CPM general secretary Prakash Karat had recently accused pro-US lobbies within India of trying to complicate Indo-China relations and rejected reports of hostile manoeuvres by Beijing. So, when China on Tuesday opposed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the comrades found themselves in an unenviable position.

Not only was there any official reaction from the CPM — there was a Politburo statement demanding blacklisting of all US companies involved in giving bribes — party leaders did a tight ropewalk over Beijing’s aggressive posturing.

“They (China) have been doing it. The problem is that they have not accepted Arunachal as a part of India. What we say is that the border dispute should be resolved amicably. India and China are two fast developing countries and friendship between them is good for Asia," CPM Politburo member M K Pandhe said.

The CPI also spoke along the same line. “Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India. It is a part of India,”CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said. About Beijing's protest over the Prime Minister's Arunachal visit, he just repeated "Arunachal is a part of India.”