DEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) Saturday regretted that U.S, Senator Stephen Solarz had not told them he was going to inform the Press about his version of discussions with CPI-M leaders,
Politbureau member Harkishan Singh Surjeet said that during the 30 minute meeting “we talked on various issues, the internal situation, specially with reference to the Political change that has taken Place, Punjab, Kashmir and Eastern Europe.”
“It would have been better if Solarz while holding the press conference tried to answer some of the questions we raised about the role of the US in relation to India,” Surjeet said.
Surjeet reacted sharply to Solarz’s reported remark that the differences between the CPI and the CPI (M) were more personality based than ideological.
“The split was never the result of foreign interference or personal quarrels, it arose due to basic differences in our approach to the national situation,” he said.
Solarz had no answers when told about foreign interference in Punjab and Kashmir, Surjeet said.
He specified by saying that Solarz was told that many Sikh organizations operating in the United States were “leading the cause of separatism and were being boosted by the media in the west.”
“This aspect has an important role to play in the situation in Punjab,” Surjeet said, adding that the U.S. Senator was also told that there was also indefinite evidence of the Pakistani involvement in the trouble torn state.
Similarly, “in Kashmir there is also the question of foreign interference, which is an important one,” he said.
“He (Solarz) did not answer these questions,” Surjeet stressed.
Referring to discussions on the internal situation, the Marxist leader said Solarz was told why a minority government supported from outside was preferable in the current political context to a coalition government.
“Support from outside is in consonance with the people’s verdict who know full well the differences between the BJP and the left,” Surjeet said and added that the “arrangement is working well.”
“A coalition will create confusion instead of clarity because of divergence between the left and BJP on some issues,” Surjeet said Solarz was told.
“On eastern Europe there is no question of any confusion,” Surjeet said. “Certain democratic reforms were overdue, but there are some negative aspects which we have not gone into yet.”
“I also stated that imperialism had’ never reconciled to the existence of socialism. They tried to put an end to it through direct confrontation, but now changed tactics relying on internal subversion,” Surjeet said.
He hastened to add, however, that “this does not mean that this is the main cause for the changes in Eastern Europe.
“Mr. Solarz was frankly told that we oppose the restoration of capitalism. As to the question of pluralism in some countries the Communist Parties were successful in leading the revolution against imperialism while all others betrayed,” Surjeet said.
“History itself placed the communists in monopoly of power,” he said giving examples of Vietnam and China, but here in India we are involved in a multi-party system in states where we have formed government there are other parties as part of it.”
Article extracted from this publication >> January 12, 1990
