[Reader-list] The Left Morass: 123 Nuclear Deal and Nandigram

[Pawan Durani]

http://neurojava.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/the-left-morass-123-nuclear-deal-and-nandigram/

The Indian political Left is in crisis. Be it the opposition to the 123
Nuclear Deal or the dealing with Nandigram, it almost seems at times that
sometimes even the more sensible of the coterie of Left's leadership has
actually lost all semblance to sanity and are increasingly reverting back to
that one standard last resort fall back path of politicians worldwide -
parroting the party line without any regard to reality, opinions of the
people they represent or even just common sense.

The latest to fall in this category is the otherwise suave Buddhadev
Bhattacharya - a self confessed "patron" of the arts and literature -
yesterday, he actually defended the CPI(M) takeover of the villages! More
so, there was no owning of responsibility for the total lack of state
enforced law and order - instead he did what politicians from Bengal have
done for decades now - blame the Central government for all their ills.

That is not to say the other parties are any better. Mr. Advani of BJP ( and
Rath Yatra fame) very astutely observed that the CPI(M) have " declared war
against India". Hello?!

The Communists which have long parroted the claim that they are the real
sole representatives of the masses in India - are in a mess. In Kolkata, now
you have the *hoi-polloi *protesting against the government. Buddhadev not
only loses political credibility but also those he'd like the rest of us
mortals believe are his friends, good taste and refinement being the binding
factor.

And as usual, West Bengal, its people and the already battered reputation it
enjoys gets yet another ding. So much for the much touted SEZs.

On the Nuclear Front, the Left seems to be actually relenting. Wonder if it
was a well orchestrated political game from the beginning  - as  a show of
force. Apparently, the Left is now open to India negotiating with the NSG as
long as they dont sign the deal without discussing with them. Fair enough.

The thing about the Nuclear Deal is this - as far as the middle class and
urban India is concerned - I think the Left has recognized that they are
pretty unanimous in supporting the deal. Also, the America centric phobia
that dictates much of Left's ideology and actions - dont really play very
well with Urban India anymore - hence to maintain any kind of political
capital the Left still has with the very powerful middle class - it needs to
come across as less intransigent to the deal.

I think there is a popular perception within the political punditry that the
middle class does not matter in the great egalitarian experiment that the
Indian Democracy is.  Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the
truth.  The Great Indian Middle Class is more than those few who work in IT
companies and live in the big cities. The Great Indian Middle Class is about
aspirations.

The parents of those kids who struggle to send them to English medium
schools in Indore, Gwalior, Jagdalpur, Sholapur and a countless other small
Indian cities are as much middle class as the rest of us. And they aspire
for a better life. For themselves and for their children.

And like the rest of us, they recognize what this pseudo-socialism based on
isolationist and colonial era mindset did to us for the first 45 years of
our independence. And they want us to be integrated.

I realize that everything isnt perfect with everything in India. But
unequivocally, I'd rather live in India of today than the India that existed
pre- 1991. And I am proud we could transition as well as we have. And I
recognize we have a long way to go.

And I think, viscerally, the Left recognizes all this too. Hence the
flexibility. Because,  their exalted leaders - who have never had to do a
day's worth of honest work - dont want to start now.

And they would have to. Unless the Left changes. And soon.