CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat warned that the Red brigade would not keep quiet, if attempts are made to obstruct the “Polikeka” meeting – the struggle convention for social justice, scheduled to be organised in Hyderabad on March 19 as a culmination to the five-month-long Mahajana Padayatra undertaken by the CPI(M) in Telangana. She made it clear that as the chief minister, it is the responsibility of K Chandrasekhar Rao to see that the “Polikeka” meeting is allowed to be conducted peacefully. Karat participated in the Mahajana Padayatra in Nalgonda district, covering a distance of about 10 kilometers, and addressed a public meeting at Gadiyaram centre in Nalgonda town on March 8. Speaking on the occasion, she strongly condemned the announcement of Rs 1 crore for the head of the chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, by an RSS leader as a fascist tendency and warned that the Communists would give a fitting reply to the fascist forces. The local MLA of the BJP, Raja Singh, was talking like a goonda to obstruct participation of Vijayan in the struggle convention. The people will roar on March 19 and social justice will be achieved, she asserted.

Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karat said ignoring that he was the PM of the country, Modi has been acting like a campaigner of the RSS and trying to jeopardise the unity of the people of the country by making use of religion. She accused Modi of imposing the communal agenda of the RSS on the people and violating the Constitution of the country. Ambedkar and Jyotiba Rao Phule were insulted. The Red brigade had taken a pledge and has been moving forward to foil the poisonous use of religion by the RSS-BJP forces, she said. The Modi government has been playing dual politics of subserving the vested interests of the corporate houses by doling out Rs 5 lakh crore to them in the central budget and benefiting monopoly capitalists like Adani and Ambani to the tune of Rs 1.50 lakh crore, on the one hand, and attacking the interests of the dalits, tribals and the poor and ignoring the workers, farmers, women and the youth in the country, on the other, she explained.

While separate Telangana state was achieved, social Telangana has not been realised, Karat said. Attacks are still being mounted on the downtrodden people and the lives of the most backward classes (MBCs) continued to be miserable in the state. It was only because the cause of MBCs was taken up by the Red flag, the chief minister had announced the creation of a corporation for the MBCs, she said. Asking the chief minister not to confine merely to his promises, slogans and speeches, she asked him to define MBCs, announce the functions of the corporation for MBCs and allocate funds. Giving a piece of advice to the chief minister that it was not proper to try to propitiate gods as a part of redeeming his wishes by presenting ornaments worth crores of rupees at the cost of public exchequer, Karat warned that no god could save him, if people turned angry with him. Stressing on the need for putting an end to the discrimination and exploitation that have been going on in the country on the basis of caste, she underlined the need for people-centric development. For that and social justice, the people would go ahead with their struggles and achieve victory, Karat said.

Call for United Movements of Women

Former general secretary of AIDWA, Karat gave a call for the women in the organised and unorganised sectors to conduct united movements for their due share in the budget and for protecting schemes like ICDS and mid-day meal. She addressed a public meeting organised jointly under the banner of AIDWA, CITU and TSUTF at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in Hyderabad, after taking out a massive rally from RTC cross roads to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. Even while giving slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padao and Beti Badao’, the Modi government has been hatching a conspiracy to whittle down schemes of ICDS and mid-day meal. She expressed serious concern that as a result of the steps being taken by the NDA government, a situation would emerge in the country in the coming days when the downtrodden sections of the SCs, STs, BCs and other poor pregnant women and their children to be born would be deprived of nutritious food. As a result of foeticide, already a substantial gap in the ratio of boys and girls has been taking place in the country and the policies of the Modi government would further precipitate the precarious situation, she said.

The comments made against women by the central ministers and BJP leaders, including the prime minister, during the electioneering in Uttar Pradesh were highly objectionable. They have been trying by all means to implement their ideologies of Hindutva and Manuvada and as a part and parcel of that they have been making disgraceful comments, denigrating and insulting women and putting the civilised society to shame, she criticised. It is reprehensible that Union minister Maneka Gandhi, too, had made derogatory comments against girl students in hostels. In Telangana, too, women have been subjected to severe discrimination and equal pay for equal work for women working in different sectors has not been implemented, she said.

Mallu Swarajyam, a leader of the armed struggle of Telangana peasants, suggested observance of International Women’s Day as a day of struggles and for rights. She criticised that Modi at the Centre and KCR in the state have been affecting the rights achieved by the women through struggles.  K N Asalatha, state president of AIDWA, presided over the meeting. State general secretary of AIDWA B Hymavathy, state general secretary of CITU M Saibabu, secretary Jayalakshmi, TSUTF leader Renuka and Prof. Maya Pandit of IFLU participated in the programme.