By Shameen Faizee
Our
people are observing the Republic Dayat a time when the very basic ideological
and theoretical concepts the Constitution of India propounded on January 26,
1950 by adopting the basic document of building a secular democratic society,
are not only under threat but the Narendra Modi government during its tenure
has did everything possible to destroy it. We are observing the Republic Day at
a time when within a few months the people have to deliver verdict on the
performance of this government and elect a new government. We are really at a
cross-road.
To
distract people’s attention from the destruction the Narendra Modi government
has caused, its propagandists like Union ministers have started threatening the
masses. One Union minister has said that if Narendra Modi is not re-elected
prime minister the country will face anarchy. It is true that the forces behind
this regime particularly the RSS and its various front organisations are quite
capable of causing anarchy, but the people of the country are much stronger
than them to foil their conspiracy.
People
are determined to oust this regime from power. People have shown this
repeatedly during the past one and half year when the BJP has been defeated in
its supposedly strongholds.
It
lost power in the three states where it was ruling for one a half decade. It is
happening in local elections as well. But it does not mean that BJP
particularly the Modi-Shah duo will accept the defeat easily. It was backed by
all means by the combination of the corporate capital tool of the international
finance capital, the worst segment of right reactionary forces and protagonists
of majoritarianism including the dirtiest communal casteist forces during the
2014 poll campaign. It smacked of fascism and had used every opportunity to
discredit and destroy healthy democratic traditions.
The
latest revelations about hacking of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) has to
be seen in the background of the manoeuvring of these economic and political
forces, a section of which continues to be with Modi-Shah duo that have never
endorsed democratic set up of the country. At one or the other time, almost
each and every national political party including senior leaders of the BJP
have expressed doubts on the EVM. Even today, except the ruling clique, the
other five national political parties have demanded return to ballot paper for
free and fair elections.
Though
opposition parties have constituted a committee on EVM but that is not
sufficient. Time is less and all recognised national and regional parties
should unitedly force the CEC to abandon the EVM and revert to ballot paper as
major democracies world over like USA, Germany and Japan have done. Without it
the people’s confidence in electoral process cannot be restored.
It is
true that most of the non-BJP parties are ready to join hands to oust the
present regime from power. During the Kolkata rally over two dozen parties
expressed their desire. But that is not enough. Former prime minister HD Deve
Gowda was right when he said that without a socio-economic alternative
programme, no combination will succeed in ousting Modi-Shah duo from power.
This
also explains why we have been repeatedly asserting that there cannot be a
country-wide combination to fight the present regime. Alliances have to be
worked out on the basis of objective political situation in a state giving due
consideration to the political co-relation of forces.
On
both counts, the adoption of a viable socio-economic alternative programme and
building state-specific alliances, the Left has to play crucial role. By now,
it is clear that certain small and regional parties, like 2014 are ready to
become tool of certain vested interests including the capitalists to
marginalize the Left. This conspiracy has to be understood and foiled.
Without
focussing on real socioeconomic issues and the destruction to basic
socio-economic structure caused by Modi-Shah duo masses cannot be moved.
Various segments of masses, particularly the working people, the workers,
farmers, farm labourers, employees including defence employees, youth and
students and intellectuals are already on the streets. The real problem is to
coordinate these movements and explain the common thread that can unite all
these segments.
Simultaneously,
the Left has also to counter the distracting issues which have emotional and
sentimental appeal. One such issue is to destroy the very concept of
reservation in employment and education to socially and educationally backward
sections of our society. Some people are becoming victims of the phrases like
“economically backwards” forgetting that reservation is not meant for “poverty
alieviation” but for undoing social injustice that have been perpetuated in our
society for centuries. These are complicated issues but the Left has to face
and counter them. (IPA Service)
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