“Those who join the chorus for an independent Tibet will be doing a great disservice to the country,” said CPM general secretary Prakash Karat here on Monday while making a brave effort to blunt the NDA’s attack on the Chinese offensive in Tibet.

Briefing newsmen at the ongoing 19th CPM party congress here, he said those who supported the Tibetan cause were indirectly paving the way for the disintegration of the country.

“In India we have problems of separatism. Are we going to support a free Nagaland and Jammu &Kashmir,’’ Mr Karat said. According to him, some politicians were toeing the line of certain western powers which wanted to break up countries by citing human rights violations.

“Our party does not support any kind of separatism. If there are legitimate grievances, they should be discussed and sorted out. We have been saying that China and the Dalai Lama should discuss the issue,’’ he said.

Mr Karat pointed out that it was the Vajpayee government which signed a declaration recognising Tibet as part of China. He was evasive when asked whether it was proper on the part of China to summon the Indian Ambassador past midnight to register its protest against the attack on its Embassy in Delhi. “I am not an expert on diplomatic practices. India also had the right to express regret at the attack,” he said.

Price rise

Mr Karat said his party would also oppose the Forward Contract Regulation Amendment Bill if it was introduced in the Parliament.

The party was opposed to allowing futures trading in essential commodities market. It was highly improper of the government to bring an ordinance amending the Act to allow FDI ownership into the commodity market just two weeks before Parliament met.