Opinion View from the left: The Old Imperialist

The editorial claims that “Imperialism, however, displaying supreme duplicity and double standards” has refused to accept the “democratic decision” of the Crimean people. “Imperialism, under the USA, has repeatedly violated international law and norms established under the UN charter to justify its military invasions like in Iraq or interventions like in Syria [sic],” it adds.

“Imperialism’s attitude and its actions against Russia over the Ukraine developments once again clearly demonstrate that it shall spare no effort at seeking to strengthen its global hegemony… This is the real face of imperialism. This truth must dawn on those misled sections who continue to naively believe that we are living in a single globalised world today where there are no powers of dominance. The coming general elections in our country must result in a government that is aware of such dangers and will be prepared to protect and safeguard India’s economic and political sovereignty,” it concludes.

NEOLIBERAL PARTY-HOPPERS

The latest issue of the CPI’s New Age has takes up the issue of politicians changing parties. The editorial first talks about certain “obvious features” in the candidate selections of most parties, except the Left and some others, including candidates’ wealth and criminal records. It goes on to say, “But the most difficult task before the poll-watchers is to trace the political origin of the candidates. Party-hopping has become so common that one has to first ascertain the current political affiliations of the bourgeois politicians before making any comment,” adding that such shifts have become possible because “the dividing line due to socio-economic policies has got totally blurred.”

“Earlier there had been a dividing line on the basis of commitment to social plurality and protection of secular fabric of the country. Now that is also evaporating,” the editorial states, concluding that only the Left can present an “alternative to the disastrous course of economic neoliberalism…”

NITISH’S HOLLOW CLAIMS

The CPI(ML) talks about the development model of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as against that of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, claiming that “the choice between the ‘Nitish model’ and ‘Modi model’ is a dismal and misleading one”.

“Nitish Kumar’s claims of miraculous development… owe much to a carefully crafted media campaign, and the reality check is provided by the unstoppable flow of Bihari youth from the state… And it is ironic that Modi, bragging to the people of Bihar about the development model of the ‘western states’, forgets that the Shiv Sena and MNS… are responsible for thrashing the migrant labourers from Bihar and other eastern states…” it says. It attacks the “feudal violence” in Bihar, giving examples, including the killing of a CPI(ML) block secretary in Ara Lok Sabha constituency earlier this week. It claims that the continuance of such violence “resonates with the hollowness of Nitish Kumar’s claims of ‘good governance’ and ‘development with justice’, as well his claims of principled aversion to Modi’s politics.”

Compiled by Ruhi Tewari