US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI276

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000276 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2015 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PGOV, PREL, IN, Indian Domestic Politics, Tsunami Relief 
SUBJECT: TSUNAMI ENCOURAGES A PERIOD OF POLITICAL AMITY 
 
REF: 04 CHENNAI 1718 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert O. Blake, Jr., Reasons 1.4 (B,D). 
 
1.  (C) Summary: The unprecedented scale of the Tsunami 
disaster has compelled India's usually contentious political 
coalitions to bury their differences and cooperate to relieve 
the suffering.  Likewise, elements of the Left which strongly 
oppose the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's 
economic reform efforts have let up somewhat in their 
criticism.  This has not prevented individual parties, 
especially within Tamil Nadu (reftel) from attempting to use 
the Tsunami for political reasons.  This is likely to 
backfire, however. as the Indian public is in no mood for 
partisanship on the issue.  The Tsunami has also focused the 
GOI inward, which may slow progress on Indo-Pak relations, 
the postponed SAARC Summit and other pressing foreign policy 
issues for the time being.  End Summary. 
 
Burying Hostility for Now 
------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) India's two main coalitions, the UPA and the 
opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), have agreed to 
downplay their political differences to meet the national 
emergency resulting from the Tsunami.  On December 31, 
opposition leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee and LK Advani met 
with PM Manmohan Singh to discuss how the two alliances could 
work together to alleviate the suffering of Tsunami victims. 
the UPA and BJP also agreed to go ahead with India's annual 
Republic Day parade scheduled for later in January.  After 
the meeting, the PM's spokesman noted that the opposition and 
the government believe that "this is a national calamity and 
together we should face it." 
 
3.  (SBU) This new spirit of cooperation was evident in the 
January 9 editorial in the pro-BJP "Pioneer," which is a 
harsh critic of the UPA.  Saying that this "is not an 
occasion to score debating points," columnist Swapan Dasgupta 
praised the UPA government for its "clarity and focus," 
noting that "discordant notes have been overwhelmed by a 
burst of generosity, energy and far-sightedness," and urged 
Indians to overcome partisan politics. 
 
Left Tones Down Criticism 
------------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) The Left Parties, which have been sparring for 
months with the UPA over economic policy, also appear more 
cooperative.  Gurudas Dasgupta the General Secretary of the 
Communist Party of India (CPI) labor federation (AITUC) told 
reporters on January 3 that "we are dedicating the whole of 
January to Tsunami and cooperation with the government.  We 
differ with the government on important policies.  But we 
have told the PM there is no question of us expressing these 
views this entire one month." 
 
5.  (SBU) The CPI did not publicly back Dasgupta's statement, 
however, with CPI Secretary D. Raja denying any plans to 
call-off confrontation.  A January 3 article in the Communist 
Party of India-Marxist (CPM) newspaper "People's Democracy" 
pledged CPM "support for the government in relief and 
rehabilitation." 
 
Some Residual Partisanship 
-------------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU) While the two alliances have forsworn 
confrontation, some individual parties have used the Tsunami 
for political purposes.  The CPM reacted with scorn to a BJP 
claim that Goa was not hurt by the Tsunami because it had a 
BJP government, with CMP leader Nilotpal Basu arguing that 
"the people experienced a Tsunami of hatred for five years 
under the NDA regime," and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury noting 
that, "contrary to what the BJP people are saying, the 
Tsunami is no ominous signal." 
 
SIPDIS 
 
7.  (SBU) It appears that the Tsunami has become a divisive 
issue only in Tamil Nadu.  Janata Party President Subramaniam 
Swamy demanded that UPA Ministers from Tamil Nadu resign, as 
the UPA government had "betrayed the state in the allocation 
of funds from the PM's relief fund."  He claimed that all 
money raised for the fund was being diverted to UPA coffers. 
The opposition DMK party also attacked the ruling AIDMK 
government headed by Chief Minister Jayalalitha, accusing it 
of nonperformance (reftel). 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
8.  (C) The Tsunami has brought about a period of relative 
quiet from the normally harsh partisanship and mudslinging 
that characterizes Indian politics.  Politicians have largely 
refrained from conflict and embraced cooperation, although a 
minority has tried to use the disaster for partisan purposes. 
 Political campaigning for the February elections in Bihar, 
Jharkhand, and Haryana has been more restrained than usual. 
If this period of amity persists, the elections could be 
relatively quiet affairs. 
9.  (C) The massive relief effort has also shifted the GOI 
focus inward, and may delay decision making on regional 
issues like the India Pakistan Composite Dialogue and 
determining a new date for the postponed SAARC Summit. 
MULFORD