Blinkered comrades

Sir — The undue difficulty created for the Union government by the Left is disgraceful (“It’s an ultimatum”, Aug 19). Prakash Karat does not seem to understand that stalling the nuclear deal at such a critical juncture is going to dent India’s credibility internationally. This is because Karat himself has never run a village panchayat, let alone a government. The Left has consistently failed to distinguish between good and bad deals every time America is involved. The nuclear deal has been welcomed by all groups, including India’s nuclear fraternity. By opposing the deal, the Left is jeopardizing national interests. Karat and his comrades should know that history will not forgive them for this crime.

Yours faithfully,
Kalyan Ghosh, Calcutta

Sir — The Indian Left is suffering from an identity crisis, and it is leaving no stone unturned to divert public attention from this fact. If the Left cannot discover new agendas and adopt new strategies, it should just wrap up its business and exit the Indian political stage. The leftists may threaten to bite, but their threats should not be taken seriously. This is because the Left has nothing to gain by bringing down the Congress-led government at the Centre. If the communists decide to withdraw support, the Bharatiya Janata Party will win the mid-term polls and the nation will pay a heavy price for the Left’s bullishness.

Yours faithfully,
Gautam Chatterjee, Ranchi

Sir — The United Progressive Alliance should not placate the Left any further. The communists should not be allowed to bully the Congress into submission, especially when they are not directly involved in running the government. Manmohan Singh enjoys the support of the other coalition partners. Therefore, he should ignore the Left’s posturings, and, if need be, call for elections.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Sir — The Left’s opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal is benefiting China alone. The Chinese did not get a deal as good as the one India has managed. Besides, the Chinese had been pressurizing the United States of America to reconsider the deal with India. The Left has no business criticizing the nuclear deal because Indian communists are on the payroll of the Chinese government.

Yours faithfully,
R.N. Saha, New Delhi

Sir — The differences that have cropped up between the UPA and the Left will affect governance. If the Left were to pull the plug, the coalition would be reduced to a minority government. However, it is evident that the prime minister is responsible for the government’s current plight. After all, didn’t he challenge the Left to withdraw support in an interview to The Telegraph?

Yours faithfully,
Ranesh C. Dey, Bangalore

Sir — Manmohan Singh’s unwillingness to give up on the nuclear deal with the US belies the hype about India emerging as a superpower. Surely, Indian scientists are capable of discovering a clean, environment-friendly alternative to nuclear fuel to meet the nation’s energy needs?

Yours faithfully,
Anil K. Choudhury, Kalyani

Sir — Bengal’s communists should weigh the pros and cons before supporting Prakash Karat’s plan to dislodge the Congress government. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his men are dependent on the Centre to industrialize the state. And Manmohan Singh’s government has not disappointed the Bengal government so far. In fact, it was the prime minister who had defended Bhattacharjee against detractors in the party. Bengal stands to lose the most if the UPA government were to fall. Such a step would also affect the Left Front’s popularity in West Bengal.

Yours faithfully,
G.D. Dujari, Calcutta

Sir — The communists are acting like a bunch of clowns, much to the amusement of the public. They should first decide who is the bigger enemy — is it the Americans or the BJP? If they are so keen on keeping the BJP at bay, they should not bark at the Congress every now and then. The Left is, of course, welcome to record its disagreement on the nuclear deal. But toppling the government would be a Himalayan blunder.

Yours faithfully,
Asoke C. Banerjee, Calcutta

Erratum

In Malvika Singh’s article, “To set the house in order” (Aug 17), the sentence referring to the possibility of a change in the CPI(M)’s strength in parliament had been printed as “otherwise the tally could drop to 20 seats.” The sentence should have read “The CPI(M) could drop near 20 seats.” The error is regretted.

— The Editor