VIETNAM WAR BRINGS INDIAN COMMUNISTS CLOSER TOGETHER
Bombay
_- :For the first time since the split in the Communist party of India - hast year, prominent léaders of the pro-Peking and. pro=Moscow factions met in Calcutta April 19 "to explore the possibilities of. evolving a common programme leading to a rapprochement." - The move towards healing the bitter conflict appears to be motivated by the desire to close ranks in.face of the U.S. imper-_ ‘Llalist. aggression against North Vietnam, the sweeping mass arrests of members of the pro=Peking group in India, and the victory of this same group in the recent elections in’ Kerala, [See World Outlook March 12, oe
As gn immediate step it was decided to launch a united cam-= paign on a national scale to demand the withdrawal of U.S...troops from South- Vietnam. 7:
The meeting decided on a similar “uni ted nation-wide campaign, in collaboration with other leftist parties, for the restoration of civil liberties and the release of detenus."
Another point on the agenda was a united movement for cheaper food. oe es
There was a brief discussion about the dispute on the ideological level between the two factions. Although no common ground was established, “it was felt that bitterness should be kept out of the controversy. over ideology."
The left faction was represented by E. Mt. S. Namboodiripad and Jyoti Basu (two centrist leaders who have not been jailed by the government) and the right faction by Bhupesh Gupta, Somnath Lahiri, Bhowani Sen and Biswanath Mukherjee. ,
Both sides "appeared satisfied with the trend of talks" and the meeting decided to hold fuller discussions at Madras on May l.
Before the Madras meeting, the leaders of the two factions are expected to visit various states in India and hold discussions with spokesmen of the rival groups.
Significantly enough, S.A.Dange, chairman of the right-wing grouping, is not associated with these "rapprochement" talks.
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