New Delhi: Left parties today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “talking and walking in opposite direction”, saying he continued to suffer from the “hangover” of his election speeches and went on with his rhetoric.
In editorials appearing in the forthcoming issues of CPI (M) organ ‘People's Democracy' and CPI's ‘New Age', the parties also spoke of the “dangerous” trend in escalation of communal polarisation, saying even though Modi spoke of a ten year moratorium on communal and caste conflicts, “his die-hard supporters are bent upon raising all divisive issues”.
In his editorial, senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury criticised Modi for announcing policies on FDI in defence and insurance sectors while announcing schemes like the ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana', leading the MPs with little choice.
“In this Independence Day address to the nation, the PM has revealed that he continues to suffer from the hangover of his election speeches and has not yet become accustomed to being the Prime Minister of India.
“He needs to be politely told that the time for talking is over. As the Prime Minister heading the government of India, the time has already begun for him to walk the talk,” Yechury said.
While Modi continued with “the rhetoric of talking, walking in the opposite direction, the most diabolic and dangerous walk of the worst form of vote bank politics, of communal polarisation, has begun,” the CPI(M) leader said.
Observing that Modi's speech was made from the Red Fort - a symbol of the freedom struggle, he said it was also “the symbol of the Mughal Empire, built by whom the RSS calls as ‘Babar ke aulad'.
“The RSS-BJP has all along and even today continued to use the so-called liberation from ‘Babar ke aulad' as the true freedom of our country.”
In the first war of Independence in 1857, the valiant Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmibai, a devout Hindu, and leaders like Tantia Tope had proclaimed Mughal emperor Bahadurshah Zafar as the sovereign of India, independent from the British.
“Ironically, Bahadurshah Zafar was also a ‘Babar ke aulad'!”
The editorial in the CPI publication said, “A right-ward shift will not just be confined to the economy, it will reflect in all spheres.
Though the PM talked about a ten-year moratorium on communal and caste conflicts, his die-hard supporters are bent upon raising all divisive issues.”
“Apart from communal tensions, sentiments are being worked up to promote communalisation of politics, education, culture and administration.
“All sorts of divisive and provocative demands and issues are being raised by various outfits of Sangh Parivar and Narendra Modi has failed to even mildly rebuke such outbursts,” it claimed.
