By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS
On Board Air India One : In a calculated reprimand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday asked West Bengal’s Marxists to bring the situation under control in violence-hit Nandigram.
“I understand the spontaneous outpouring of grief and anguish over the issue expressed by artists and intellectuals in Kolkata. I hope the state government will take note of this,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on his way to Singapore.
Asked about the situation in Nandigram where over 30 people have died this year in repeated outbursts of violence, the prime minister first said he did not want to comment about the matter “while I am out of the country”.
But as journalists pressed him to comment on Nandigram, which has hit the functioning of the Indian parliament, he dramatically took out a paper from his pocket and said amid spontaneous laughter: “I have to be very careful.”
He called the events in Nandigram of recent days – the virtual capture of the rural region by hundreds of cadres of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) – as “most unfortunate”.
“I condole the loss of lives and regret the destruction of property. I sincerely hope the state will be able to take necessary steps to restore confidence in the people through the effective deployment of security forces.
“It is the duty of the state government to ensure that all sections of the population, regardless of their views and political affiliation, are entitled to and to receive protection of the law enforcement authorities.”
After referring to last week’s silent protest march in Kolkata by an estimated 60,000 people, including actors and artists, the prime minister said he had asked Home Minister Shivraj Patil to be in touch with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
“As parliament is in session, I do not wish to say anything more,” he added.
The prime minister’s comments have the potential to generate a strong rebuff from the CPI-M, possibly further souring of ties between the party and the Congress, which heads the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
The CPI-M and other Left parties have been at loggerheads with the government over the India-US nuclear deal, the confrontation abating only a week ago after they gave a half-hearted green signal to the UPA to talk to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On Nandigram, however, the CPI-M has been virtually isolated, its three smaller Left partners blaming the “big brother” for the violence. The Congress, upset by the CPI-M’s relentless attacks on it over the nuclear deal, has obviously decided to hit back at the Marxists where it would hurt most.