Opinion Baseless Attacks

The editorial quotes from articles in newspapers and argues that the attacks against the CPM reflect their frustration at the fact that the party has redoubled its resolve to “not merely refuse being co-opted by neoliberalism but,on the contrary,to strengthen the popular struggles against these policies forcibly being pushed down the Indian people by international finance capital led imperialist globalisation”. It rejects suggestions that it was time the comrades transformed themselves into social democrats. “Social democracy is an ideology which… ‘champions the interests of the ruling classes when in government and champions the interests of the working class when in the opposition.’ The CPM champions the interests of all exploited classes and oppressed sections of the Indian people… Those who seek to teach us lessons on democracy in Indian conditions will do well to recollect that it was the Indian communists who showed the world for the first time in 1957 that communists can participate and win in state assembly elections in a country ruled by the bourgeois-landlord classes,” it says.

Improving Ties

The CPI believes that the Pakistan army chief’s views on the demilitarisation of Siachen and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s decision to accept an invitation extended to him by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari signify the changing nature of Indo-Pak relations. An editorial in its weekly,New Age,looks into the thaw in ties.

It says Pakistan has been showing “considerable flexibility” on improving relations with India during the past few months. Referring to Singh’s acceptance of Zardari’s invitation,it says: “India realises that the growing grip of terrorists and religious fundamentalists on Pakistani society is becoming a real threat for the very existence of (the) Pakistani state… The recent jail break at Bannu is an indicator of Pakistan heading towards a ‘failed state’ position. It will be in the interest of Pakistan itself that it takes stringent possible measures [sic against the terrorist and religious fundamentalist forces.”

Understanding Oil Prices

An article in People’s Democracy focusses on the cost-based study of petroleum products of national oil marketing companies. It is based on a letter written by Rajya Sabha member and CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen to petroleum minister Jaipal Reddy.

“The department of expenditure under the ministry of finance had asked the tariff commission for a cost-based study of petroleum products of national oil marketing companies. Though the tariff commission had been given the target date of July 2011 for (the) submission of its study report,it appears that it has not accomplished its task so far,” it says. The article quotes Sen as demanding that a copy of the report be circulated among MPs “for the sake of a better understanding of the subject of pricing”. It says that “there is an immediate need for (the) appraisal of (the) actual cost of production of crude oil and natural gas in… ONGC and OIL,and their joint ventures”. It argues that oil and gas in India cannot be priced according to international prices.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.