should not be high expectations. “This is a long-pending problem which cannot be solved overnight”, he commented.

Talking to reporters after addressing a rally organised by the All-India Trade Union Congress, Mr Bardhan said: “Although it is a belated development, but it should be welcome”. He sought to downplay the assumptions that these talks were prompted by the USA. “Let us not discuss who prompted it. Whether these are guided by the Americans or prompted by the UP elections, that is immaterial. What matters is that this is a good development for peace and religion stability”, he explained.

Asserting that the talks would not produce any immediate results he hoped that this process would continue. “We hope this process is continued as this is a 50-year-old problem which cannot be solved overnight”, he pointed out. Commenting on his party’s stand on the issue, he said, “We believe that India and Pakistan should live like good neighbours as they have no reasons for hostility against each other”.

Commenting on his party’s stand for the forthcoming Assembly elections in UP and Punjab, he said, Punjab was so far not a priority and any alliances or adjustments can be thought of at a later stage. About UP, he ruled out any alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. He said, negotiations were on at forming a broad-based alliance there led by the Samajwadi Party leader, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav. He did not rule out an alliance with the Congress.

He pointed out, the Left and other like-minded parties accorded top priority to UP. He said, if the BJP was outstaged in UP it would loose the authority to rule at the Centre. He claimed: “The BJP lost moral authority after the Tehelka.com disclosures and it will loose political authority after the UP elections”.

The veteran Left leader apprehended that the BJP might whip up communal passions again in the country, particularly in UP. He said the deposition of the Union Home Minister Mr L.K. Advani before the Liberahan Commission probing the Babri demolition only reflected the set mindset of the Hindutva protagonists who would do anything for the sake of winning elections.

Mr Bardhan said about five lakh employees working in ordnance factories would go for a 48 hour strike on July 23 and 24. This will be followed by a nationwide strike by the government employees to protest against the privatisation process of the Government of India. All Left affiliated organisations would stage a dharna in front of Parliament at the start of the monsoon session against the anti-worker policies of the government.