Left announces anti-communal campaign

New Delhi, Nov 17 

Six Left parties on Tuesday announced a nationwide campaign from December 1 to 6 against the "communal hate offensive spearheaded by the RSS and patronised by the BJP-led government".

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) made the announcement in a communique following its four-day Central Committee meeting that ended on November 16.

The other parties involved in the campaign will be the CPI, CPI-ML-Liberation, Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party and SUCI-C.

The statement hailed the people of Bihar for handing out "a resounding defeat" to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance in the assembly elections, saying the voters had rejected divisive issues.

"The Bihar verdict should strengthen the fight against the right-wing communal forces all over the country," it said.

It expressed serious concern over the "ominous political developments" in Punjab which it said were "gravely disrupting peace and communal harmony in the state". 

The CPI-M flayed the Narendra Modi government for unilaterally announcing steps to "further facilitate the loot of Indian resources and markets by vastly enhancing the access of foreign capital into India". 

"The staple 'daal roti' has gone beyond the reach of the common people," it said. 

The communique said communal tensions were being sharply escalated all over India by outfits linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevan Sangh (RSS) and the BJP.

"Given the patronage by the BJP central and state governments and the refusal by Modi to take any action, various outfits of the RSS are being emboldened to mount such attacks that seek to undermine the secular democratic foundations of our country and create widespread insecurity amongst the religious minorities."

The statement also urged the Indian government to "immediately restore the movement of goods and supplies to Nepal".

It said the opposition to the new secular constitution by certain Madhesi groups, supported by Indian Hindutva groups, was resulting in violent protests in some parts of Nepal. 

"The virtual blockading of the border between India and Nepal in many border points by the BJP government is having a crippling effect on Nepal. Consequently, anti-India sentiments have sharply escalated in Nepal."