People's Democracy

Congress will Suffer

Miserable Defeat: Karat

Haripada Das

THE non-Congress and non-BJP parties may play an active role in defeating the Congress and keeping the BJP at bay. CPI(M) shall try to unite such parties and form a secular alternative government at the centre. The performance of the Congress may be so dismaying it would be far away from the position to form a government at the centre.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat made these statements in a crowded press conference at Agartala on 14th December during the central committee meeting. The CC meeting being held for the first time in Agartala began on 13th December at Shahid Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel in Agartala.

Briefing about the discussion in the central committee meeting, Karat said, there were mainly two issues on the agenda. One was to adopt a report on the current political situation and the other was finalising a mid term review of the implementation of the 20th Party Congress decisions and directions.

Karat attacked the UPA-II government for remaining unconcerned at the galloping price rise that is breaking the backs of common people. He asserted that the only way to contain price rise is to impose controls over the price mechanism of petroleum oil and putting an end to the speculative trading in foodgrains. He expressed displeasure that the government is not acting on these two crucial requirements. The Congress party is sticking to the anti-people policies only to serve the big business and corporate lobby, he charged.

Rubbishing the media’s projection of Narednra Modi as potential future prime minister, Karat said, Modi is getting so much media spotlight because he represents the big corporate houses, which is uncommon in respect of any other leader of the country. On the other hand, this media is calculatedly hiding the history of black deeds that Modi acquired in the anti-Muslim riots in 2002. The BJP, VHP and RSS are once again trying to polarise the people of the country on religious lines to make political gains in the ensuing Lok Sabha election. He said that the CPI(M) central committee is in favour of mobilising all democratic sections of the country against the danger of communalism.

Referring to the outcome of the recently held assembly elections, Karat said, it is a strong verdict against Congress which lost its regimes in Delhi and Rajasthan. On the other hand, Congress also lost in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh  and Chhattisgarh in spite of  the record of misrule and corruption by BJP in those states. In Delhi, the people found AAP as an acceptable alternative. This indicates that while negating Congress, the people do not flatly accept BJP as an alternative. In a nutshell, the verdict of these four state assembly elections, where there is no viable alternative to Congress and BJP,  does not indicate any trend in the national political scene. In 2009 Lok Sabha elections also, BJP bagged majority seats in these states. In many other states there are regional parties who may be viable alternative to both Congress and BJP. He expected that these parties will perform well in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Karat condemned the dastardly attack on senior Forward Block leader Naren Dey inside the party office by TMC goons. Since last Panchayat elections in West Bengal, an unprecedented atmosphere of terror prevails which is not at all conducive to carry out normal political activities. This is a State-sponsored terror perpetrated by some ministers. The Sarada chit fund scam surpassed all records of corruption in respect of huge number of victims spread over various states and extent of amount misappropriated. Karat strongly advocated for CBI inquiry over Sarada scam under the supervision of any sitting judge of Supreme Court.

In Kerala, the exoneration of CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan by the court from Lavlin case has vindicated our claim that this was a politically motivated case to tarnish the image of the Party, said Karat. He contrasted the situation where a lot of political leaders, including central ministers and state chief ministers are being indicted in various scandals and financial fraud cases in the country.  Nobody can dare point their fingers at any CPI(M) leaders, he asserted.

Asked to comment on the rise of AAP in Delhi, Karat said, the CPI(M) appreciates its anti-Congress stance, but until it declares its policy and programme, it is too early to say anything about AAP. Replying to the question whether CPI(M) would join in a future central government, Karat said it depends on the post election situation. Regarding Lok Pal Bill, Karat demanded that this bill should be passed in the current session of the parliament itself with the amendments passed in the Joint Select Committee of Parliament. Asked whether CPI(M) would lend its support to Congress in government formation at the centre in order to keep the BJP away from power, Karat replied, “I think Congress would suffer such a miserable defeat, such a situation would not even arise.”