A convention of sixteen Left parties held in Kolkata on November 13, 2014 has given a call for a joint fight against Communalism. Leaders and representatives of CPI(M), CPI, RSP, All India Forward Bloc, SUCI(C), CPIML(Liberation), DSP, MFB, PDS, CPI(ML), BBC, RCPI, Workers’ Party, CRLI, CPB and Bolshevik party who participated at the convention held at the Bagbazar Phanibhusan Vidybinod Jatramanchin in North Kolkata called for building mass movements at the grass root level to defeat the conspiracies aimed at weakening the workers movement.
The major demands of the convention were:· A halt to the communally provocative campaign and activities
· Action by the administration against the activities and campaign by the communal and fundamentalist forces
· Action against the militants and criminals involved in terrorist activities
· Stop the harassment of the minorities
· Government organizations should not indulge in or associate with religious practices.
CPI(M) State Secretary Biman Basu, said that in spite of political differences they have come together to fight against communalism. He said that Left parties will organize a joint programme on 6th December against the attack on secularism. A centralized programme will also be organized in Kolkata in this connection.
Leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Surya Kanta Mishra, accused the BJP, which is ruling at the Centre of propagating a distorted version of history. To counter this, he said the real history of the country has to be brought out before the people. While the BJP was attempting to appropriate Sardar Vallabbhai Patel, it is silent on the remark made by him after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, that- “…activities of RSS are against the Government and the country.” Mishra asserted that Left is not against religion and individual religious activities, but against the mixing up of religion and politics.