In an election meeting held in Asansol on the 2nd of May 2014, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat called for strengthening people’s resistance against the TMC’s regime of terror. The dais was shared by the kin of two martyred comrades; comrade Dilip Sarkar’s wife and comrade Arpan Mukherjee’s father killed at the hands of the opposition hoodlums. Karat told the audience to keep the sacrifices of the martyrs always at heart and carry on the struggle against injustice.
In the meeting called in support of the Left Front candidate, Bangshagopal Chowdhuri , Brinda Karat said that this election was not only against the misrule of the TMC. But it was also against the anti people policies of the present Congress led UPA government and the communal politics of the BJP.
Karat reminded the people of Asansol that it was both Congress led UPA and BJP led NDA who wanted to sell ISCO to the private sector. They implemented policies that destroyed the industrial towns of Asansol and Burnpur. She also reminded the people that it was the concerted efforts of the Left both inside and outside Parliament that was successful in putting up a resistance and terminating the process of disinvestment. The Left candidate Bangshagopal Chowdhuri was a committed soldier in this fight, which saved ISCO from becoming a private enterprise.
Brinda Karat strongly argued that both the Congress and the BJP are nothing but two sides of the same coin; be it in their stand on foreign policy or running scams. Both the parties have gone on the path of abandoning India’s independent foreign policy and placing the country hostage to the interests of USA. Similarly, both the national parties have competed with each other as far as corruption is concerned. Where there are instances of the 2G,3G scams under the Congress, there are also the examples of the Yedurappa scams under the BJP. It is interesting that Mamata Banerjee held cabinet ministries under both these governments. Now, even the ruling TMC has got itself implicated in the Sharadha scam.
Karat also expressed deep concern over the increasing crimes against women in the state. She said that it was ironic indeed that under a woman Chief Minister, the state has the dubious distinction of becoming the country’s rape capital.
May 4, 2014