Q.Why does CPI(M) not mandate minimum education qualifications for people contesting elections?

Shyamlal Panda, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh

Q A Marxist party is supposed to be opposed to religion but in Loklahar's issue in hand (and also in People's Democracy) I have found news reports of "Roza Iftar" organised and 'Eid Celebrated in Sriram Colony'. You had also brought out an issue on "Babri Masjid". But in Dipawali issue, I saw call for class struggle. Is Marxist party's opposition to religion is limited only to Hindu rituals and Brahmanical norms?

                                                                   Bhavesh Marolia

Sadulpur, Rajasthan

Why is the CPI(M) opposed to the RTI (Right to Information) Act being made applicable to it?  The Central Information Commission has ruled that political parties should be brought under the purview of the Act yet the political parties are refusing to accept the decision?

S Kameswari, Hyderabad

 Is it correct that the amended version of the para 7.17 of the Party Programme wherein you have proposed to join a government at the centre as well, is the result of the Party’s acknowledgement of its mistake in not joining the central government, under the leadership of Comrade Jyoti Basu?

Is it quite natural as we knew from the writing of a senior comrade that it was the word `states’ as the suffix of government that had debarred the Central Committee from joining the central government.

Please confirm if my presumptions are correct.

What is the CPI(M)’s stand on death penalty?
Ramesh Kumar, Delhi
I wish to know our Party's stand on MIM leader's comment that death penalty was given to Yakub Memon due to his religion. I feel proud that our Party is against any capital punishment.
Chittaranjan Das, Jamshedpur