The Narendra Modi led BJP Government in the Centre has posed serious challenges to the principles of parliamentary democracy and republican set up of the administration through its communal policies and short sighted approach, Rajya Sabha member D. Raja has said.
Addressing reporters here on Saturday, Mr. Raja said that the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its allied forces are communalising the educational, social and cultural institutions.
The RSS has started projecting their dangerous policies by whipping up communal hatred. “Hence, time has come to safeguard communal harmony and democracy as against the challenges posed by BJP and RSS,” he said.
Referring to the release of five fishermen who were on death row in Sri Lanka he said that this was a welcome development and has brought peace of mind to everyone. But the issue should not be politicised as had been done by the BJP.
If the claims of the BJP that it alone took steps to ensure the release of the fishermen was true all the fishermen and their boats who had been detained by Sri Lankan authorities should have been released.
He called for restoration of traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen. The agreement should be revisited and reopened so that there would no room for any hardship for fishermen in future.
Mr. Raja said that the pro corporate policies of the BJP should be opposed tooth and nail. The CPI and Left parties would jointly organise a nation wide campaign from December 8 to 14 which would be a people’s movement to protect national interest and communal unity in the country.
He said that the Union government was also dislocating the smooth functioning of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by shrinking sufficient allocation.
The BJP had made a hue and cry during the elections that it alone would be able to bring back black money, but now it was only because of the Supreme Court the government came gave the list and submitted it in a sealed cover to the court.
What prevented the centre from exposing the persons who had stashed black money abroad, he wanted to know.
CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy who was here to oversee the preparations for the party’s 22 national congress said that the national conference was held for the first time in Puducherry.
He said that there was a need for the left parties to expand their presence in new areas.
He said that the gap between the rich and the poor had widened and the slogan of Clean India would have no impact and relevance without eradicating poverty in the country.
