BJP HAS become the main threat for the survival of regional parties in the country, said Prakash Karat, Editor, Peoples’ Democracy and CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member, while delivering theMakineni Basavapunnaiah Memorial lecture on “Present Politics- Challenges before the Regional parties”.The 106thbirth anniversary of the Marxist ideologue- M Basavapunnaiah was conducted at MB Vignana Kendram (MBVK), Vijayawada on December 15. P Madhu, managing trustee of MB Trust and CPI(M) state secretary presided over the meeting. He narrated some inspiring events of the student days of MB and later about the role in building the Communist movement. Trust secretary, Y Venkateswararao welcomed the gathering and D Subbarao, P Muralikrishna shared the dais. Muralikrishna presented highlights of the annual report of MBVK.

Prakash karat, speaking online, paid tributes to the late legendary of Indian Communist movement. He explained in detail about the evolution of regional parties and the role they played in Indian politics. The regional parties fought for the rights of states and against the authoritarian rule of Congress, he said. But after neo-liberal economic policies came in, they themselves implemented those disastrous policies and became silent on rights of the states and on safeguarding federalism and many regional parties shared power at the centre in the coalition era. After BJP coming in to power, it attacked on the rights of the states and also on the freedom of the regional parties. BJP has been snatching away the rights and interests of the states by chanting “one nation, one language, one tax, one ration card, one market... etc.”, Karat said.Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and LJP have come out of NDA. Capturing all powers in its hands, the Modi government is crushing the regional parties and in turn it is becoming strong in various states, he explained. The BJP utilises the regional parties for its growth through having ties and later weakening them and even swallowing their bases, he alleged. But some regional parties in a greed to retain power are compromising with it pursuing opportunist politics. Those parties will be in great threat for their survival, Karat warned.

BJP- RSS authoritarian rule has been pushing disastrous policies that benefit the corporates like Adani, Ambani and damaging the peoples’ interests, Karat said. The authoritarian and centralised rule of BJP will hamper the regional interests and aspirations and so the regional parties have to fight against the BJP for their survival in future, he explained. All out efforts of BJP to defeat TRS in Telangana and the attempts to dethrone BJD in Odisha etc., are clear indications that BJP is trying to root out the regional parties everywhere. In Andhra Pradesh also, it tamed the TDP and are trying to dethrone the YCP. So, the regional parties have to decide whether to fight back BJP or to surrender to it. That will be crucial for the future of those parties, Prakash Karat said.