If the CPM-led West Bengal government is so happily implementing imperialist globalisation policies in the state it rules, how is it seen that in the rest of the country they are one of the most verbal opponents of these policies. Why is it that they are in the forefront in the WSF? The reasons are two-fold:

First, much of their cadre force and sympathisers have anti-imperialist sentiments. In order to dupe them and keep them within its fold the CPM leadership must resort to some anti-imperialist rhetoric. Often their rank-and-file may go beyond the constraints put by their bosses.

Second, with the rising tide of anti-imperialist sentiments amongst the masses in general and intellectuals in particular the ruling classes desperately need a safety valve to diffuse this growing anger. The CPM, while they make much noise they rarely convert this into action — and even if they do so, it is more nominal and token, given their size. With this, they are able to dupe a sizable section of the masses/intellectuals and thereby retard the growth of an effective anti-imperialist movement in the country. Their ‘left’ rhetoric and ‘socialist’ phrase-mongering is ideal fuel for a fake fire.

Today, the imperialist forces are facing people’s wrath world wide. Movements in various forms are even sweeping centres of the imperialist hub. Subsequently, it has become a must for the imperialists to arm itself from top to bottom. USA, enemy number 1 of the world people is pursuing and pressurising different nations to enact and implement draconian laws to continue their inhuman exploitation unabated. The Central government of India has enacted laws like POTA. In this act even trade union activities are branded as antinational. The West Bengal government opposed POTA in the parliament, but in West Bengal it is strangulating any voice of protest. Hundreds of common people are arrested and sent to jails under some pretext, as with the Peoples War, MCCI, KLO, ULFA, SIMI etc. While the US and BJP are on the same deck and up in arms against Muslim fundamentalists, the Bengal government does not lag behind. In some districts even members of their front partners are arrested accusing them as being Muslim fundamentalists. As the US and Indian governments are collaborating to crush the Maoist movement of Nepal, the Left Front government also raises an alarm. It is trampling under foot all democratic norms in order to be a reliable ally of the imperialists and indigenous big capital.

So, today while building the anti-imperialist/anti-globalisation movement in the country it is necessary to distinguish clearly friends from foes. If not, the movement will be continuously stabbed in the back. On issues, there is no problem in uniting with all those who take part in the battle, but in any alliance one should beware of any such false ‘friends’.

While fighting and targeting the imperialists and their comprador agents within the country, there is utmost need to consistently and continuously exposes such false elements, whether they be the CPI/CPM revisionists, or the Swadeshi Jagran Manch types or the imperialist-sponsored NGOs. It is only with such an approach that one will be able to unite all the genuine anti-imperialist forces in the country, against the horrors of globalisation that are devastating the lives of millions of people every day.