The latest issue of People’s Democracy has a lengthy article about the storming of Lal Masjid in Islamabad. “The fact is that even though the US administration has conveyed its satisfaction, rather approbation, over the way the Musharraf regime handled the situation, doubts still linger in people’s mind about the actual worth of the whole operation. The first and foremost question agitating the people is: why was such a situation allowed to develop in the first place? Wasn’t it that the hobnobbing of the country’s military’s rulers with fundamentalists has simply boomeranged?” It further points out that “one may note that fundamentalist parties have a big base in the province and may at any time incite the tribal people to create trouble. And while it is clear after the Lal Masjid showdown that the fundamentalists are definitely down at the moment, it may be disastrous to presume that they are out. The government needs to keep this in mind, and evolve a suitable and effective strategy to make the people aware of the real nature and intentions of fundamentalist outfits.”

Pitch for industry

People’s Democracy carries an elaborate report on the celebrations of 30 years of Left rule in West Bengal. The focal point at a function in Agartala was the address of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who pitched further for industrialisation: “We could not make any breakthrough against the yoke of the permit-system from the Centre in the sphere of industrialisation for a long period. That has been removed now. Noticing the favourable atmosphere conducive for industrialisation, many investors are now showing interest in our state... But to the dismay of all sections of people, the opposition not only raises hurdles in every developmental project, it has resorted to heinous bloody violence, sabotage, destruction and rumour-mongering. Unlike the opposition in other states who are cooperative with the government in respect of state’s development, here the opposition is negating every move of the government... the Left Front government is the instrument of generating sense of self-dignity among the poor masses.”

... contd.