TRIVANDRUM, 17 October — The Kerala Assembly yesterday had an impromptu discussion on Osama Bin Laden and the US air raids in Afghanistan.
Immediately after question hour Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Binoy Viswam sought to discuss the implications of the current attacks in Afghanistan.
Chief Minister A.K. Antony said if the war in Afghanistan would continue, Kerala would likely be the most affected Indian state as there were concerns about the security of its expatriates in the nearby Middle East region.
Antony made a strong case for India’s non-aligned policy, initiated by the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then followed by Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi while they headed the government. All three were leaders of Antony’s Congress party.
"The need of the hour is to see that India does not align with any nation on this issue. Earlier our policy of non-alignment was criticized by everyone. Now it has come true and the current Union government also should see that it is followed," said Antony. "My fervent call to the Union government is to see that the country’s airports are not opened up for use by the US forces," he said.
"I strongly oppose all the recent terrorist attacks because India has always been a target for it and we ourselves saw similar attacks inside the country," Antony said.
Following Antony’s statement, the speaker denied leave for an adjournment motion to discuss the issue. A dissatisfied Viswam then condemned the US attacks on Afghanistan and flayed its allegedly hegemonic tendencies.
He alleged that former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s decision to open up the economy had led India to side with the US, which wanted a "unipolar world".
