Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
The Changing Colours of the Chameleon
The BJP has, once again, donned a new outfit that of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to mislead and dupe the people of its real intentions. Such methods are nothing new to the communal forces.
The RSS, when banned following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, had initiated a series of deceitful compromises for the lifting of the ban by assuring that it shall not take part in political activities. It had then helped setup the Jan Sangh as its political front. Many years later, the Jan Sangh merged with the Janata Party which it had disrupted on the famous dual membership issue when it insisted on maintaining its RSS membership. Subsequently, it emerged in the new avatar of the BJP publicly declaring Gandhian socialism as its philosophy. This was in a period when it was fashionable to mislead the people and yet seek their support by using the label of socialism. This was soon abandoned in favour of the strident RSS ideological project of rabid communal intolerance. This became its credo leading up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Later, in order to assume power at the Centre following the 1998 general elections, the BJP dropped its communal agenda in favour of the National Agenda for Governance adopted by the opportunistic coalition, which today continues in a caretaker status. However, during this entire period of thirteen months, the country was witness to the most inhuman communal onslaught against the religious minorities, particularly the Christian community. The other RSS outfits like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal continued to wreak communal havoc while officially distancing itself the BJP facilitates and patronises such activities and attacks.
Once again now, the BJP seeks to mislead the Indian people by claiming that it will have no Manifesto other than the Programme of the National Democratic Alliance. The people of the country must, therefore, clearly brace themselves to face a situation where the BJP led NDA would facilitate, protect and patronise other rabidly communal outfits like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal while it `officially’ does not raise such issues. It is, in fact, unheard of that the major party leading a coalition does not put forward its Manifesto before the electorate.
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon the Indian people to see through such subterfuge and give a fitting rebuff to the BJP which is nothing but the political front of the RSS whose intention is to convert a secular democratic Indian republic into a rabidly communal and intolerant society.