The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Rajasthan Govt. promoting communalism: CPI(M)

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Monday, May 09, 2005

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Rajasthan Govt. promoting communalism: CPI(M)

Special Correspondent

Party to challenge the High Court ruling prohibiting the holding of elections to students' unions and teachers' associations

JAIPUR: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government in Rajasthan of promoting communalism and failing to stop atrocities against Dalits. It claimed that the new excise policy would disturb peace in society by freely making available liquor to the potential trouble-makers.

A two-day meeting of the party's State Committee ended here on Sunday with a call to the people to spurn the communal and feudal forces which it said were driving a wedge between different communities and implementing their divisive agenda by using the Government machinery. The CPI(M) State Secretary, Vasudev, and a leader, Hariram Chauhan - who have been nominated to the party's Central Committee - addressed the meeting.

The CPI(M) Central Committee's in-charge of Rajasthan, Hannan Mollah, talking to reporters after the meeting, said the recent incidents of communal violence in Bhilwara district and the daylight murder of a Dalit youth in Pali district had shown the BJP's "true colours" and depicted the State Government's prejudice in dealing with such cases. "The BJP is guided by the ideology that sees nothing wrong in converting a plural democracy into the Hindu Rashtra," Mr. Mollah said.

Mr. Mollah, who is also a Member of Parliament, took exception to a recent judgment of the Rajasthan High Court prohibiting the holding of elections to form students' unions and teachers' associations in the university. He said it amounted to taking away the fundamental right to organise and agitate through democratic means for settling grievances and getting justice.

The CPI(M)'s State Committee will invite all political parties, except the BJP, to discuss the ramifications of the High Court judgment and devise a strategy to shape the public on the issue, besides challenging the verdict legally. Mr. Mollah said the ruling BJP had already welcomed the judgment and extended its support to the High Court's reasoning in reaching its conclusions.

Asked about the National Democratic Alliance's decision to boycott Parliament, he regretted that the NDA had extended the boycott even to the scheduled meeting of the Standing Committee on Rural Development which was to discuss the crucial National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill. He said the Bill was unlikely to be passed in the current session in the wake of disruption of work.

Mr. Mollah said though the CPI(M) was extending support to the United Progressive Alliance Government in the Centre, this would not stop the party from contesting the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala against the principal constituent of the ruling alliance, Congress. "We have kept up pressure on Congress to implement all provisions of the Common Minimum Programme and succeeded to a large extent," he pointed out.

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