New Delhi: One is not sure whether the word 'Fate' has relevance in communism lexicon.
Had the veteran Marxist leader continued some months more in office, Jyoti Basu would have completed 25 years - that is a quarter of century as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
But it was the twist of Fate on July 8, Thursday, in state assembly premises in Kolkata whenno Left representation in Bengal legislature could be present to pay homage to legendary Marxist Jyoti Basu on his birth anniversary.
His admirers often say, Basu was the 'best Prime Minister' India could not have due to politburo hurdles.
Red bastion, West Bengal is today 'Left-less' !
"It is mere fate. It is Jyoti Basu's birthday and not a single Left leader or MLA is here," mocked senior Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra.
Of course - thanks to the 2021 mandate - the state rejected Leftists completely and they scored a big 'zero'in an election - which ironically they cherish as 'victory' of so called secularism.
"We are paying respect ...If the Communist leaders wanted to come, would we stop them?" said Mitra, whoalways had major issues with the Left cadres and the Leftist policies.
The BJP members also paid tribute to the former Chief Minister.
"Our culture is to pay respect to all leaders. Hence, we are paying respect to Jyoti Basu. People did not have faith in the Left-Congress- ISF alliance. Hence, they did not get any vote," BJP leader Manoj Tigga
told reporters.
However, Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (CPI) said, the state assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay could have invited some senior Left leaders to pay respect to Jyoti Basu. "It is basic courtesy;" he remarked.
Born on July 8, 1914, Basu breathed last on January 17, 2010 and was state Chief Minister for a record stintbetween June 21, 1977 to October 28, 2000.
Once the dominant political force in the state, the Left Front and also their alliance partners Congress and ISFsuffered humiliated defeat in this year's polls.
The BJP seats jumped from 3 in 2016 to 77 and of course now Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is in power in the state.
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well, the Left parties could not open their account in the state.
It may be mentioned that under Basu, the Left Front could win as many as five successive state elections in West Bengal and all with majorities of two-thirds and more.
ends
No Indian hand in Lahore blast, Pak continues to glorify terrorists like Osama as martyrs, says MEA
New Delhi: India on Thursday, July 8, strongly dismissed Pakistani claim that New Delhi was behind the recent blast near Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief and terrorist Hafiz Saeed's residence in Lahore.
MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi also asserted that the international community "is well aware of Pakistan’s credentials" when it comes to terrorism.
"This is acknowledged by none other than its own leadership, which continues to glorify terrorists like Osama Bin Laden as martyrs," he said.
He further said: "It is not new for Pakistan to engage in baseless propaganda against India. Pakistan would do well to expend the same effort in setting its own house in order and taking credible and verifiable action against terrorism emanating from its soil and terrorists who have found safe sanctuaries there".
The Lahore blast last week near terrorist Hafiz Saeed's home killed three people and 24 others, including a police constable, were injured.
Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf alleged that Indian agencies were behind the explosion.
Hafiz Saeed is the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD).
Afghan situation:
MEA spokesman said India is "carefully monitoring the deteriorating security situation" in Afghanistan and its implications on the safety and security of Indian nationals in that country.
"Our response will be calibrated accordingly," he said.
He also said, "You would have seen the clarification issued by our Embassy in Kabul earlier this week, that our Embassy in Kabul and Consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif are functional".
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said the American military would complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31, ahead of schedule.
He dismissed mounting concerns about a civil war developing in the country occupied by the US since 2001.
“The mission is accomplished in that we got Osama bin Laden and that terrorism is not emanating from that part of the world,” said Biden.
History is in favour of strong Indo-Russia ties, says Jaishankar
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that history is "very much" in favour of robust India-Russia ties and that new partnerships could also be explored and make connectivity a central theme for mutual interests.
However, he also suggested that those who have reservations about India's role in Indo-Pacific, they should refer to the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the East Asia Summit in 2019.
In a tweet, he wrote: "A productive review of economic cooperation with DPM Yury Borisov, co-chair of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission-TEC.
Appreciate Russia’s timely support during the second wave of the pandemic in India. As also our Sputnik V collaboration."
"India and Russia are unquestionably on the same page. We have both been victims of fundamentalist thinking and know well the dangers of radicalization and extremism. As pluralistic societies, we must be especially on guard against the revival of such forces," Dr Jaishankar said in his speech on “India-Russia ties in a changing world” in Moscow.
".....ours is a particularly mature relationship. More than its contemporaries, it has withstood the test of time, finding new convergences with changing circumstances. Geo-political compatibility, leadership trust and popular sentiment remain its key drivers," he said.
However, he also pointed out that both the countries have interests and reach into the Pacific.
"Our major partners are located there, and indeed, cooperation with the Russian Far East is one notable example. The reality is that there is a vast global commons whose safety, security, ecology, environment and activities are increasingly a shared responsibility".
He also volunteered to add, "For those who wish to better understand our thinking, I would refer them to the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the East Asia Summit in 2019."
Russia has always had reservation about India's involvement in the Indo-Pacific as it sees this as 'primarily a US-led initiative' perhaps designed to contain China and Russia.
Moscow has contended that attempts to formulate a new rules-based Indo-Pacific order as a Western strategy led by the US to override international law, thereby circumventing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) where Russia holds veto power.
In his speech, Dr Jaishankar said, "History is very much in our favour, something that cannot always be said for all relationships. Drawing from the past, assessing the present and committing to the future, I have every confidence that our two nations would continue to realize the full benefits of our Special and Privileged Strategic Relationship".
The ability of India and Russia to "work together" is facilitated by our shared belief in the centrality of the ASEAN, Dr Jaishankar laid emphasis upon.
Connectivity will also be increasingly central to mutual interests, he said and referred to the North-South Corridor, the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor or the Northern Sea Route.
"Where global health is concerned, a history of scientific collaboration can today be repurposed to meet the new priority. On climate change, Russia can really be an indispensable partner as India transitions towards greater LNG consumption and renewables," the Minister said.
Stating that the direction and progress of major relationships is very much dependent on 'leadership', he appreciated the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin have met 19 times since 2014.
"That itself speaks a lot for their commitment. We, of course, look forward to hosting the President in India for the Annual Bilateral Summit," he said.
Dr Jaishankar said, the regional issues like Afghanistan and the Middle-East have "seen convergence previously" that may be mutually beneficial to continue.
Moreover, as an Observer State, "India is also interested in deepening its engagement with Russia, the Chair of the Arctic Council, on Arctic issues".
He further said, India is actively engaging the Eurasian Economic Union for a trade agreement and participating in the endeavours of the SCO and BRICS.
"When it comes to disarmament or technology issues, we seek practical and productive outcomes in multilateral fora. Reformed multi-lateralism is also in our common interest and we value Russia’s support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council," he said.
"It is also natural," he said, in societies for the people to have an image of their partners. "Russia has a unique standing with the Indian public and maintaining that sentiment is very much an asset for our relationship".
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