THERE is an imminent need for waging a united struggle to thwart the threats being posed to fundamental rights of the people enshrined in the constitution and to achieve social justice in the country, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said at a seminar in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh on May 11.

The seminar was also addressed by CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakara Reddy and Republican Party of India (RPI) president Prakash Ambedkar. The speakers expressed anguish at the attempts of the central government to throttle the fundamental rights of the people and the way policies are being dictatorially implemented by the BJP-RSS. They called upon dalits, backward sections and minorities to forge unity to protect democracy in the country.

CPI(M) general secretary Yechury severely rebuked the Modi government for its assault on fundamental rights of the people. He expressed concern over the rise in private and illegal gangs such as ‘gau raksha dals’ (cow protection groups), anti-Romeo squads and Sriram Senas which are targeting dalits and Muslims. With the scrapping of the Planning Commission, sub-plans have been done away with for SCs, STs, BCs and the minorities, he said.

Narendra Modi, who came to power with a promise of providing two crore jobs every year, has failed utterly and lakhs of IT employees are being rendered jobless. “The scene is bleak in the IT sector,” he said. He blasted the Modi government for non-release of scholarships worth more than Rs 15,000 crore to students forcing them to give up education.

Yechury exhorted the Left parties and dalit outfits to come under one umbrella to launch a united fight against the forces of Hindutva and seek social justice.

RPI president Ambedkar said that the Modi government was involved in corporate corruption and that all the sordid acts of corruption by the BJP and the RSS would be exposed soon. Under the garb of corporatisation, both the Congress and the BJP are involved in big deals. “After demonetisation, the RSS changed a huge number of old notes into new ones,” he alleged.

Under the Modi regime, suppressive acts against dalits and other backward caste communities have increased, he said and cited the examples of cow protection committees and anti-Romeo squads. “These groups are aimed at harassing and harming Dalits,” he said.

Ambedkar stated that under the Modi regime, the education sector has gone into the hands of private entities. “With the government also joining hands, it is increasingly getting difficult for the poor and the middle class to pursue higher education. The fee is so exorbitant, the higher education is out of the reach of backward sections,” he said. More than 20 lakh students pursuing education on donations were affected due to the curbs imposed on foreign NGOs, he said.

He said a systemic agenda was being pursued to prevent promotions to dalits and other weaker sections. “As several public-sector entities are being privatised, employees belonging to the weaker sections are being deprived of promotions and it sounded the death knell for weaker sections,” he said. A fight in parliament seeking reservation in the private sector was in the beginning stage, he said and exuded confidence that collective efforts will bear fruits.

The RPI president deplored the RSS for playing negative politics and said that it was anti-Muslim first and later sharpened its knives to fight against reservation that empowered the weaker sections.

CPI general secretary Reddy rued the abysmal failure of the ruling classes in achieving economic sovereignty in our country. The Communists, while waging class struggles, must conduct incessant struggles against caste discrimination also to usher in social justice in the country, he said. Time is ripe for all “Lal, Neel and democratic forces” to jointly wage struggles in order to safeguard democracy in our country, he exhorted.

CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh state secretary P Madhu referred to the pathetic state of affairs of dalits, tribals and backward sections in rural areas due to the policies of the ruling classes. Dalits were the worst hit due to land acquisition policies of successive governments, he said.

The well-attended seminar was organised jointly by Kula Vivaksha Porata Samiti (KVPS), Dalita Hakkula Porata Samiti (DHPS) and Samajika Hakkula Vedika (SHV). CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna, KVPS general secretary Andra Malyadri and SHV leader J Wilson were among those who attended the seminar.