The resolution was adopted by the 24th Party Congress of CPI(M)
The 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the intensified series of communal attacks by the RSS-BJP and the Sangh Parivar in different parts of the country, which are part of its relentless campaign to polarize society on the basis of communal hatred. The Sangh Parivar knows that this is the only way to retain and strengthen support for its Hindutva agenda among the majority community, and of overcoming the growing discontent that the failures of the BJP Government at the Centre as well as BJP Governments in the States are fuelling.
We are, therefore, witnessing a rash of polarizing communal campaigns raising new issues along with those used before. The use of Hindu festivals like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti to culminate in attacks on Muslims in their localities and near mosques has escalated. Holi falling on a Friday in Ramzan saw a spike in the threats and punitive measures targeting Muslims.
A very disturbing feature of the recent attacks has been the fact that even children are not being spared. Recently a month-old female child in Alwar, Rajasthan was trampled to death by policemen while in Malwan, Maharashtra a 15-year-old boy was jailed on the specious and unproven charge that he was shouting pro-Pakistan slogans.
Films designed to distort history and aggravate anti-Muslim prejudice and hatred are being promoted by BJP Governments. The most recent one was “Chhaavaa” that demonized Aurangzeb and by association, all members of his community. BJP Ministers in Maharashtra have used it encourage the exclusion of Muslims from fairs and yatras that were always very inclusive in nature. The clashes that occurred in Nagpur were the result of this campaign which saw many arrests of Muslims being made and the home of a Muslim leader being bulldozed.
The recent period has also seen repeated attempts by RSS members and their followers to push courts into supporting their attempts to attack mosques because, allegedly, they were built over demolished temples. Most unfortunately, many lower courts and even the former CJI, D Y Chandrachud himself added fuel to the fire with their comments and orders. This has resulted in communal polarization in many places and in the tragic events of Sambhal in which five young Muslims were shot dead. Now even a fair in Sambhal in which lakhs of people, more Hindus than Muslims, have participated for centuries has been banned in the name of not allowing the celebration of an anti-national figure. This is a significant attack on syncretic celebrations that have brought many communities together.
New laws like the UCC in Uttarakhand which, while it attacks the rights of women and young couples, does away completely with Muslim Personal laws, and increasingly stringent anti-conversion laws which attack inter-faith marriages where the woman is a Hindu and the man a Muslim have been passed by the Governments of UP, Gujarat, MP etc. It is even being proposed that the death penalty be imposed on men entering into such marriages.
This 24th Congress of the CPI(M) calls upon all Party units to organize effective campaigns against the diabolical attempt at communal polarization by the Sangh Parivar, and also against the increasing attacks on Muslims and other minorities which expose the real Hindutvavadi agenda of the RSS. It calls upon the Party to make all efforts to draw in wide sections of people and secular, democratic organisations into the campaigns to strongly counter these attacks.