COMMIES CRITICIZE RAIL BUDGET
peace
The exact objective of President Kumaratunga's visit to India has not been
officially spelt out, but going by reports from New Delhi, she appears to be
trying to rejuvenate SAARC, which has been lying comatose for well over two
years as well as discuss bilateral issues, particularly the problem of
terrorism in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, the last Chairman of SAARC, has had the unenviable task of being
burdened with the paralysed body of SAARC and has been trying hard to
resuscitate it. The last attempt was when a meeting of officials of SAARC
were summoned in Colombo in order to kick-start the process but apparently
without success. Yesterday's reports from New Delhi said that a
'breakthrough' had been achieved during President Kumaratunga's visit and
that a meeting of foreign secretaries will be held in the next few months,
which would be followed by a meeting of foreign ministers and finally the
Summit will be held.
SAARC was stalled not due to problems within the seven-member South Asian
organisation but because of Indo-Pakistan rivalry. Whether tempers have
cooled - with a ceasefire being declared on the Line of Control, although
incidents in the powder keg of Kashmir continue - for the South Asian
organisation to resume its tardy progress is hard to say. Only the Sri
Lankan government-controlled state media is speaking of a 'breakthrough'.
Much more important to Sri Lanka are the talks President Kumaratunga had
with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the Sri Lankan terrorist
problem. India having played no mean role in fostering the problem, still
continues to be a key player in our problem. For instance, the Norwegian
facilitator/(or mediator?) Eric Solheim continues to call on New Delhi after
consultations with the Tigers in Europe or the Sri Lankan government. Some
say that this is because India is South Asia's 'regional power' and Sri
Lanka falls within its 'sphere of influence'. Even if we accept this concept
of regional hegemonism, it has to be pointed out that India in recent times
has become a rather reluctant regional power. This was seen recently when
the LTTE appeared to be on the verge of taking over the Jaffna peninsula by
driving out the Sri Lankan forces. Despite frantic appeals by Sri Lanka,
India stayed put 'offering only humanitarian assistance'. This is despite
the fact that if the LTTE controlled north Sri Lanka, it would have been
very much detrimental to New Delhi's interests, besides Prabhakaran being a
wanted murderer in India.
All this is explained away on New Delhi's 'Tamil Nadu compulsions',
particularly now, that the BJP-led coalition is being propped up by pro-LTTE
Tamil Nadu parties. While this may be a perfectly sound explanation for the
reluctance of the 'regional power' to act in its own interests, it leaves
open the question: What is India's Sri Lankan policy? Or what is the Indian
government's policy towards the LTTE?
What is India telling the enthusiastic European missionaries of peace on
what its stand on Sri Lanka is? India's declared Sri Lanka policy is that it
stands for the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, while
protecting Tamil interests. That is, of course, what Ms Indira Gandhi
declared when she was promoting Sri Lankan terrorist groups on Indian soil
and Rajiv Gandhi said even after forcibly landing Indian troops here. That
is what the European Union, Britain and most western countries say their Sri
Lanka policy is. All these policies on Sri Lanka fit in neatly to the
minimalist demand of the LTTE: A confederation of two states within Sri
Lanka - a penultimate step towards a separate state.
But what do they say to the basic demands of the Tamil separatists?
Recognition of the 'Tamil Nation', right to self-determination, a separate
Tamil homeland and right to secede? If a confederation, along with these
demands, is agreed upon, a separate state will be a fait accompli.
To European nations, resolving the Sri Lankan issue is not vital to their
national interests. At best, it would be another humanitarian effort, with
the tantalising possibility of the Nobel Peace Prize being attached. To our
former colonial masters in London, this is not an opportunity for the Sri
Lankan whipper-snappers to dictate what the British policy on terrorism
should be.
'We know what is best for our former colonies.'
Never mind, if the poor fellows can't even win a cricket match these days!
But India should realise that a separate state in Sri Lanka could be a
prelude that could lead to the cracking up of the Indian Union. A Jeckyll
and Hyde Sri Lankan policy will not do.
<address....@web.site www.mantra.com/jyotish (Dr. Jai Maharaj)> wrote
in message news:Bharat-174...@news.mantra.com...
> CPI(M) criticises rail budget
>
> The Hindu
>
> Indraprasth, Feb. 27 (PTI) - CPI(M) today strongly
> criticised the Railway Budget for 2001-02 saying the
> document was "full of gimmicks."
>
> "While safety has been a major casualty, freight hike
> will contribute to inflationary pressures," CPI(M) MP
> Rupchand Pal told reporters.
>
> Pal, who addressed a press conference along with senior
> party MPs, including Basudeb Acharia and Dipankar
> Mukherjee, said the domestic industry would be at a
> disadvantge following the rail budget.
>
> They expressed apprehension that hike in passenger fares
> would be effected immediately after the West Bengal
> Assembly elections.
>
> Acharia said it was perhaps for the first time that no
> new project had been announced. "There will be stagnation
> in expansion of railway network across the country."
>
> Accusing Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee of not being
> fair to West Bengal, he said no special package had been
> given to the State. Nilotpal Basu and Hannan Mollah, both
> CPI(M) MPs, were also present.
>
> Tuesday, February 27, 2001
> Click on The Hindu link at News Plus
> http://www.mantra.com/newsplus
> Om Shanti
>
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> Panchaang for 5 Phalgun 5101, Tuesday, February 27, 2001:
>
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