Opposition parties should stand united in their fight against the Modi government to defend the constitution and democracy, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy has said.
He was speaking at an event organised by the CPI here on Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution.
“After the UP elections, the CPI has realised that Mr. Modi is winning elections despite the travails of demonetisation and price rise, because the opposing secular forces are divided. The CPI appeals to all of them to unite and stand together. The upcoming Presidential election is one such occasion. Yesterday, 17 Opposition parties came together in Delhi to discuss this. We have decided to put up a candidate if the government do not put up a consensus candidate. We do not expect them to do so, but we will wait for them to announce,” he said.
Mr. Reddy said the ban on cattle slaughter was a part of the RSS agenda of implementation of a Hindutva rastra. This cannot be tolerated. This should be fought back, he said.
“The Sangh Parivar, a fascistic organisation, is working behind this government. They want to force vegetarianism on all of us. Beef is consumed by a large section of our population. It is cheap and a source of protein for the working class. This decision will lead to an economic crisis, in which dairy farmers, leather workers, cattle farmers, and others will be affected,” he said.
He said during the three years of Modi government, they had targeted one section of the people or the other everyday.
“They started with the Muslims, targeting them communally. Then they targeted Dalits in Una and other places. All the campuses in the country came under attack and students were targeted. In Saharanpur, several Dalits have become victims of Sangh Parivar fascism,” he said.
Inspiring revolutions
Mr. Reddy said the October Revolution inspired revolutions in several other countries, following which Communist governments came to power in different parts of the world. The Communists had always fought fascists, especially during the Second World War.
“During the Second World War, when Hitler’s fascist force was trying to capture the entire world, it was the communists who fought them. Two crores of people died in Soviet Union during the war. It was the greatest sacrifice they have made to liberate humanity from fascism,” he said.
In a year which marks the 150th anniversary of ‘Capital,’ the relevance of Marxism as not only a theory but also a call for action is ever more relevant, he said.
