Author: Subodh Ghildiyal/ New Delhi
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 9, 2004
Even though the unrest in West Asia
seems to be nobody's case any more, the Left taking umbrage to Monday's
presidential address singling out Israel for a "mutually beneficial" relationship
is being seen as "tokenism". Two patriarchs of the CPI(M) have been part
of the Left's unusual bonhomie with Tel Aviv.
Jyoti Basu, as Chief Minister of
West Bengal, and Somnath Chatterjee, a pillar of the CPI(M) and now the
Speaker of the Lok Sabha, were in Israel in July 2000. While the longest-serving
Chief Minister of India was on a "personal" trip, Mr Chatterjee was heading
a business delegation. They enjoyed state hospitality while seeking business
investments and joint partnerships with Israel in areas where the Jewish
nation is seen to have gained expertise. Interestingly, it coincided with
India's then Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh landing in Israel on an official
trip to give a thrust to the relationship established by the Congress.
It was President A P J Abdul Kalam's
statement on Israel in his address to the joint session of Parliament on
Monday that got the CPI (M)'s goat. Balancing Indian concerns on West Asia
with Israel's position as a first world country, he said: "Our relations
with Israel which have developed on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation
are important but this in no way dilutes our principled support for the
legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people." In a strong reaction,
CPI(M) Politburo member Prakash Karat objected to the mentioning of Israel.
But the CPI(M)'s own metamorphosis
in the post-Cold War era flies in the face of the present reactions which
are being treated as "tokenism". On July 1, 2000, as Chief Minister of
the Left-ruled West Bengal, Mr Basu landed in Jerusalem. He agreed for
the trip after months of convincing by Israeli Ambassador to India Yehoyada
Haim. He met Prime Minister Ehud Barak and top 'dove' Simon Peres among
others.
He was the first senior Left leader
to visit the country, marking a departure from the Communists' stated policy
of opposing the establishment of diplomatic ties. The relationship was
established in 1992 by the P V Narasimha Rao Government.
A statement quoted Mr Basu as saying:
"There is an overarching consensus among political parties in India about
Israel." It was said that India's foreign policy, which held that Zionism
amounted to racism, has changed and that has changed the country's relationship
with South Africa and Israel.The new relationship led to a new language.
Mr Basu said that he was always
fascinated by Israel, which was the birthplace of all three big faiths,
Christianity, Judaism and Islam. As a return compliment, the Israeli Ambassador
said: "I have told him that a Kibbutz (agricultural commune without private
ownership) is the only place where Communist principles are practiced in
a true sense."Around the same time, a delegation led by Mr Chatterjee,
then the chairman of the West Bengal Development Corporation, came to Israel
with his eyes firm on investments.
Israel was seen as a country which
could be lured into investing money and expertise in the fields of agriculture,
IT and electronics.As the two leaders reached the country and the thrust
on Palestine continued, the CPI(M) came in for attack from the extreme
Left outfits.
