Prakash Karat had favoured the Hindus
Ramachandran
The letter of Prakash Karat,the then General Secretary of the CPI ( M ) wrote to Manmohan Singh in 2012 is out.It is clear the party then had pleaded for the persecuted minorities,or the Hindus of Bangladesh.Why now it feigns support to the Muslims,thereby joining the Mamata band wagon is a mystery.In medical terms,this is called selective amnesia.The Congress too is suffering from the same disease.
It opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha before voting against it.The party chief Sitaram Yechury held a press conference in Delhi to say why the Bill was against the "secular fabric" of India. But in 2012 the party''s stance was different. Or Yechury's foe,Karat's position was different.The letter
written by Karat, is still is up on the website of 'People''s Democracy', the party's mouthpiece.
The CPI-M had demanded a Citizenship Amendment Bill for people fleeing religious persecution in Bangladesh and Karat had in 2012 written to former PM Manmohan Singh reminding him about it.
The Congress had also advocated the same.
Karat wrote: "This is to draw your attention to the citizenship problems of a large number of refugees from erstwhile East Bengal and those who had to flee their country after the formation of Bangladesh in circumstances over which they had no control. Their situation is different from those who have come to India due to economic reasons. While we advocate a humane approach to all sections, on the specific issue of citizenship we share the opinion you had strongly advocated as leader of the Opposition when it was debated in Parliament in 2003."
Thus, Karat mentioned the "specific issue of citizenship", he agreed with Singh that those fleeing Bangladesh into India deserve Indian citizenship.
Reminding what Manmohan Singh said on the floor of the House in 2003 to the then Deputy PM L.K. Advani, the letter goes on to describe the stand of both the CPI-M and the Congress which is quite different from the present position.
Karat had sought to remind Singh of his 2003 speech in the letter- "At that time you had stated: ''With regard to the treatment of refugees after the Partition of our country, the minorities in countries like Bangladesh have faced persecution, and it is our moral obligation that our approach to granting citizenship to these unfortunate persons should be more liberal. I sincerely hope that the Hon'ble Deputy Prime Minister bears this in mind in charting out the future course of action.''
Karat demanded Singh to "take the steps" which may include "amendment to the law referred to, so as to bring relief to these unfortunate families, living across India".
But soon after the Lok Sabha passed the CAB, Sitaram Yechury termed it as against the Constitution. While speaking at Kochi, he said, "The CAB is totally against the tenets of our Constitution."
Soon after the Bill was passed,Yechury took to Twitter to allege that the BJP is breathing life into two-nation theory,forgetting,the undivided CPI in the 1940 s had supported the Pakistan.It then had batted for Lenin's theory of nationalities,which Stalin had opposed.
He said, "India was partitioned in 1947. Both, proponents of the Hindu and Muslim homeland, were two sides of the same pernicious, divisive, hateful and anti-Indian proposition. India rejected the two-nation theory. The BJP is trying to desperately breathe life into it via CAB."
Clearly,the party need Muslims now in West Bengal,where it is in the ventilator,to breath.It means the Hindus,its former allies have ditched it for good.
( The writer is a senior journalist and academic)
