EC inactive on hate speeches, BJP enacting autocratic laws: CPI-M

Agartala, Feb 24 (IANS) CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Thursday that the Election Commission is not taking action on rampant hate speeches against the minorities in different parts of the country, while the Supreme Court is not resolving the cases for more than three years against the abrogation of Article 370 from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The CPI-M leader said that when the Election Commission did not act as per the law against hate speeches, and when vital cases are pending before the Supreme Court for years, the BJP government forcefully passed anti-people laws in the Parliament where it is a majority.

"People are the owners of the public sector undertakings (PSUs) and crucial national assets. The Prime Minister and other ministers are the managers of these national properties. But the managers, without consulting the owners, are selling off national assets, including ports, airports and oil setor infrastructure to their few industrialist friends," the Left leader said while addressing a public rally in Agartala.

The mega rally, which was held in connection with the two-day 23rd CPI-M state conference, was organised for the first time in four years after the Left party was voted out of Tripura by the BJP in the March 2018 elections.

Yechury said that there are strong indications that the BJP will be defeated in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"There is large-scale unemployment in the country, prices are skyrocketing, and the economy is being destroyed by the BJP government. People are now desperately preparing themselves to end the violence, hate crimes, and undemocratic governance," the CPI-M leader said.

CPI-M politburo members Prakash Karat and Manik Sarkar, state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury and the party's central committee member Aghore Debbarma during their speeches urged the people to mobilise people to prevent the 'rampant' and 'growing' attacks and violence of the ruling BJP in Tripura.

Sarkar, who was the Chief Minister of Tripura for 20 years (1998-2018), appealed to the people to come forward and unitedly prevent the "BJP's atrocities, violence, corruption and looting of government money and misgovernance".

"The BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), are misleading and cheating the people of Tripura after making false promises before the 2018 Assembly elections," he said.

Alleging total lawlessness in Tripura, Chaudhury said that at least 23 CPI-M members and supporters were murdered during the four years rule of the BJP-led government, and everyday the saffron party goons are atatacking the opposition, especially the Left party members.

"Academics, health, trade and business infrastructure have been completely destroyed by the BJP government, while unemployment is rising rapidly. Educated youth are going out of the state seeking jobs and the lives of lakhs of people are in jeopardy due to the undemocratic style of functioning of the BJP government," said Chaudhury.

Tripura will go to polls early next year.