Take pledge on Independence Day to safeguard Constitution: Left parties

NEW DELHI: Alleging that the BJP government at the Centre was "aggressively undermining" the tenets of the Constitution, the Left parties have appealed to people to take a pledge this Independence Day to safeguard it.

In a statement issued jointly by

the Communist Party of India

(Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and the

All India Forward Bloc

, the parties urged people to rise against the alleged attack on the Constitution.

"Take a pledge on Independence Day to safeguard our Constitution and strengthen India's independence. During this period of the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown, instead of single-mindedly focusing on combating the pandemic and providing relief to the people, the RSS-led BJP Central government is aggressively undermining the tenets of the Indian Constitution.

"This is combined with the sharpening of intense communal polarization and targeting of Muslim minority community. Every

single constitutional authority

is under attack, undermining its independence, from the Parliament, judiciary, Election Commission, CBI, ED etc. All are being undermined from acting independently in defence of the Indian Constitution,” the statement said.

It also alleged that the democratic rights and civil liberties are under severe attack and any expression of dissent against the government and its policies are termed "anti-national" and people, activists and intellectuals are booked under draconian laws like UAPA, sedition and others.

"There is an effort at centralising all powers and authority in the Central government negating the principles of federalism, a basic feature of our Constitution.

“Under these circumstances, it is imperative that the people unite to safeguard our Constitution and the guarantees that people enjoy under this and, thus, strengthen India's independence,” it said.

The parties also called on people to protest against India cementing itself as a "subordinate ally" of the US.

"This is not in the interests of India and our people. India must pursue its time-tested independent foreign policy. India must correct its foreign policy course. Foreign policy subservience to US or US-Israel nexus undermines Indian sovereignty and negates India's self-reliance, Atmanirbhar Bharat," the statement said.

The statement has been signed by Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary, CPI(M); D Raja, General Secretary, CPI; Debabrata Biswas, General Secretary, AIFB; Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary, CPI(ML)-Liberation; and Manoj Bhattacharya of the RSP.

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