KOLLAM(KERALA), March 6: CPI(M) Politburo coordinator Prakash Karat on Thursday attacked the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and US President Donald Trump, accusing them both of displaying “far-right” characteristics.
Speaking on the first day of the four-day long state party conference held here, Karat termed Trump as an imperialist, whose focus was on establishing American hegemony in the world and expanding its territorial sovereignty, and the Modi government as a “Hindutva Corporate regime” which was displaying “neo-fascist” characteristics.
This is the last state conference of the party in the country ahead of its 24th CPI(M) congress scheduled from April 2 to 6 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
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Karat further said that due to the close association with America, India was standing with the oppressors as it had exported arms to Israel and also supported it, during its war with Palestine.
Karat claimed that India also allied with the US to constitute the quadrilateral alliance or Quad, which also includes Japan and Australia, whose sole purpose was to act as a “security alliance against China”.
He warned that as the US under Trump goes forward on its “more and more aggressive path”, India, being allied with it, will be cut off and isolated from the developing nations.
“So, the path this government is taking and its external policies are a reflection of its character, which we in our political resolution have termed as a Hindutva Corporate regime that is displaying neo-fascist characteristics,” he contended.
Karat also lashed out at the opposition Congress in Kerala for criticising the CPI(M) for using the term neo-fascist to describe the BJP and RSS.
The veteran CPI(M) leader alleged that the Congress was “distorting” the Left party’s efforts to fight against the neo-fascist trends and accused it of playing “cheap politics”.
“We do not need a certificate from the Congress leadership here on how to fight the BJP and the RSS,” he said.
He further said that the number of CPI(M) workers allegedly killed at the hands of RSS activists over the years in the state shows who was fighting the BJP in Kerala.
He said that CPI(M) used the neo-fascist term, for the first time in its draft political resolution, as it is not the same phenomenon as classical fascism seen in the past.
“It is modified, has elements of the old fascism, but has incorporated other features like neo-liberalism, and in India, the Hindutva ideology of the RSS is a distinctive feature. That is why we use the term neo-fascism instead of fascism,” he said.
The Marxist veteran further said that if the neo-fascism was not resisted, it would develop into full-fledged fascism.
In his attack against Trump, Karat accused the US president of acting like the 19th century imperialists by laying claim to Greeenland, the Panama Canal and wanting Canada to be the 51st state of the USA.
The CPI(M) leader further said that Trump was acting in this manner as the US was no longer “a superpower in an unipolar world”, and its supremacy was under threat from China.
Karat also claimed that under the Trump presidency, all the major social contradictions in the world were going to be aggravated as he wants Europe to be subordinate to the US, treats third world nations with contempt, was downsizing government departments in America and was trying to isolate and curb China.
He said as these conflicts and contradictions increase, the world will be in for a period of great turmoil.
He also said that while the far-right groups were gaining strength around the world, the Left forces were also holding on in many regions, especially Latin America.
Karat said that soon the Left forces will get the opportunity to fight against the far right and neo-fascist forces and make political gains.
The 4-days long conference commenced in the morning with party central committee member A K Balan hoisting the party flag at Asramam Maidan here.
The party’s state conference is being held in Kollam after a gap of 30 years with the last state meet taking place here in 1995.
Party Politburo member and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to present a policy document for the development of a New Kerala,’ which will be discussed during the conference, party sources said.
A total of 530 people will attend the state conference, including 486 delegates from various districts and 44 guests from outside the state.
Politburo members, including Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, B V Raghavulu, Ashok Dhawale, M A Baby and A Vijayaraghavan, will participate in the delegates’ conference on all days, the sources added. (PTI)
