The opposition parties, which are coming on to one platform to take on the Modi government at the Centre, will have to adopt a realistic and accommodative approach to emerge victorious in the 2019 elections, D. Raja, CPI national secretary and Rajya Sabha member, has said.
Addressing the media here on Tuesday, Mr. Raja said the Opposition should realise the importance of achieving the primary objective – defeat of the BJP-led NDA government.
‘Simultaneous polls
not feasible’
“We (the CPI) are not for simultaneous elections for State Assemblies and Parliament, as Assembly elections are fought on State-specific issues,” he said.
“Simultaneous elections are not feasible as they require national consensus and amendments to the Constitution,” Mr. Raja added.
Under the garb of “minimum government and maximum governance,” the Modi government was keen on doing away with top bureaucrat posts and appoint MNC-trained corporate honchos to lead the bureaucracy.
“This will prove to be a disaster as the management gurus will work for the bosses and not the masses. The Union Public Service Commission and the State Selection Commission will become redundant, and the Indian Administrative Service will be diluted,” he feared.
Mr. Raja said the move would prove to be detrimental to the interests of the SC/STs and minorities, as they would be denied administrative jobs at the top level.
Fall in GDP
The four-year rule of the BJP was a disaster on all fronts. The fall in GDP vouched for it, he said.
“The much-publicised two-crore jobs per year remains a dream, and inequality has increased in a unprecedented manner,” Mr. Raja observed.
The NDA Government failed to bring back black money stashed in foreign destinations. It also failed to nab the economic offenders who had fled the country after committing frauds, he said. Under the BJP rule, the country witnessed social unrest, and cited, as examples, the atrocities committed on dalits, minorities, and adivasis.
Nation-wide protest
He said the party would stage nation-wide protest on June 20 demanding reduction in fuel prices. In August, the party would organise street plays, village meetings, seminars, and dharna highlighting the misrule of the NDA Government, he added.
