By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has made a strong pitch for defending democracy under attack in the country and strengthening the communist movement.
The clarion call for realizing the twin objective was given by CPI general secretary D. Raja while inaugurating the delegates’ conference during the CPI State conference In Alappuzha, Kerala on Wednesday September 10. In a specific reference to Bihar, which is going to the polls soon, Raja said the people’s right to vote was being snatched away.
“The Election Commission has failed to guarantee the right to vote for all eligible voters in Bihar. It can happen in any State. The Election Commission is a constitutional body. It should act as a neutral body and guarantee the people’s right to vote. Unfortunately, it has failed to ensure free and fair elections,” he said.
India, Raja stressed, as a nation was facing grave threats. “The rightwing forces have captured power. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a fascist force. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is nothing but the political wing of the RSS. They are trying aggressively to transform India into a fascist State. They are working to change the character of the Indian State and make it a religion-based one,” he pointed out. He strongly condemned the ‘one nation one election’ idea – the philosophy of the RSS. “They do not recognize India as a multi-dimensional, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. India is a plural country. But they want to change it and dismantle all democratic structures. Under the Modi Government, democracy and the Constitution are under threat,” he averred, adding that it was the time for all secular democratic forces to come together to fight and defeat the BJP-RSS combine.
To realize this objective, the paramount need of the hour is to strengthen the communist movement. Efforts must be made to achieve left unity. Left parties should join hands and strengthen the communist movement. The challenges from the rightwing forces are huge and daunting. And “we must enlighten the people and protect ourselves as role models and uphold communist values and morality, he emphasised.
Referring to the parlous state of Indian economy, the CPI leader said the Union Government was compelled to make changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to arrest the down-the-hill slide.
The three-day conference is being attended by 528 delegates, including 39 special invitees. A heartening feature of the inaugural function was the launch of the party’s YouTube channel Kanal by CPI National Secretariat member K. Narayana.
The conference also saw a stirring call by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the formation of a broad united front to counter and defeat the politics of the Sangh Parivar and the BJP. He was speaking after inaugurating a seminar on “Future of Secularism and Federalism held as part of the CPI conference. Every vote for the BJP would destroy the unique identity of Kerala and the society should become aware of this, he said.
“The future of secularism and federalism is a very serious issue. It is closely linked to the protection of the Constitution. If federalism is dismantled, it will affect the unity and integrity of the nation. This is a time when such concerns must be taken seriously. Therefore, safeguarding federalism is part of preserving the nation’s unity and integrity,” he said. Destroying the Constitution that upholds secularism and federalism has been the policy of the Sangh Parivar organisations, he pointed out.
The Kerala CM also lambasted the attempts to strip the States of the distinct powers the Constitution has given them. “In States where the BJP is not in power, Governors are being used to undermine federalism. The Union Government is adopting measures to weaken federalism. The Centre is encroaching upon the powers of the States. There is also an attempt to impose Hindi on the States,” he cautioned.
Referring to the hurried announcement by the Prime Minister on the revision of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the CM said the announcement should have been made by the GST Council. However, the Council was rendered irrelevant with the PM directly announcing the revision. Kerala, Pinarayi said, would incur a loss of Rs 10,000 crore because of this revision.
The CM also lashed out against the Sangh Parivar and the Modi Government for promoting communalism alongside the implementation of the policies favouring the corporates. The Modi Government is disregarding minority protection and taking a stance against minority communities, including Muslims and Christians, Vijayan said. The move to implement the one nation one election idea would destroy federalism, he warned. He was strongly critical of the attempts to subvert elections. The Election Commission is being influenced. The Sangh Parivar is also trying to make the judiciary favourabe to them, he said.
The programme was attended by CPI general secretary D. Raja CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam and noted film actor Prakash Raj.
Speaking to newspersons on the eve of the party conference, Binoy Viswam sounded a stern warning to the officers who act against the policies of the LDF Government. The errant officers would be given exemplary punishment, he said.
The action report prepared by the party has praised the LDF Government for its good performance on all fronts. The report has, needless to say, disappointed the anti-left media which had made a splash that the report would be critical of the State Government. The critics and the left baiters have ended up with egg on their faces.
The CPI has 1,63,572 members in Kerala. Since last year the party has seen the enrolment of 3594 members. The 110-member strong State Committee is set to include 19 fresh faces. Women in the State Committee number 17.
The highlight of the inaugural day was the strong emphasis on strengthening the communist movement and intensifying the battle to defend democracy. The conference felt this was of paramount importance. Failure to firm up the battle against the fascist forces ruling the country would destroy the future of democracy and secularism. The remainder of the conference would see the formulation of programmes to achieve the twin objective expeditiously. (IPA Service)
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