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Terrorism has become an obsession with both Clinton and Vaipayee. Anti-communism
of the Mc Arthay Era has been replaced by anti-terrorism of the Clinton era. The
US administration's main foreign policy focus is a hysterical anti-terrorism to
justify its increasing militarism and hegemonistic policies throughout the
world. So when the BJP begins to sing the same tune, and Vajpayee begins to echo
Clinton, it becomes increasingly suspicious that the Indian government is being
more and more drawn into the vortex of US foreign policy. Jaswant Singh,
Vajpayee, Advani have all been at pains to present anti-terrorism as a principal
plank of India's foreign policy.... with a focus on Islamic fundamentalism. To
suit US policy they have suddenly discovered not only the land of the ISI in
India but also that of Bin Laden.
The BJP's new theme tune on terrorism' fits neatly into its anti-people policies
at home and into US imperialism's strategies abroad. No wonder that 'fighting
terrorism' found prominent space in Vajpayee's 'Address to the Nation' after
taking power. No wonder Advani's first statement after taking over the home
ministry, was to counter 'internal disturbances' with a strong hand. And no
wonder that Jaswant Singh in a recent address to the
UN General Assembly, went all-out to not only talk of Afghanistan's role (not
only ISI's) in Kashmir, but also of it becoming the main source of global
terrorism.
But such servility by the BJP government to US foreign policy is not merely
limited to statements. They have taken steps highly detrimental to what limited
sovereignty remains of this country. This was reflected in the high-level
treatment recently accorded to the US counter-terrorism envoy, Michael A.
Sheehan. During his stay in India, the government went so far as to agree to
allow the US secret service, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Intelligence) to open a
"permanent office" in India, as part of a plan to train Indian officers in
'anti-terrorist' operations. No government, has so brazenly invited a foreign
intelligence agency to operate so openly in this country. Such open servility
has only been witnessed in the Banana republics of Latin America.
The growing BJP-US axis will not only lead to a total sell out of the country's
economic interests, the new FBI office will be used to launch attacks on the
struggling people of India, particularly on the nationality and revolutionary
armed struggles. The Indian people must resist such blatent infiltration into
the country and should destroy any intelligence office set up by the US in
India.
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