‘Democratic forces’ should join hands against BJP, allies: Left

PATNA: CPI, CPI(ML), CPM, Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc held a joint convention here on Wednesday and expressed willingness to cobble up with other “democratic forces” to take on the NDA led by PM Narendra Modi.

CPI(ML) has three MLAs in the state assembly. “It is the call of the times that we Left parties come together to assert politics of rights with all powers and resources at our command and carry forward the Left movement to defeat the designs of communal and neo-liberal agenda,” said the two-page foundational paper prepared for the six-party Left unity on the occasion of death anniversary of B R Ambedkar and demolition of Babri Masjid this day 25 years ago.

State CPI secretary

Satya Narayan Singh

said the decision to hold joint convention was taken in the backdrop of increasing instances of attack on democratic rights of people amid “communal frenzy” in the state. A similar convention was held at all the 38 district headquarters of the state simultaneously.

The Left parties also announced joint protest march at the 38 district headquarters on December 20. “That will be against the anti-poor policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and of Nitish Kumar in the state,” said CPI(ML) politburo member Dhirendra Kumar Jha.

“Some three years ago also, the six Left parties had come together, but it did not last. It is heartening that the Left has come together in Bihar again. But make it a continuing reality so that people can feel there is scope for an alternative politics,” said former director of A N Sinha Institute of Social Sciences (ANSISS) D M Diwakar. He said note ban and GST had hit the country’s economy, resulting in retrenchment of employees and growing unemployment.

Among others who addressed the convention were state secretaries of SUCI and Forward Bloc Arun Kumar Singh and T N Azad, as well as Sarvoday Sharma from CPM, Jabbar Alam and Nagendra Nath Ojha from CPI, and

Rameshwar Prasad

from the CPI(ML).

The foundation paper noted that incidents of Dalit atrocities and rape of women had been occurring with alarming frequency, while the poor were being evicted from their land and their houses torched. It also noted with concern the communal frenzy that was being created and surfacing of various scams in the state.