Brinda Karat concerned over criminalization of politics

GAYA: Former MP and CPM politburo member Brinda Karat, while addressing the 10th conference of the All India Democratic Women's Association, in the Magadh University auditorium on Friday, expressed concern over criminalization of politics.
She said the process of criminalization of polity in the last few years has been more pronounced in West Bengal compared to the other parts of the country.She also expressed concern over the recurring incidence of communal/caste conflicts in the country in general and Uttar Pradesh in particular. The CPM leader was also very critical of the RSS for its role in the communalization of the polity.
Tripura CM Manik Ram, who was scheduled to inaugurate the conference, could not make it to Bodh Gaya. Jitendra Chaudhary, a minister in the Manik Ram government, deputized for him and read the message of the Tripura CM.
Manik Ram, in the message read by his cabinet colleague Jitendra Chaudhary, regretted that though the country has developed a lot in the post-independence period, 90% of the population has not benefitted from the fruits of development and only 10% of the country's population has pocketed all the fruits of economic development. The process needs to be arrested and reversed, said the message.
The Tripura CM, in his message, also said that 77% of the population survived on less than Rs 20 a day. Putting the unemployment figure at 20 crores, Manik Ram's message said the number of illiterate persons in the country stood at 35 crores. Fifty percent of the women were anaemic and 44% of the children below the age of four suffered from severe malnourishment. Tripura was better than other states as there was no starvation there and farmers were not committing suicide, he claimed.
Five women from different parts of the country were honoured for fighting against odds and emerging as trend-setters for others to play role models. Those honoured included Shamima Kausar and Nusrat Jahan, mother and sister respectively of Bihari girl, Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in a fake encounter in Gujarat. Pran Dhai, an activist from Tamil Nadu, was honoured for her contribution to the cause of tribal women. Manovara from West Bengal was honoured for her guts to fight anti-social elements.