A SERIOUS instigation to create communal passion throughout the country is being made by RSS and VHP using the central government led by BJP, which if not resisted by united protest by the democratic masses irrespective of religious and party line, may lead to imminent threat to secularism, communal harmony and national integration. CPI(M) General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member Sitaram Yechury made these observations at a packed convention held at Rabidnra Shatabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala on October 11.

The convention, the Tripura Yuddha Birodhi Manch (Tripura Anti-War Platform), was presided by a presidium comprising by Sankar Prasad Datta, Jharna Das Baidya, both MPs, Dr. Brajagopal Roy, Prof. Mihir Deb, Dr. Nilmani Debbarma and Dr. Prafullajit Sinha, Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation. Among others who addressed the convention were Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Sports & Minority Development Minister of Tripura  Sahid Chaudhuri, Prof. Manik Deb and Dr. Prafullajit Sinha on behalf of the presidium.

Referring to the one after another sordid incidents that had taken place in different places of the country right from killing of eminent personalities like Gobinda Pansare, Prof. M M Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar, and the gruesome incident at Dadri village of Uttar Pradesh, arson of mosques and churches in various places, Yechury said it would be wrong if we plainly think that all these are outcome of spontaneous religious fanaticism. A shrewd calculation is working behind these developments to divide the masses on religious line to polarise Hindu votes for electoral gain by the ruling BJP. The people of the country are being fast disillusioned about the cosmetic electoral pledges put by the BJP in the last Lok Sabha election. Rather, plight of the people worsened due to the more aggressive pursuit of neo-liberal policies by the Modi government. Farmers are committing suicide in larger number. Industrial growth is declining. Number of unemployment reached a new height. Only gainer is the corporate sector which is flourishing exorbitantly, Yechury asserted.

Explaining the RSS drive for converting India into a ‘Hindu State’, the CPI(M) General Secretary said they needed a cheap enemy i.e. the Muslim community. They unleashed anti-Muslim hatred in the name of ‘Love Jihad’, ‘Ghar Wapsi’ etc. and now they are crying against cow slaughtering. They are now bent upon to make a Hindutva encroachment in the fields of science, culture, education and research etc. With this aim in view, they have installed hardcore Hindutva ideologues in many cultural and research institutes. Freedom of thought, freedom of expression, diversity of culture and social customs, which are the essence of the Indian Constitution and prerequisite of the national integrity, are under serious threat. Yechury said that all these rampant saffronisation drives are not let unimpeded. Several distinguished authors and eminent personalities in various fields started returning their awards in protest. India is passing through a phase of battle between writers and rioters, he said and repented that except Leftists, no other parties seem to be concerned about the imminent danger of this heinous drive of VHP-RSS.

Congratulating the organisers for convening this convention with a genuine issue, Yechury said Tripura is a model in maintaining communal and ethnic harmony and development in the country. It would be the guiding force in fighting against the communal danger in the country, he hoped and concluded.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, in his address, said that more than 70 per cent people of the country cannot dispense rupees 20 per day, people’s income is gradually going down due to inflation, about 38 crore people of the country are still illiterate, more than 60 per cent women of the country are suffering from malnutrition, most of the rural villages are devoid of safe drinking water, electricity and sanitation. All these issues find no place in Modi’s priority. Rather the BJP government has reduced allocation in all these heads in one hand and waived more than 5 lakh crore rupees to the corporate capitals on the other. Realising the people’s anger against the Modi government, which was clear from the 2^nd September all India strike, they have calculatedly started inciting majority Hindus against minority sections to divert the people’s attention from economic issues which BJP assured in their manifesto but miserably failed to fulfil.

On the prevailing situation in the state, Sarkar said, no doubt, we have no problem with Hindu-Muslim fraternity in the state. But, a section of tribals raised a provocative demand for a separate state for tribals which is tantamount to the demand of ‘independent Tripura’ raised by the extremist outfits. They don’t admit the Left Front government a legal government. We are fighting them ideologically. We must not remain complacent. Since the RSS-VHP is very much active in the state, all of us should keep our eyes and ears open so that any idle moment may not appear with a crushing blow to the state’s age old communal friendship. Similar convention may be organised in every subdivision, Sarkar suggested.

Addressing the convention, Prof. Mihir Deb said that though our Constitution declares India as a secular, socialist state, we could hardly make any progress to that end. Our education policy is being changed incorporating communal outlook and regressive ideas. Our history is being replaced by myth, our divergent culture is being denied by communal elements. This is time to rise in protest in unison.