CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on February 14

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep concern at the grave implications of the “Ram Raj Rath Yatra” flagged off yesterday at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.  This rally was flagged off by the RSS-affiliated VHP general secretary in the presence of Faizabad BJP MP, Ayodhya’s BJP mayor and other BJP leaders.

The yatra is supposedly to retrace the route of Rama to Sri Lanka, as described in the Hindu epic Ramayana.  It has declared that the main agenda is to administer a pledge to the people for the construction of Ram temple at the disputed land in Ayodhya (even though the Supreme Court is still hearing petitions on this), re-establish `Ram Rajya’, inclusion of teaching of Ramayana in school syllabus and replace Sunday by Thursday as the weekly holiday to observe ‘National Hindu Day’.

The route of the yatra proceeds through BJP ruled states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, spending nearly a fortnight in Karnataka where assembly elections are due, then proceeding via Kerala to reach Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

This yatra has an incendiary potential to sharpen communal polarisation in order to strengthen the communal Hindutva vote bank for the RSS-BJP.  There are grave implications of possibilities for stoking communal tensions, violence and mayhem.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon both the central and state governments to strengthen the law and order apparatus to ensure that communal peace is not disturbed and individual right to life and liberty is not violated. The Polit Bureau calls upon all secular and peace-loving forces to expose the sinister designs of communal mobilisation by the RSS/BJP.