Oppn needs ideological, political struggle to deal with BJP-RSS, says Karat

CPI(M) Polit Buro member Prakash Karat said that to deal with the BJP and the RSS, opposition parties have to conduct ideological and political struggles continuously.

He said that the Left parties may not be a strong force at the national level at present, but it is they who can initiate the ideological fight against the BJP and RSS and make it an alternative platform for other opposition parties.

"Apart from making alliances before elections, parties have to conduct ideological and political struggle against the BJP and the RSS continuously," Karat said at a programme here on Tuesday to mark the 57th foundation day of 'Ganashakti', the West Bengal CPI(M)'s mouthpiece.

Stating that the RSS and the BJP have managed to pervade a significant section of people in the north and western parts of India, the former CPI(M) general secretary said that because of this, it has managed to comfortably win assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, despite claims of strong anti-incumbency waves in both states.

"Just like the RSS works within the society round the clock through its various outfits, socially, culturally, educationally, you have to build such organisations, putting out your own democratic, secular and Left ideology and vision among people," he said, maintaining that there is a lack of these among the Left parties currently.

The Left is in power in only Kerala at present, having lost Tripura to the BJP in 2018 and West Bengal to the Trinamool Congress in 2011.

Karat claimed that minorities in India are being marginalised in the name of nationalism.

"In India today we have an extreme right (wing) government which has developed from an extreme right (wing) party, which is the BJP," he said.

He claimed that this "party is the mask" and the RSS is the real face behind it.

Karat admitted that "this party" has proved itself capable of mobilising large sections of people in their support.

"The Hindutva forces have become the dominant force in India today and the BJP has become the dominant political party in the country because it is supported, partnered and is in alliance with India's big bourgeois," the CPI(M) leader said.