MADURAI: Terming the Waqf legislation as an assault on the Constitution, senior CPM leader Brinda Karat said the CPM will use every possible forum to fight it.
While addressing the presspersons at the party congress here, the CPM leader said, "The BJP is using it as a bulldozer against Islam bees and snatching away their constitutional rights. The CPM will use every forum to fight it. The party will strongly oppose the legislation. If there were any issues about the functioning of the Waqf boards revisions could've been introduced in consultations with those involved."
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi should explain why she was absent when the Bill was discussed in Parliament, a leader said while answering questions about Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi’s absence during the debate and voting on the Bill.
"You will have to ask Priyanka Gandhi. It is for everyone, the constituents, to see that she was not there. It is for her to answer," she said.
Meanwhile, the CPM leadership dismissed rumors that it might leave the Opposition alliance, INDIA Bloc. Senior Politburo member Brinda Karat said at the Party Congress that the CPM believes a platform of secular parties is necessary to fight the BJP.
"While being part of such a platform, the party has to also work to strengthen itself. There are certain issues on which the CPM can never compromise like its fight against Hindutva. To maintain such an uncompromising stance, the party has to strengthen itself," she said.
She stated that the party’s political resolution mentioned how the INDIA Bloc helped in the BJP losing many seats in Parliament. She also made it clear that the party has no issues when it comes to standing against the BJP-RSS.
"We are all united in the fight against the BJP and the RSS. There are no ifs and buts on this. As far as the INDIA platform is concerned, we are very clear that in order to defeat the BJP, a wider platform of secular parties is extremely necessary. The INDIA platform was for the Lok Sabha polls. After the LS elections, there have been a few state assembly elections too. In some elections, there were already pre-existing alliances. We are clear that whether it’s the INDIA platform as it exists today, or whether it’s rejuvenated in future, we are very much part of the understanding, that a strong platform is imperative to defeat and isolate the BJP," she said.
She went on to say that the CPM’s strength does not come from showing power but from its deep political understanding.
"We have to be very clear that the independent strength of the party is not about mere flexing of muscles, but it stems from a deep political understanding that we possess. We are duty-bound to implement our own party programme. There are certain issues on which we can never compromise," she added.
