CPM finally cedes Arunachal to India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2006 02:55:32 AM]

NEW DELHI: Under attack for its non-committal stand on China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh, the CPM
effected a subtle change of tack on Friday. For the first time since the controversy surrounding Chinese
ambassador Sun Yuxi’s statements broke out, the party admitted in Parliament that Arunachal Pradesh was
“an integral part of India”.
With the BJP targeting the CPM for being more beholden to China than India, the clash between the two
political sides rocked Rajya Sabha as the BJP repeated its demand for a parliamentary resolution on the
issue.
Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh accused the CPM of not accepting that “China had committed an
aggression” and hit out at the government as well as for “mortgaging” its foreign policy to the CPM. He went
on to allege that the CPM did not accept India as its motherland and always looked up to Beijing and
Moscow.
His charge was met with loud protests from Left benches with CPM leader and politbureau member Sitaram
Yechury terming Mr Singh’s statements a “painful allegation”. He added: “I assure the House of our stand that
Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.”
Lashing out at the senior BJP leader, Mr Yechury asked him not to “mislead the House”. “This is an issue of
dispute” he continued, explaining that is how it had been since 1962, given that China did not accept
Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India. He also mentioned that the matter had to be resolved through
“negotiations and discussions” repeating the formal CPM position on the issue.
When the BJP benches erupted at the mention of the term “issue of dispute”, Mr Yechury retorted by
declaring that his party was “not going to be bulldozed by intolerance”. In the ensuing din during zero hour,
the House was adjourned till 2 pm.
In the House, Mr Singh did not confine his attack to the CPM, and went for the government as well. He said
that “timidity” on part of the government in expressing a robust commitment to the country’s territorial
integrity was not the sign of a good foreign policy.
This led to Congress members V Narayanaswamy and Rajeev Shukla protesting against Mr Singh’s remarks
in the House. Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi later charged the BJP with “hypocrisy” and said there was
no need for any resolution on Arunachal Pradesh. “The Congress would like to charge the BJP with
irresponsible digression of Parliament’s time,” Mr Singhvi told the media in Parliament.
The CPM’s stand vis-à-vis China’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh can be traced back to former party chief
EMS Namboodripad’s partiality towards China. The late leader had refused to condemn the 1962 Chinese
aggression, taking a pro-Beijing stand terming the war as a conflict between a socialist and a capitalist
country. Mr Yechury’s words had seemed imbued with Namboodripad’s ideas when in response to the
Chinese ambassadors claim on Arunachal Pradesh he had said recently:
“These are historical issues. These are disputes. That’s why these issues are being discussed”. The CPM was
the lone political voice that has not condemned ambassador Sun’s statement that Arunachal Pradesh
“belonged” to China.