Another Victim of a Spreading Sickness

left parties continue to take an ambivalent position. These parties, in particular the CPI(M), have indeed given the impression that they may be once again lured into the Congress(I) parlour and play second fiddle even as a mock drama of fighting anti- secular forces is staged by Congress(I) leaders, including Narasimha Rao. After first holding Narasimha Rao culpable for the Ayodhya happenings and demanding his resignation, the CPI(M) leadership seems to have lost its nerve. Harkrishen Singh Surjeet, the CPI(M) general secretary, has argued that the demand for the resignation of Narasimha Rao need not be pressed since political instability would pose a danger to the unity and integrity of the country. It is indeed extraordinary that the left parties, in particular the two main communist parties, should place their faith so much in the status quo and equate stability of government with political stability. It is also significant that these parties have gone quiet about the so- called economic adjustment programme, with all its dangerous implications. It appears that the two communist parties might have opted for a joint front with Congress(l) in the name of putting up an effective fight against the BJP but for the reservations of the other left parties and the Janata Dal which have taken a more forthright position against the Congress(l) for its handling of the Ayodhya issue and its aftermath.