PM's remark on NAM irks left

New Delhi, Sep 13 (UNI) Irked over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reported observation that NAM is essentially not an anti-US grouping, the Left parties today said his remark was not in conformity with the historical reality and emphasised that the group had to emerge as a mechanism for political and economic coordination of under - developed countries.

Talking to UNI, the leaders of the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc, however, complimented Dr Manmohan Singh for his right comment.

Dr Manmohan Singh, in his interaction with reporters accompanying him to the NAM Summit, suggested that he did not wish to see the world body as an anti - US grouping.

''Non- alignment is a state of mind and ability to exercise an independent judgement of all issues," Dr Singh was reported to have stated.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said," the Prime Minister should understand that NAM has to be revived as a dynamic and effective mechanism to coordinate, represent and defend the interests of its members." Mr Bardhan, the veteran Communist and freedom fighter, said it was true that there are no more two super powers but that did not mean that NAM had lost its validity and relevance." In the absence of two conflicting blocks of super powers, NAM has to emerge as a mechanism for the political and economic coordination of under- developed countries." CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said NAM has to successfully confront unilaterism and actions by any power aimed at imposing hegemonic domination that brought conflict of interests between the developing world, mostly under the umbrella of NAM and the industrially developed countries led by the US.

CPI(M) Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Basudev Achariya said the very goal of NAM founded by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and other world leaders, is to fight imperealism being led by the US presently.

Forward Bloc General Secretary and MP Debvrat Biswas said Dr Singh's advocacy for "strengthening" relations with the US is" contradictory" as the real objecive of the single super power was to grab the politiocal and economic actions of the various countries.

UNI

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