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Centre’s policies helping communal forces: Karat

TIRUVARUR (Tamil Nadu): The Congress-led government at the Centre and its “anti-people” policies were helping the communal forces gain strength, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said on Wednesday.

Addressing a public meeting here, he said some people accused the Left of helping the communal forces following withdrawal of its support to the United Progressive Alliance government. But the government’s failure to contain price hike and tackle the agrarian crisis and its “wrong economic policies” were exploited by the Bharatiya Janata Party to come to power in Punjab, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

Mr. Karat said the Left would fight against both the communal and pro-imperialist forces. It supported the UPA government in 2004, but the situation in 2008 changed. While the Left’s top priority was to wage a war against the communal forces, now the situation warranted fighting against the Congress also, as the government headed by it forged an alliance with the imperialistic U.S. on the pretext of the nuclear deal.

The CPI(M) leader said the government was dangerously entering into military collaboration with the U.S., which had fought against Iraq. In future, if the U.S. waged a war against Iran, India would have to support it because of this agreement. He alleged that the Congress government was indulging in a false propaganda that the nuclear deal would bring cheap electric power to India. But it would be double the cost of what the country could produce with conventional sources such as coal and water.

Mr. Karat predicted that there would be a realignment of forces, and a third alternative to the Congress and the BJP would emerge.

The all-India trade union strike called for August 20 would be the first step towards the realignment. The Left’s approach to the Congress’ allies would depend on the stand they took on the nuclear deal.

CPI State secretary D. Pandian spoke at the meeting, organised by both Left parties.

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