Press Communiqué
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) met at Kolkata on January 4, 2003. It has issued the following statement:
Combat Hindutva ideology
Polit Bureau took stock of the political situation in the country after the Gujarat election results. With the BJP’s victory in these elections, the RSS combine, claiming it to be a victory for Hindutva, is engaged in aggressively projecting its communal agenda all over the country. While the VHP and other RSS outfits are set to rake up disruptive issues such as building the temple at Ayodhya, the BJP leadership particularly the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are seeking to provide legitimacy to the sectarian Hindutva concept.
It is nothing but a perversion of truth to claim Hindutva embodies secularism and Indianness. From the time of the independence struggle, the Hindutva ideology has stood for communal politics and a sectarian vision, which is antithetical to national and secular values.
The Polit Bureau called upon all the democratic and secular forces to vigorously oppose the efforts to “replicate Gujarat” in the country. The BJP represents those forces who wish to maintain the oppressive social and economic exploitation in our society and is willing to ally with imperialism to accomplish their aims. There can be no compromise or soft attitude to such a reactionary party.
Forthcoming assembly elections
The Polit Bureau heard a report on the preparations by the Party for the assembly elections in Tripura, scheduled to be held in February. It strongly disapproved of the Congress party’s alliance with the INPT – a party which has been set up and guided by the extremist NLFT which is a banned organization. The Polit Bureau was confident that the CPI(M) and the Left Front would register a big victory in the polls.
The main issue is to ensure that sufficient security is provided to the people so that they can freely cast their vote, given the NLFT’s plan to intervene in the polls in support of the INPT and the ATTF’s call for a boycott of polls.
The PB decided to meet the Chief Election Commissioner to urge the Election Commission to take special measures in the state to provide security in view of the extremist threats.
The PB discussed the stand to be taken by the Party in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. It decided that the Party should fight a limited number of seats and direct its efforts to defeat the BJP. For this it will conduct an independent campaign.
Jammu and Kashmir
The PB denounced the stepped up attacks by the Pakistan based extremists in Jammu & Kashmir. The killings of young women in Rajouri district in Jammu and the demand that women observe a dress code reveals the obscurantist and reactionary nature of the fundamentalism that motivates these groups.
These extremist attacks are designed to disrupt the steps the newly elected J& K Government is taking to restore peace. The CPI(M) will support all measures to implement the Common Minimum Programme and efforts for a political dialogue so that maximum autonomy is assured.
No War on Iraq
The U.S. is making all out preparations for its criminal and illegal war on Iraq. It is actively seeking to subvert the U.N. process of weapons inspections by unilaterally declaring Iraq to be guilty of violations of UN resolutions. The CPI(M) demands that the Vajpayee government take a firm stand against these war preparations against a friendly country. It is not sufficient to make statements that military action be avoided. The Indian Government has to mobilize other countries and call upon the US and Britain to adhere to the United Nations as the only forum through which a negotiated solution can be found.
The Polit Bureau called upon all its Party units and other democratic forces to build up a powerful anti-war movement against the U.S. plans.
Fight Back Economic Policies
The Polit Bureau assessed the economic situation and its adverse impact on people’s lives. There is a necessity to step up the resistance to the BJP-led government’s policies of privatization and liberalization. It decided to present to the next Central Committee meeting an action programme to intensify the campaign and struggle against the economic policies.
The Central Committee of the Party will meet on 3rd and 4th March at New Delhi.