People's Democracy

CENTRAL COMMITTEE DECISION

Campaign to be Intensified for Alternative Policies, Against Communalism

THE CPI(M) has decided to intensify its political campaign in the coming days against the increasing activities of communal forces, and the party would strive to bring all the anti-communal forces on one platform to face this menace. CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat, conveyed this decision to the media in a press conference organised in AKG Bhawan, New Delhi, on August 19, 2013, following the two-day Central Committee meeting of the party on August 17 and 18. However, in reply to a question, Karat clarified that the Congress cannot be a part of this anti-communal mobilisation. He also made it clear that the proposed platform would not be confined to political parties but encompass all the anti-communal forces.

The CPI(M) leader asserted that the RSS and BJP had a hand in the communal conflagrations in Kishtwar, Nawadah and other places in the country. He drew attention to the increasing communal depredations in Bihar after the BJP was forced to quit the state government. In reply to a question, he said the BJP attempts to consolidate its position through communal mobilisation whenever it is in opposition. To a query about Narendra Modi’s claim that a section of the Muslims vote for him in Gujarat, Karat said it is the repression of the Muslim community that has compelled this section to surrender. This is the Gujarat model the BJP wants to impose on the whole country, Karat added.

The CPI(M) general secretary also lambasted the UPA government’s moves to shift the burden of economic crisis on to the people and to increase our dependence on foreign capital on the plea that this would rescue us from the ongoing crisis. He said the party would intensify its campaign for a platform of alternative policies, as identified by a convention of the Left parties. Replying to a query, he flatly said the BJP can by no means provide an alternative to the UPA’s neo-liberal policies. Regarding the preparations for the coming Lok Sabha polls, he said the party would seek to have an understanding with secular opposition parties in certain states. In this regard he mentioned Tamilnadu, Odisha and Assam where similar understanding did exist in the past.

About the recent events on the line of control and the tension in Indo-Pak relations, the CPI(M) leader asked the government to firmly deal with the ceasefire violations and infiltration from across the border. However, attempts to have negotiations with Pakistan must continue.

Terming the food security bill as inadequate, in its present form, to ensure enough food for the common people, Karat asked the government to accept the common amendments moved by the Left and other members of parliament. He also spoke on the situation created by the announcement about the formation of a Telangana state. Now that the UPA government’s decision in the regard and the number of pro-Telangana members in parliament have made it certain that a separate state would come into existence, he said the CPI(M) would try its level best to ensure that the issues related to the division of Andhra Pradesh are dealt with in the interest of the people in both the prospective states.

In reply to a question regarding the disappearance of several files connected with the coal scam, Karat said the government needs to clarify its position and bring all the relevant facts to the public notice. He reminded that the CBI is still continuing its probe into the coal scam whose threads go back to the prime minister’s office (PMO) itself. About the recent panchayat elections in West Bengal, he said it was not the question of an election taking place in normal circumstances; in fact the CPI(M) had had to face large-scale violence, attacks and malpractices at every stage.