Press Statement
The Left Parties, the CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP have issued the following statement:
Rejoinder to Venkaiah Naidu
The BJP leader and Union minister, Shri Venkaiah Naidu has objected to the Left’s presidential candidate, Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal, characterising the Vajpayee government as a non-performing one. It seems the BJP is not prepared to stomach any criticism about the woeful record of the government on all fronts. Leave alone Dr. Sahgal, every citizen in this country is entitled to make any criticism of the government’s policies and performance.
Mr. Naidu has also taken umbrage at the Left’s not endorsing the views of the BJP-led government about its nuclear policy. The Left is not just "apologetic" about the issue but is opposed to nuclear weaponisation. Nuclear weaponisation has not heightened security for the country. With both India and Pakistan going nuclear, it has only led to greater intervention of the United States in the internal affairs of our country and in Indo-Pakistan relations.
It is amusing to see Mr. Naidu and other BJP leaders harping on the so-called blunders committed by the communists in the past. It does not behove a party which owes its allegiance to the RSS to talk of such matters when the hallmark of the RSS and its affiliates has been to stay away from the anti-imperialist struggle