People's Democracy

MASSIVE RALLY IN KOLKATA

Modi Represents RSS and Corporates: Karat

TERMING Narendra Modi as a representative of communal and corporate forces, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat asserted that the Left parties will fight to thwart the attempt of BJP to come back to power.

Addressing a massive rally in Sahid Minar maidan organised by the Kolkata district Left Front  on 06th December, the CPI(M) leader said the convention called by the Left and other regional parties recently in Delhi had decided to stop communal forces at any cost and unify secular and democratic forces. 

"Narendra Modi is being projected by BJP as its prime ministerial candidate. Who is this Narendra Modi? This is the same Modi who has the backing of RSS, and who was involved in the demolition of Babri Masjid," said Karat. He also reminded that Modi has the backing of corporate houses and is actually the representative of communal and big corporate forces.

Mocking the Gujarat model of development being projected by BJP, Karat said that Gujarat model is that model which reminds everyone of the massacre of thousands of Muslims in that state in 2002. 

Lashing out at Congress-led UPA government at the centre for pursuing "neo-liberal" policies, Karat accused it of failing to control price rise and inflation. "We the Left forces have to fight for a secular alternative which will pursue alternative policies. We have to defeat both communal BJP and Congress that pursue neo-liberal policies. The policies of Congress have led to massive corruption," he said.

Karat lashed out against the TMC government in West Bengal for intensifying attacks on democratic rights of the people. He said it is pursuing anti-people policies and failed to stop spiraling price rise. Karat reminded the audience that TMC is a party which never come out against BJP and it was ready to go with either the Congress or the BJP.

Addressing the rally, veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan said the Left will have to fight to throw the Congress out of power and stop the BJP from coming to power.  "BJP is day-dreaming that it will come to power. But we are confident that the people of India will never bring a communal party like BJP and a man like Modi to power," he said.

Terming Modi as an "aggressive Hindutvavadi", Bardhan said "the Left, along with other secular and democratic forces, will have to fight to get Congress out of power and stop BJP. Apart from those 14 parties which attended our convention in Delhi, there are several other parties and forces which are secular. We have to unite them."

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said protecting the secular fabric was one of the biggest challenges the country faces now. "BJP is saying a lot of things about Modi. But soon after he was announced as a prime ministerial candidate, riots have started in various parts of the country," he said.

"If such forces come to power, then the Constitution and the democratic setup will be destroyed in the country. The Left has to increase its strength to stop it," he added.

Bhattacharjee, while reminiscing about the dark day of December 6, 1992, said the then West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu had requested the then prime minister  P V Narashima Rao to send the Army to stop the kar sevaks from demolishing Babri Masjid.

(INN)