Vol. XLI No. 42 October 15, 2017
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CPI(M) Protests Against RSS-BJP Violence

HUNDREDS of activists of CPI(M) led by general secretary Sitaram Yechury ​and Polit Bureau members  Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai and ​BV Raghavalu, marched from  Vithal Bhai Patel House, Delhi state party office of CPI(M) to BJP headquarters on October 9, protesting against the killing of CPI(M) cadres by RSS-BJP in Kerala. Protests against RSS terror in Kerala were held all over the country.  Ever since the Modi government has come to power at the centre, RSS-BJP have gone on a rampage particularly in Kerala, killing CPI(M) cadres and sympathizers.  Their politics of hatred has also seen killings in the name of ‘gauraksha’, love jehad and pseudo-nationalism.

Throughout the march, slogans such as “RSS Terror Down Down”, “Terrorist RSS murdabad”, “RSS-BJP Stop the politics of hate”, RSS-BJP khooni rajniti band karo” rent the air.

The march culminated at the BJP headquarters at 11, Ashoka Road, where CPI(M) leaders addressed the gathering. Sitaram Yechury denounced the murders committed by RSS-BJP combine and instead blaming the CPI(M) – this he said is like ‘ulta chor kotwal ko daante’. On the contrary, he said, 85 CPI(M) cadres have been killed ever since the Modi government came to power. Amit shah is now diverting the attention of the people because his son is implicated in a money laundering case. 

Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat said the Jan Raksha Yatra of BJP in Kerala is actually RSS Raksha Yatra. He said RSS blood-stained politics of five-decades stands exposed today. It is their hate politics which resulted in the killing of Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan and Junaid. We have not used the police and administration to stop their yatra because we believe in democracy. But after their yatra is over we would come to the streets and the world will witness that the people of Kerala are with the CPI(M).

Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau member scoffed at Narendra Modi-Amit Shah calling them ‘encounter specialists’. It is we, the CPI(M), who have stood for communal harmony which is an anathema to their ideology and that is why they are killing us. We would die, she declared, but would continue to protect the unity of the people.

Many central leaders of the party joined the march ​-  central secretariat members Joginder Sharma, Ashok Dhawale and Central committee members Pushpinder Singh Grewal and R Arun Kumar.

The meeting was presided by KM Tiwari, Delhi state secretary of CPI(M).

 

VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH

RSS -BJP Goons Attack CPI(M) office

Massive Rally Protesting the Attack

On October 7, at 10 am, BJP-RSS goons numbering around 200 came on to the office of CPI(M) Visakhapatnam, the biggest city of AP. Vehicles were destroyed. CPI(M) activists were manhandled. The moment news came out, hundreds of CPI(M) cadre and followers gathered at the site and protected the office. When the goons came on to the CPI(M) office, only a dozen cadre were there at the office but without any fear they resisted and repulsed, before the other leaders and cadre rushed to the spot. Meanwhile police force also came there and cordoned the BJP-RSS goons and took them into custody. Ch Narasingarao, CPI(M) state secretariat member who rushed to the spot, was physically attacked but the attack was rebuffed by our cadre. The police remained mute spectators to the attack.

The BJP-RSS held the rally on the Kerala issue and came onto the CPI(M) office with their MLC Madhav in the forefront and raised  abusive and  unparliamentary  slogans against CPI(M) and tried to rush into the office. The goons destroyed vehicles that were parked in front of the office. People raised eyebrows how a demonstration was permitted in front of CPI(M) office by the local police.  Immediately in all important centres, CPI(M) local committees protested and held rasta roko and demonstrations in the city and district.

HUGE RALLY

On October 8, the next day, a huge rally was taken out from Saraswatipark to Gandhi statue at GVMC. Thousands took part raising slogans, “Save democracy; condemn the goondaism of BJP- RSS”, “arrest the BJP criminals” and “Kabadaar RSS goondas”. Red flags fluttered high.

A public meeting was held at the GVMC. Left parties leaders and  YSRCP leaders participated in the rally and the public meeting. Speaking at the meeting , Ch Narasingarao said the true colors of BJP-RSS  have now come out in the open. The BJP has failed to fulfill its election promises which include, special Railway zone to Visakhapatnam, Special status category to the state and special package to North Andhra. Its economic policies and communal agenda are destroying the nation and the people. To divert the people’s attention from these, the BJP is raising shallow slogans like Kerala political violence and attacking CPI(M) with false propaganda. Narasingarao  said attacks are not new to us and warned the RSS-BJP goondas  that people are watching  them and they will be taught a bitter lesson in the days to come and asked all the democratic and progressive forces to come forward and unite to rebuff the BJP attacks on democracy.

JV Satyanarayanamurthy, CPI state joint secretary, addressing the gathering said, we will stand by the Left and democratic forces and resist the BJP policies and save democracy and the secular fabric of the nation. G Amarnath  from YSRCP, Ravi of CPI(ML) New Democracy, VS Krishna, Human Rights Forum, N Rashtrapathi of  IFTU also spoke and expressed their support and solidarity.

K Lokanadham, district secretary and B Gangarao, city secretary of CPI(M), also addressed.      

 

Bangalore, Karnataka

Workers Foil Bid to Attack CPI(M) Office

 

AS part of BJP's Jana Raksha Yatra in Karnataka, BJP had announced on October 8 that it will storm CPI(M) Bangalore south district office at Basavanagudi, Bangalore on the day of countrywide protest call on October 9. In response to the BJP call, CPI(M) which had earlier planned for a protest rally at Mysore Bank circle shifted the protest venue to CPI(M) office at Basavanagudi. Hearing of an impending attack on CPI(M) office, at short notice, hundreds of workers started pouring into  to CPI(M) office right from the morning of October 9. The workers had come to protect their office as well as to protest against BJP's fascistic action of attacking CPIM) offices and cadre in Kerala and elsewhere in the country.

Hundreds of BJP workers led by Yediyurappa, former chief minister and MP, R Ashok, former deputy chief minister and Shobha Karandlaje, MP, held a march from Lalbagh west gate to CPI(M) office at around 10 am.  Hundreds of workers took position around the CPI(M) office to foil any bid of attack by BJP goondas. The CPI(M) protest meeting was addressed by CPI(M)  state secretary GV Srirama Reddy, CPI(M) Bangalore south district secretary, K N Umesh, CPI CEC member Siddanagowda Patil, CPI(M)  state secretariat member GN Nagaraj, CPI(M)  state committee members R Srinivas and K Prakash and many others.

Speaking at the protest meeting Srirama Reddy asked why BJP is scared of CPI(M) when it is running only two state governments and has 12 MPs.  BJP knows that it is the CPI(M) which will offer stiff resistance to its anti-people policies. BJP also knows that the two CPI(M) led state governments are showing the alternative path. They also know that ultimate fight will be between BJP-Sangh Parivar’s Hindutva ideology and CPI(M)’s socialist ideology. They also know that fascism was defeated by the mighty Red Army. BJP is scared of huge parliament chalo of workers in November to stop anti-worker bills being passed. Hence it wants to attack workers organisations and its party. They also want to divert attention from all-round failures of the BJP central government.

Workers will defend their office to the last thundered K N Umesh, to roaring slogans from the workers.   

Protest demonstrations were held in many districts against BJP’s bid to surround and attack CPI(M) Bangalore office. Reports were received from Mangalore, Tumkur and Davangere. Meanwhile BJP march was stopped by police before approaching CPI(M) Bangalore south district office.

ODISHA

At the call of CPI (M), CPI,CPIML (Liberation), SUCI (Communist)  and Forward Block, hundreds of people joined the protest march and meeting at Bhubaneswar. It was part of the October 9 Protest Day against RSS/BJP terror and lies. Ali Kishor Patnaik, Odisha state secretary and Janardan Pati, Jaganath Mishra, Sisir Hui, members of the state secretariat and Sivaji Patnaik, Party veteran leader led the march and addressed the meeting along with other Left party leaders. Even some democratic minded intellectuals and activists also joined the march.
Earlier, on October 4, BJP in Bhubaneswar took out a procession with many of their important leaders, to the CPI (M) state committee office. On the way they stopped and burnt the Red Flag and conducted a meeting with full of lies and intimidation. Also they burnt a huge quantity of gun powder sending the message of violence and terror.