Why are the Left parties led by Prakash Karat going for the jugular on the nuclear deal and and risking an early election? Prof. Abhirup Sarkar of the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, views the situation through the prism of the two States that warm the Left’s seats in the Lok Sabha in The Telegraph, Calcutta:
“West Bengal and Kerala, taken together, account for 85 per cent of Lok Sabha seats of the Left. Therefore, it should suffice to look at the political economy of these two states to understand the undercurrents within the Left.
“The economies of West Bengal and Kerala are, of course, miles apart. Among the major Indian states, Kerala has the highest per capita consumption, highest literacy and the lowest gender disparity. It has the highest rank by any reasonable human development index.
“By contrast, West Bengal is at best a mediocre state. It is middle ranking in terms of per capita consumption, literacy and human development indices. The rural-urban divide in West Bengal is one of the starkest in the country, the rural sector containing some of the poorest Indian households, notwithstanding decades of much-hyped land reforms.
“Who votes for the Left in West Bengal? Our studies reveal that the Left vote bank in West Bengal mainly consists of the economically and socially disadvantaged — the poor and the vulnerable, the educationally backward, members of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, religious minority groups, marginal and small farmers, landless agricultural labourers and so on. Apart from these people, there is a section of the middle and upper classes voting left.
“These people would rather sacrifice industrialization in West Bengal and even risk losing a few seats in Kerala to protect the traditional vote bank, which has given them immense power without having to win elections or run governments. They are like the classical politburo members of the erstwhile Soviet Union, self-centred, power-loving, completely divorced from the people.
“The conflict, however, is not so much between leaders or personalities, but between two social classes, one poor and struggling to survive and the other aspiring to come out of the bondage of poverty and destitution.”
Read the full article here: Tale of two classes
churumuri 
Dear friends none of the Indian Media either print (The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Deccan chronicle, Times and many others) and electronic media (NDTV, SUN Network) condemned this incident and pulled Congress for its mistake. If it would have been minority case all these media people taken pro minority normal public opinion and published and tempted minority people to take weapons against Hindus but now keeping quite. This is shear insult to the Hindu community. These press people are alive just because lot of Hindus read papers. As for as Electronic media is concerned most of the Hindus watch TV that’s the reason no. off adds and profit. Now these media are stabbing Hindus. Should we need such media? Do we need to read such papers and such channels that are anti Hindu? Why Indian media doesn’t support Hindus sentiments?
Why don’t media ask Congress to ask apology for RAM incident. Why is Indian media negligence to Hindus sentiments? Why Indian media is pulling BJP here on RAM history. BJP is not debating RAM history. It’s Congress and UPA government which is run by Soina Gandhi is debating RAM history and insulted Hindus. I would like to ask question to Indian media why is it so negligence to Hindu sentiments. Where are your secular credentials gone? Is secular means insulting Hinduism if so one suspects moral ethics of Indian press? Thanks to the mouth piece practise of Indian press towards Congress and UPA government. The Hindu paper publish if you oppose government stand on RAM then you are called Hindtutava forces. Why this statement has not come from The Hindu news paper when Danish paper published Mohammed cartoon and there was lot of violence? Is India media saving Congress and UPA government by keeping quite? The same media barked like mad street dog on BJP for anti minority stand is now can’t bark on Congress and UPA for insulting Hindus.
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Its a known case that CPIM is opposing Indo-US N-deal, even prepared to sacrifice UPA Govt because both in WB, Kerala there are significant Muslim Voters.
Its utter communalization of Indian Foreign policy, for which country will have to pay dearly.
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The CPI (M) will lose.. not because Muslim votes have anything to do with it, but because the party itself is divided. IN WB, Basu and Buddha are actually FOR the deal and may not be comfortable campaigning in the same note as Karat & Co. (I see the irony too). IN Kerala, they are tearing at each other over several issues, and will be badly placed in case of snap elections. The CPI(M) may have to pay a huge electoral price for the Karats’ staunch anti-Americanism.
It would also be the best thing possible for India to see the CPIM completely marginalized in national politics.
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