Yechury Exhorts Voters to Defeat BJP in 2024 Election

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has exhorted “patriots” to fulfil their “duty of questioning the government” and remove the BJP from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

On the concluding day of the CPI(M) Kerala unit’s 27-day-long People’s Resistance Rally on Saturday, Yechury slammed the BJP tactic ofbranding people criticising the party and the government’s policies as anti-nationalsas a mere strategy to suppress dissent. 

“Anybody questioning the PM is branded anti-national. Even the BBC and Hindenburg report have been dubbed anti-national foreign agencies,” he said during a public meeting at the conclusion of the rally, held to expose the Centre’s stifling of Kerala’sLeft Democratic Front (LDF) government and the other non-BJP-ruled states.

“Questioning the government is the duty of every Indian patriot. Removing BJP and [Narendra] Modi is the final test of nationalism,”Yechurysaid referring to the 2024 general election. 

The Opposition has accused the government of misusing the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax Department to suppress the Opposition. 

“The ED filed 3,554 cases in the last nine years of BJP rule but only 23 resulted in conviction. Most of the cases are dismissed after the accused join the BJP. The party manages to rope in new allies and uses the media to get support even if its traditional partners quit the alliance,” he added.

The CPI(M) reminded the people about the “continuous attacks on the state, including denial of important infrastructure projects, reduction of share from the divisive pool, misuse of Central agencies to intimidate opposition leaders and unleashing political violence in different states, including Tripura”. 

Yechury said that the rally covered Kerala’s all 140 constituencies to convey the manner in which the “Central government and its policies are destroying the country and its basic constitutional order”, and “the discrimination against non-BJPgovernments, particularly the LDF government in Kerala”.

“The corporate-communal nexus and the worst form of crony capitalism is destroying secular democracy, economic sovereignty, social justice and federalism—the four important pillars of Indian democracy”, Yechury added. 

Referring to the recent comments made by Union home minister Amit Shah on Kerala allegingthat the state is deprived of development due to LDF rule, Yechury said, “The misinformation campaign is led by people, including the prime minister and home minister. The President endorsed the LDF government for several achievements during her ongoing visit. This itself is the answer to Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.”

Besides, the NITI Aayog has placed Kerala on top of the list in most indices.

Kerala CPI(M) secretary MV Govindan, the captain of the rally, pointed to the achievements of Kerala, particularly under the LDF regime, and the efforts of the BJP in “undermining” them. 

“Kerala has achieved recognition for its development model. Renowned economistAmartya Senhas even asked other countries to emulate the model for development. This is worrying the BJP and hence it wants to destroy the LDF and Kerala,” he said. 

Kerala’s share of Central taxes and dutieshad declined to 1.92%, as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission, as compared to 3.8% during the 10th Finance Commission (1995-2000).Further, the inclusion of loans taken by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board and Welfare Pension Board are included in the general debt of the state, which reduce the state’s borrowing capacity. 

“The refusal to extend the GST compensation and imposition of cess are hurdles to several states. Since Kerala has achieved better in several human development indices, the BJP government is reducing the funds,” Govindan alleged. 

The CPI(M) claimed that rally had achieved its aim of exposing the BJP government’sbetrayal of Kerala.