New Delhi: 2024 polls very critical for India’s future says D Raja

New Delhi : The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are very critical for India’s future as the country’s secular democracy is “under attack”, and defeating the BJP is necessary to save the Constitution and democracy, Communist Party of India General Secretary D Raja said. In an interview with PTI, he downplayed the suggestion that the Ram temple consecration will have a major impact on the upcoming general elections, and said the BJP’s understanding of ‘Ram’ is different from the people’s understanding of the lord. He dismissed the BJP’s “Modi ki Guarantee” slogan as an election-time “jumla” (empty rhetoric) and a “deceit with the people of the country”.

PM Modi has failed to fulfil his promises on jobs, bringing back blackmoney and tackling price rise, he said. “The 2024 elections are very very critical for the country and its future. For the past 10 years what we witnessed is a disastrous rule...Mr Modi claimed maximum governance, minimum government, but the governance has become minimum, even minus...democracy is in peril. Parliament is becoming redundant,” he said. It was “unprecedented” that more than 140 MPs were suspended from Parliament during the last winter session, he said, adding the primary objective this poll is to defeat the BJP to “save Indian democracy, and Constitution”.

“This is how we look at this election. These elections are very very critical for this country and its future and we hope people will vote in order to save the country, Constitution, democracy, and people will remove BJP from power,” he said. Raja quoted BR Ambedkar to say that Parliament is the supreme institution of the country’s democracy. “Parliament represents the sovereign will of the people. In fact, the Parliament belongs to the Opposition, because the Opposition has to question the government and its policies,” he said.

“If Parliament becomes redundant, democracy dies. That is what we are witnessing in India today: the attack on secular democracy. Finally, one should conclude that the Constitution is under subversion. “The BJP-RSS combine is subverting the very Constitution. They are trying to redefine the Indian nation, rewrite Indian history, and in such a situation, how to save India, how to save the Constitution, democracy, secular democratic fabric of society, federal system of governance,” Raja said. The communist leader and former MP downplayed the recent consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya in the context of the upcoming polls, and said the BJP wants to use it for political advantage and people understand it. “I do not think that it is going to have any impact (on poll). But the BJP wants it to be used for its electoral advantage. But people know. The BJP’s understanding of Ram is different from the people’s understanding of Lord Ram,” he said. ‘Ram Rajya’ should mean equality for all, he said.

“They cannot woo people by showing Ram or Ram temple, Ayodhya...What does ‘Ram Rajya’ mean? As per our ‘Kamba Ramayanam’, ‘Ram Rajya’ means all should be equal... No discrimination, no inequality, no injustice. Whether the BJP-RSS combined agrees to this, that is what people are asking,” he added. He said Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians all live together and there is no enmity or disharmony among people. He accused the BJP and RSS of trying to divide people in the name of religion, and alleged they are trying to impose “theocratic character of Indian nation or Indian state”. “It is really unacceptable. We have a Constitution and the Constitution makes it very clear.

The Indian nation should continue to be a secular democratic republic,” he said, Tearing into the BJP’s “Modi ki Guarantee” slogan, Raja said, “What is that guarantee? When Mr. Modi became prime minister, he said his government would generate two crore jobs per year. Now after 10 years, 20 crore jobs should have been created. Where are those jobs? Is it not Modi’s guarantee? Then you say it is Modi’s jumla…That Modi told lies to the people,” he said.

“Mr Modi said black money will be harnessed, every citizen will get Rs 15 lakh. Where is that Rs 15 lakh? Modi said ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’. Whether Modi govt is ‘Kisan ke saath’? Because farmers are fighting,” he said. Raja said what the farmers are asking for is just the minimum support price for their crop. He said Modi gave the Bharat Ratna award to MS Swaminathan, but is not implementing the Swaminathan commission report which proposed the minimum support price. “What is Modi’s guarantee? People are asking.”

“Modi’s guarantee is nothing but deceit with the people at the time of election,” he said. In an apparent jibe at BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde for his recent remarks that the party needs 400 seats to “change the Constitution”, Raja questioned what they planned to replace the Constitution with. “That is why the BJP’s elected members of Parliament and other leaders keep talking against the Constitution. They say this constitution should be thrown out, replaced... Replaced by what? What is the other thing? Is it Manusmriti? That’s what people are questioning,” he said.