THE CPI(M) released the second set of booklets – 'The Two India Reality: Obscene Wealth – Grinding Poverty' and 'To Build a Corruption Free India' in New Delhi on March 26, as part of its campaign for the 16th Lok Sabha elections. These booklets were released by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury. Earlier, the CPI(M) released the first set of booklets – one on Communalism and the other on the Gujarat Model. These booklets were released by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat and secretary of the Gujarat state committee and Central Committee member, Arun Mehta on March 24. Releasing the booklets, Sitaram Yechury said that what we see today is growing economic inequality and reality of two Indias – the India of the rich and the India of the poor. Explaining the widening gap between the shining and suffering India and its disastrous consequences for the country and its people, he said that the pro-rich neo-liberal policies are responsible for this. Quoting figures mentioned in the booklet on inequality, Sitaram Yechury said that according to the Hurun 2014 Global Rich List, India has 70 “dollar billionaires” which is 17 more than the figure of 53 in the same list for 2013 – a 33 percent increase in the number of dollar billionaires. Just the top ten billionaires’ own personal wealth equals to nearly six percent of India's GDP and the net worth of India's billionaires has grown by 12 times in 15 years. It is enough to eliminate absolute poverty twice over in the country, he said. Sitaram Yechury said that the people are looking for relief from the economic burdens imposed by the neo-liberal policies. Though there is no dearth of resources in the country, they are being looted by corruption. A nexus of big corporates, politicians and bureaucrats has now become an integral part of the system created by neo-liberal policies. He said that both the UPA and the BJP are neck deep in corruption scandals and not a day goes without a report of some scam seeing the light of the day and some deal concludes with kickbacks paid to the top political leaders and bureaucrats. Pointing out that according to the CAG estimation the 2G scam alone caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crores to the public exchequer he said that such losses occurred as policies of neo-liberalism suited to crony capitalism. Responding to the questions, Yechury said that if we want a corruption free India, then we shall have to reverse the policies. It is the Left who represent a political formation against corruption in word and deed. He also said that Lokpal passed after four decades was a noble cause but the source of corruption – its supply side is not tackled by the existing Lokpal. CPI(M) is the only party which has consistently raised the issue of corruption and the issue of gas deal was also first raised by the CPI(M). Responding to a question he said that our vision for creating a better India is based on alternative policies. Releasing the first set of two booklets, on Communalism and on the Gujarat, Brinda Karat unraveled the so-called Gujarat model of development. She said that the “untold truth is that the Modi model is based on cheap labour. It is based on low wages, low monthly consumer expenditures, both in urban and rural areas”. While Gujarat boasts of industrial and agricultural development the growth rates have left untouched the earnings of workers. In rural areas, 40 per cent people spend less than Rs 40 per day and 90 per cent people spend less than Rs 75 per day. In urban areas, 30% people spend less than Rs 55 per day and 60% of people spend less than Rs 80 per day. Tearing to shreds the claim made by Narendra Modi and the BJP that Gujarat is “riot free” Brinda Karat said that in 2013, Gujarat had the shameful record of being among the top five states in terms of the number of communal riots, with 66 incidents of communal violence being reported in that year. She also pointed out that the record of other BJP-ruled states in this regard is similar. In 2013, there were 84 incidents of communal violence in Madhya Pradesh. For the first time in South India, large-scale state-supported incidents of communal violence took place during BJP’s Yeddyurappa's rule. In Odisha, a sudden spurt in communal violence took place in 2008 because of communal violence against Christians in Kandhamal that was openly backed by the Sangh Parivar. Brinda Karat also said that in Uttar Pradesh, of about 95 deaths that took place in communal violence until October in 2013, 60 took place in Muzaffarnagar alone. She accused the RSS-BJP of actively providing logistical and organisational support, and the weapons, for carrying out communal violence in Muzaffarnagar. Three riot accused BJP leaders have also been awarded with BJP tickets in this elections from the affected area – Hukum Singh from Kairana, Sanjiv Baliyan from Muzaffarnagar and Bharatendu Singh from Bijnore. Earlier, Brinda said, Maya Kodnani was rewarded for her role in the 2001 Gujarat pogroms. Amit Shah who is out on bail has been put in charge of the BJP unit in Uttar Pradesh. Responding to various queries, Brinda Karat said that there is nothing called the “Modi wave”. If it were so, there was no need to induct criminals like Pramod Muthalik and defectors from other parties. Secretary of the Gujarat state committee, Arun Mehta sought to expose the campaign of lies resorted to by the BJP and the Gujarat chief minister. He said that while Modi claims that farmers in Gujarat are getting 24 hours of uninterrupted electricity, the truth is that they are getting power for not more than six hours a day. 1,25,000 applications for new electricity connections are pending since the last five years he said. As far as drinking water is concerned, supply to 32 urban centres in the state is erratic. Even in places like Rajkot, water is supplied to residents every alternate day and in some places once in ten days. Even those kisans who had given up their land for the Narmada project are not getting water themselves. Arun Mehta said that the talk of employment generation in the state is a mere myth. Recently when the government had advertised for block secretaries, eight lakh people had applied for a mere 1500 posts. The Party will be releasing the other campaign booklets in the course of the next few days.