CPI-M’s Mishra woos Congress in ‘fight for democracy’

Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS) Stressing the importance of the Congress in the Left, democratic and secular forces' struggle against attacks on democracy in West Bengal, state CPI-M secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra on Friday lambasted the Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee regimes for jeopardising people's livelihood.

Mishra blamed the Banerjee regime for perpetrating attacks on democracy in the state and expressed alarm over the rise of right wing forces.

"Against this attack on democracy, on the attack on the peoples' livelihood and rise of right wing forces we have to intensify our struggle.

"For that, it is essential to strengthen the CPI-M, strengthen the Left parties and secular and democratic forces which includes the Congress, yes I repeat the Congress," said Mishra.

Speaking at an event to mark the 128th birthday celebrations of Muzaffar Ahmed - one of the pioneers of the communist movement in India - here, Mishra equated the Modi and Mamata regimes.

"Just as democracy is being infringed upon by the central dispensation, the Mamata Banerjee led government is doing the same in West Bengal," he said.

Continuing his attack to Banerjee, Mishra said: "So much money is spent behind her numerous administrative meeting in the districts, but do they discuss farmer suicides, about rising unemployment, flight of capital or the deaths in closed tea estates."

Mishra also raised the issue of the cow protection vigilantes attacking Dalits.

"We are going through a time when killing a cow is the biggest sin but killing Dalits is a virtue.

"The Modi government is not similar to the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee regime, it is far more rightist and the attacks on democracy and the peoples' livelihood is intense," he said.

Ridiculing Modi for the promises made during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Mishra said "acche din (good days) only were for the corporate and industrialists".

"People are ridiculing their claims of economic progress because everybody knows the reality. Industry is suffering, there is agrarian crisis and unemployment is rising," he said.

"So many decades have passed since independence, but do we have freedom of speech, do we have the right to protests," asked Mishra.

Speaking on the occasion veteran Marxist leader and Left Front chairman Biman Bose called for "taking up as a challenge" to counter the attacks on democracy unleashed by the Trinamool Congress.

Both Mishra and Bose also admitted that there are a few "unwanted elements" in the party that need to be weeded out.

Earlier photo exhibition on the "Trinamool's terror in West Bengal" was inaugurated by party veteran and former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.