Left leaders sing different tunes

A week after the Left parties took the resolve to have better coordination among them to stand united in public at least, their leaders continue to speak in different voices on various issues.

So much so that CPI(M) MPs have expressed contradictory views on the same issue from the same platform.

Differences within the Left Front came out in the open yet again on Thursday when CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta demanded an inquiry into former Petroleum Minister Ram Naik's visit to Iraq with a delegation of industrialists.

He alleged that some of those industrialists had made money, thus putting a needle of suspicion on the exports of goods by 125 companies to Iraq under the oil-for-food programme.

Only the previous day, the CPI(M) Politburo had given a clean chit to these companies. In a statement, it had said the exports by these companies were above board and were "recorded and legal".

Again, while the CPI(M) sought to defend Congress leader K Natwar Singh by absolving him of corruption charge and citing his claims about the three "infamous" letters being "forged", Dasgupta said it was "immoral" on the part of the former external affairs minister to recommend those people (Andaleeb Sehgal) by his letters. "Introducing the son three times is also not good," said the CPI leader.

Last Monday, CPI(M) MP Mohammad Salim said in a press briefing that he did not agree that the leakage of the Pathak report constituted breach of privilege.

Minutes later, CPI(M) MP and Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, flanked by Salim, declared during the same briefing: "The manner in which it (Pathak report) has been leaked merits a (breach of) privilege consideration."

Differences within the Left Front had first surfaced on the issue of the Indo-US nuclear deal. Even as Yechury was holding secret parleys with Yashwant Sinha of the BJP, Digvijay Singh of the JD(U) and Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party to push for a resolution to express the "sense of Parliament" on the deal, CPI leaders went public with their opposition against the move as they had reservation about going with the BJP.

It was due to these publicly expressed differences that CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat had to convene a meeting of the Left parties on August 4 where the leaders decided to have better coordination to avoid the embarrassing display of a divided Left.

Their strategy has apparently fallen apart.

Left sources blamed it on the "one-upmanship" of certain CPI(M) leaders who negotiate with the government on their behalf.

"We are hardly aware what the CPI(M) is talking with the government. There is clear reluctance to share the details. How do you then expect us to talk in one voice!" said a senior Left leader.