In a communique issued on Monday after the meeting at HKS Surjeet Bhavan, the CPI(M) said the recent Assembly election results reflected a “major concern” over the growing spread of the BJP even in states where it won only a limited number of seats.
CPI(M) (Photo:IANS)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has expressed deep concern over what it described as the consolidation of “Hindutva communal forces” across the country, while announcing a nationwide political campaign on issues ranging from electoral rights and labour codes to fuel price hikes and unemployment following its Central Committee meeting held in New Delhi from May 22 to 24.
In a communique issued on Monday after the meeting at HKS Surjeet Bhavan, the CPI(M) said the recent Assembly election results reflected a “major concern” over the growing spread of the BJP even in states where it won only a limited number of seats.
“A broad feature of these election results is the consolidation of Hindutva communal forces in the society and their assumption of power in West Bengal,” the party said, adding that the BJP’s return to power in Assam was “a matter of deep concern for all secular, progressive and democratic forces.”
The party said it would conduct detailed reviews of its electoral setbacks in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam. The Kerala state committee will hold meetings in Thiruvananthapuram from June 5 to 8, with Polit Bureau members participating in the discussions. Similar review exercises are expected in other states before the Central Committee meets again in July.
At the same time, the CPI(M) described its return to the West Bengal Assembly as “a positive development” and noted that a party-backed independent candidate had won from Mahe in Puducherry.
The communique also sharpened the party’s criticism of the Congress within the INDIA bloc, accusing it of undermining opposition unity. “The attitude of the Congress towards other opposition parties is not helpful in building the unity of secular forces,” the CPI(M) said, while condemning allegations made by Congress leaders during the Kerala elections that the Left party had an understanding with the BJP.
“The CPI(M) is a committed fighter against communalism and a part of the INDIA bloc,” the statement asserted.
The party also targeted the Election Commission of India over the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that “lakhs of voters were denied their constitutional right to vote on flimsy grounds through a new category, ‘logical discrepancies’.”
Claiming that the exercise had undermined the credibility of the electoral system, the CPI(M) accused the poll body of acting beyond its mandate. It expressed discontent over what it said the Supreme Court not yet giving a ruling on the validity of the process.
The party further alleged that BJP governments in Bihar and West Bengal had linked welfare benefits to electoral roll deletions under the SIR process. “This is contrary to all democratic principles and is a brazen attempt to downgrade the citizenship of certain sections of people and their rights,” the communique said.
On the economic front, the CPI(M) accused the Union government of masking a deepening economic crisis through “propaganda,” citing rising unemployment, distress among MSMEs, falling foreign exchange reserves and increasing inequality.
It criticised recent increases in fuel prices, saying petrol and diesel prices had risen by more than Rs 7 per litre in the last 11 days through multiple hikes. “The rising prices of fuel, together with the austerity measures are an enormous burden on the people,” the party said.
The communique also warned of a looming fertiliser shortage ahead of the agricultural season and reiterated opposition to replacing MGNREGA with the proposed VBGRAMG Act, which it said would hurt rural workers due to excessive reliance on digital systems.
The party announced plans for mass campaigns on several issues, including defence of voting rights, implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures, opposition to newly operationalised labour codes, and protests against alleged US aggression on countries including Cuba, Iran, Palestine and Venezuela.
The CPI(M) also condemned what it called growing attacks on dissent, citing the ban on social media handles linked to the “Cockroach Janata Party” and the assault on its creator Abhijeet Dipke. “Instead of addressing the genuine concerns of the youth, the government is branding ‘cockroaches’ too as anti-national,” the statement said.
The party further raised concerns over women’s safety, caste violence and the NEET paper leak controversy, alleging BJP leaders’ involvement in the exam leak and demanding the disbanding of the National Testing Agency.
The communique additionally criticised a Madhya Pradesh High Court judgment in the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute, saying it violated the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and warned against reopening historical and religious disputes that could deepen communal divisions.
The CPI(M) also urged the Union government to ensure telecast of the upcoming FIFA World Cup through the public broadcaster, accusing corporate broadcasters and FIFA of denying Indian viewers access to the tournament.
The meeting resolved to call for intensified political mobilisation against what the party described as “authoritarian” and “Hindutva-corporate” policies of the BJP-led government.
Advertisement
Advertisement
