Accusing the Congress of soft-peddling issues related to communalism, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was not acting firmly against communal and fundamental forces in the State.
Addressing presspersons, CPI(M) State secretary G.V. Srirama Reddy said the Congress, which had benefitted from anti-communal sentiments of the people, was soft on communalists. “Instead of acting firmly to curb communal forces, the government was playing into their hands,” he charged.
He said the party’s State committee, attended by Politburo members M.A. Baby and K. Varadarajan, deliberated issues pertaining to State and nation at length and expressed its strong discontent over the governance of the Congress in the State.
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Though fundamental forces in both majority and minority communities were active and disturbing communal harmony, instead of acting against them, the government was soft on them, he alleged.
Mr. Reddy, who took exception to the induction of D.K. Shivakumar and R. Roshan Baig in the Cabinet, regretted that Mr. Siddaramaiah, who had initially refused to accommodate them in his Cabinethad finally succumbed to pressure. The state of affairs in the Bharatiya Janata Party was no different. It finally re-admitted the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who went to prison on charges of corruption, he added.
Continuing his tirade against the Congress, and dubbing the party as being anti-people, Mr. Reddy alleged that instead of solving the problem of the working class, the government was opting for measures such as Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to curb democratic protests.
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However, clarifying that the party would not sit back and watch the situation, he said labour organisations have organised a massive march to the Vidhana Soudha on March 23, demanding a common minimum wage of Rs. 10,000, and other demands, and the party had decided to support the movement.