Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Hindu
The Hindu
National
The Hindu Bureau

D. Raja calls for Left unity, alliance among secular forces

Reiterating his party’s stance for reunification of the communist movement, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D. Raja has stressed the need to create a broad alliance of secular and regional parties to counter the growing influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the country.

Inaugurating the delegates’ session of the CPI State conference here on Saturday, Mr. Raja urged the Congress to undertake a course correction and revise its policies in order to resolve its internal turmoil.

He accused the RSS of attempting to impose a monolithic and illiberal socio-political order on the citizens of the country. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government which, he alleged, did its bidding has also worked to sabotage the constitutional values in the country.

“Besides destroying the welfare character of the country by denying social justice for large sections, the government has allowed corporate houses to loot national assets and plunder the wealth of the people. It has also been hell-bent on privatising public sector undertakings that have remained the backbone of the Indian economy for long. The government has also violated the fundamental tenets of the Constitution by shunning the need for cooperative federalism,” the CPI leader said.

Under such circumstances, Mr. Raja said, all secular forces including regional parties must work together to mobilise people with an aim to defeat the BJP in the 2024 general elections. Lamenting the lack of unity among Left parties in States, including Kerala and West Bengal, he called for working towards a communist unification on a principled basis. Such a union was paramount to cobble up the Opposition unity.

While emphasising on the increasing role of regional parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Janata Dal (United), in Indian politics, Mr. Raja lashed out at certain others like the YSR Congress and Biju Janata Dal for their “wavering stance” towards the BJP. “They can no longer remain right of centre and be part of political conservatism. It is the need of the hour that they adopt a centrist position if not a left-of-centre view,” he remarked.

CPI national secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan, State secretary Kanam Rajendran, Binoy Viswam, MP, control commission chairman Pannian Ravindran, national executive member K.E. Ismail, and district secretary Mankode Radhakrishnan also participated.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.