Left, Secular Forces Must Come Together to Isolate RSS-BJP’s Communalism: Yechury

Kannur: Hindutva communalism can only be combated by all Left, secular and democratic forces who must come together to isolate and defeat the BJP, Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary said.

To achieve this, Yechury called upon Congress and regional parties to “set their houses in order” to prevent an exodus from such parties toward the communal forces.

The CPI(M) general secretary was inaugurating the 23 Party Congress here on Wednesday.

On the need for broader Left unity to tackle many livelihood challenges facing the working people, Yechury said: “United Left parties are vital to meet current challenges faced by working people and India and its Constitutional order.”

He said the CPI(M) shall resolve to strengthen the efforts for “building a solid communist party, more substantial Left unity and the forging of a Left and Democratic front”.

Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government, the CPI(M) general secretary said instead of giving relief to the people, “the BJP-led Union government continues to impose more economic burdens with daily price hikes of petroleum products leading to galloping inflation. Coming on top of growing unemployment, poverty and hunger, this is ruining people's lives.”

He pointed out that the Rasthtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP had succeeded in creating the narrative of an overarching Hindutva identity among the people. “This sharpening of polarisation is RSS-BJP mainstay for political and electoral mobilisation” he added.

There is the simultaneous pursuit of neo-liberal reforms to strengthen the communal corporate nexus and promote crony capitalism brazenly, he said, adding that “undermining the Indian Constitution, systematic efforts are being made to change the character of the secular democratic Indian Republic.”

Yechury has also stressed how the CPI(M) and the Left Democratic Front showed the way to uphold uncompromising secularism, which respects equality irrespective of caste, creed and gender.

LDF seeks to implement pro-people policies as an alternative to the neo-liberal agenda. The results are visible, with the world acclaiming Kerala's high ranking in the human development index. The dedicated struggles earned the confidence of the people to make Kerala's Communist movement a formidable outpost for the Indian revolutionary movement, he added.

The 23rd Party Congress of CPI(M) kicked off in Kannur, Kerala, on Wednesday. The triennial all India conference, where the party discusses its functioning during the three-year period and adopts a political resolution outlining the way forward, is the culmination of conferences from the local level to the national level.

The party congress, from April 6 to 10, is being attended by a total of 811 delegates, including 77 observers from 24 states.

The inaugural session saw solidarity from other communist parties, including the parties from China, Cuba, Korea, Vietnam and Laos

The inaugural session also had the presence of prominent personalities from Kannur. Noted short story writer T Padmanabhan, Ramachandran Kadannappalli MLA, Kannur Bishop Dr. Alex Vadakkumthala, renowned lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran, Actor and director Madhupal, Playback singer Sayanora Philip, Eminent journalist  M V Nikeshkumar etc., were part of the inaugural session.