Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Wednesday blamed the trade unions for the failure to adapt to new working patterns as a result of which much of the labour today is outside the organised sector.
Delivering the third M.K. Pandhe lecture on ‘Communalism and the Working Class’ organised by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Mr. Karat urged CITU activists to organise themselves outside the factory set-up.
“You need to mobilise not just to fight labour issues but also organise social and cultural activities in clusters dominated by the working class the way the RSS does.”
Putting communalisation into perspective, Mr. Karat pointed out that India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, had to struggle against forces within his own party to make India a secular country.
“When he showed solidarity with Muslims during the Partition riots, Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad questioned his stance, stating that they should be meted out the same treatment as Pakistan was to Hindus there. Even before Independence, Nehru had said there were Hindu fundamentalists in the garb of nationalists within the Congress.”
Pointing out that, “People do not see communalism as an immediate threat. It is not tangible in the way the attack on their livelihood is,” Mr Karat said, “We have to recognise that we have not countered the Sangh Parivar’s efforts to spread the communal virus, both in terms of the methods used by them and the perseverance of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which consistently works at every level.”.
The RSS runs a coaching centre for Civil Service Examination aspirants, he added to underline the manner in which the Sangh has spread itself wide and deep.
