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Tag: CPI

  • Assam by-polls: CPM to support Congress in four Assembly seats, CPI in one

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: The CPI(M) on Monday said it will support Congress candidates in four assembly seats in Assam and CPI nominee in one for the October 30 by-elections in the state.

    The Left party will back the CPI candidate in Thowra constituency and the Congress nominees in Mariani, Bhabanipur, Tamulpur and Gossaiagon seats.

    “The BJP-led coalition government has betrayed the people of Assam after the last assembly elections. The government has not made the minimum effort to help them when they are facing problems like price rise and unemployment,” the CPI(M) said in a statement.

    It also urged the people not to vote in favour of the ruling BJP and its allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).

    The CPI(M) was part of a ‘grand alliance’ led by the Congress in the last assembly polls held earlier this year.

    By-elections to Gossaigaon and Tamulpur were necessitated due to death of the sitting MLAs, while the legislators of Bhabanipur, Mariani and Thowra resigned from their seats and joined the ruling BJP.

    Thowra and Mariani seats were bagged by the Congress in the March-April assembly polls, while the UPPL won Gossaigaon constituency.

    The BPF and the AIUDF emerged victorious in Tamulpur and Bhabanipur respectively.

    The Congress, which was in power for 15 years in Assam since 2001, had formed the grand alliance with the AIUDF, BPF, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM), RJD, Adivasi National Party (ANP) and Jimochayan (Deori) Peoples Party (JPP) to fight against the BJP-led NDA in the assembly election.

    Votes for the by-elections will be counted on November 2.

    In the 126-member Assam assembly, the BJP’s strength at present is 59.

    The ruling allies — the AGP and the UPPL – have nine and five MLAs respectively, while the Congress has 27 legislators, the AIUDF has 15 members, the BPF has three and the CPI(M) has one.

    There is one Independent member.

    Meanwhile, the Election Commission has prohibited conduct of any exit poll between 6 am and 7.30 pm on October 30 for the by-elections.

    It also said, “Displaying any election matter, including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media, would be prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for conclusion of the elections.”

    Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade urged all to scrupulously adhere to the EC directives related to exit and opinion polls.

  • CPI leaders felt ‘betrayed’ by Kanhaiya joining Congress, say sources

    By PTI

    NEW DELI: The issue of Kanhaiya Kumar joining the Congress was not discussed formally in the three-day National Council meeting of the CPI which ended on October 4, but sources indicated that the party rank and file felt “betrayed” by his move.

    Sources said the leaders felt that Kumar was specially promoted within the CPI as he was inducted directly to the national executive.

    Many leaders, who attended the three-day meet, remarked that his joining the Congress was “no surprise” and it showed “opportunism”.

    “There was no discussion on Kanhaiya. Some remarks were made by party colleagues about his quitting the CPI. That’s it. As I have said earlier, Kumar’s move was a result of his ambition. There is no ideological political commitment. There is a sense of betrayal as we had given him every opportunity. He joined the national executive directly, fought Assembly elections,” said CPI general secretary D Raja.

    During the conference, the national council discussed the electoral tactics and preparations for the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Goa.

    It also announced that protest campaigns will be held October 4 to 11 against the Lakhimpur violence that left eight dead, including farmers, while on November 7 a campaign in Defence of Constitution and for Social Justice will be held to mark Revolution Day.

    The CPI also said that it was focused to intensify the campaign against the BJP-RSS combine.

    Lashing out at the BJP, the party criticised the government’s announcement about the National Monetisation Pipeline.

    “The idea is to hand over the huge and precious public assets to the hands of a few capitalists who are being nakedly pampered by the NDA/BJP government,” a statement from the party alleged.

    The CPI also expressed grave concern over the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “The NDHM is short on details about how sensitive medical records will be secured and it doesn’t inspire confidence that the very real security issues are being adequately addressed,” the statement said.

    It also flagged the issue of children in the rural areas and the poor suffering due to the lack of tools for online education.

    “The CPI demands that smartphones or tablets or laptops along with WiFi facilities must be provided to students in all areas, educational institutes and community centres,” the statement said.

  • Will Kanhaiya Kumar’s induction into Congress lead to ‘cold war’ with Tejashwi in Bihar? 

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Will the entry of firebrand youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar into the Congress emerge as a threat to the growing influence of the RJD’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar? Will Kumar challenge Tejashwi’s political hegemony within the Mahagathbandhan? Or has he been brought in to rescue the Congress from being eclipsed by a regional party like the RJD, reportedly on the suggestion of political strategist Prashant Kishor? 

    Whatever be the reason, Kanhaiya’s induction into the Congress has caused ripples within the RJD and the political corridors of Bihar. 

    Kanhaiya was fielded by the CPI, an ally of the Mahagathbandhan, in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Begusarai against the RJD’s Tanveer Hussain. Despite his fiery campaign speeches against the ruling dispensation, Kanhaiya had lost to BJP candidate Giriraj Singh by over 4,22,000 votes from a constituency that is still considered as a citadel of the Left. 

    “There is no comparison between Tejashwi Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar. Yadav is a leader who has never been in controversies like Kanhaiya Kumar for his ‘anti-national’ comments. Why should we take him seriously when we have a leader like Tejashwi Yadav who has aspirations for the state and its people,” said a senior RJD leader requesting anonymity. 

    Another senior leader of the RJD Bhai Virendra Kumar refused to recognise Kanhaiya Kumar the day he joined the Congress. 

    Senior Congress leader Madan Mohan Jha, meanwhile, said that Kanhaiya’s induction into the Grand Old Party will certainly give an edge to state politics.   Experts believe that the induction could lead to a low-key ‘cold war’ between the two young leaders. There will be friction of sorts in the coming days as both Kumar and Yadav are articulate crowd-pullers who will work towards taking their parties ahead of each other. While Tejashwi is known to have a pull over the Yadav and Muslim vote banks, the former JNUSU president has gained people’s trust not just in Bihar but also in other parts of the country. He is well educated, known for his oratorical skills and attacks his political opponents with logic and charisma. On the other hand, Tejashwi also speaks well and pulls massive crowds each time he addresses a public meeting. 

    However, when it comes to leadership, Tejashwi Yadav is more experienced as seen in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections where he led the party in the absence of his father Lalu Prasad, a political veteran. Kanhaiya, on the contrary, has never led a political party independently except taking to canvassing in Begusarai during the Lok Sabha elections. His electioneering has made news for a variety of reasons, especially on occasions when he targets PM Modi and his policies. 

    “In such a situation, Kanhaiya’s entry into the Congress and his possible role within the party in Bihar might be making RJD uncomfortable now,” said Arun Kumar, a political analyst in Patna.

    Recently, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari told the media that Kanhaiya Kumar has never been an issue for the party.

    Dr. RK Verma, another political analyst, said that if the Congress assigns any role to Kanhaiya Kumar in the party for Bihar, he will have a direct impact on Tejashwi Yadav’s political hegemony within the Mahagathbandhan. “This is because Kanhaiya Kumar is also a well-heard young leader and will naturally project the policies of the Congress in an argumentative and logical way,” he opined.

    According to sources in political circles, the RJD had fielded its candidate to make the contest a triangular one. This move boomeranged and indirectly helped BJP’s Giriraj Singh to win the seat.”Had Kanhaiya Kumar won Begusarai on the basis of his popularity and national identity which he gained after the JNU controversy, he would have certainly played down the political leverage of Tejashwi Yadav. So the RJD played a trick to field its candidate and prevented Kanhaiya from reaching Parliament,” said a political observer.  

     

  • Kanhaiya’s Congress entry may not go down well with senior party leaders in Bihar

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The Congress high command might be hoping that the induction of CPI leader and former president of JNU Students Union Kanhaiya Kumar into the party may come of help in improving the party position in Bihar. But it would not go down well with in a section of party senior state leaders for whom Kumar is just a fiery speaking youth.

    “In Bihar, where perception rules the roost in politics, Kanhaiya Kumar carries a bad impression as he was jailed for making controversial issues. If he is assigned a key post in Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, there will be the unavoidable difference between him and some senior party leaders, who have been working and holding key posts for a long time,” said a senior leader, preferring anonymity.

    A section of leaders, on condition of anonymity, said that Kanhaiya Kumar can not be a trouble-shooter for the party in Bihar, which has emerged stronger by winning 19 seats in the recent assembly elections.

    ALSO READ | Former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar joins Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi

    “If delivering unfiltered and fiery statements is the sign of success in politics, all the loudmouth leaders such as Kanhaiya Kumar and others would have succeeded in the last Lok Sabha elections. Kumar was defeated in his home turf of Begusarai which is said to be the strong base of the Left politics in Bihar,” remarked a Congress leader, adding that only a seasoned leader from the Dalit community can do some good to the party to some extent.

    The party high command, even after recommendations made for the appointment of state president in Bihar, has not taken any serious note so far leaving the party to run on its own course.

    Sources said that induction of Kanhaiya Kumar may lead to the defection of some senior leaders to RJD and JD-U. “Boss is always right in whatever decision he takes. But we have the right to live with self-respect and we can not work under an inexperienced leader,” another party leader said.

    Some Congress leaders at the party office in Patna said that Kanhaiya Kumar may prove effective to strengthen party base only in south Bihar and in some districts, which has a considerable population from the Bhumihar community and the Left-oriented people in Begusarai district.

  • Akali Dal in talks with Left parties to form alliance

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: After joining hands with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is now in talks with the Left parties —the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist)—to form an alliance ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections. According to highly-placed sources in SAD, two rounds of talks have already been held with the leaders of both CPI and CPI (M) one at the state level, and the other, at the national level. 

    “We are hopeful of entering into an alliance with the two Left parties as the talks are at an advanced stage. In every Assembly constituency, on average, the Left parties have around 2,000 to 3,000 committed voters. In Bathinda and Mansa Assembly constituencies, they have around 7,000 votes each,” said a senior party leader on condition of anonymity.  

    ALSO READ | Akali Dal announces alliance with BSP for Punjab Assembly elections 2022

    Sources in the SAD said in the last Assembly election, the party lost about 20 seats for a margin of fewer than 1,000 votes. In the other 15 seats, the party lost with a margin of between 1,000 and 5,000 votes. An alliance with the Left parties is expected to stitch the gap. Senior party leader Sikander Singh Maluka said, “We are in talks with both Left parties, and hopefully, form an alliance for the upcoming Assembly polls.” 

  • Chhattisgarh: Maoists now attack kin of surrendered cadres, issue warning pamphlets to ‘traitors’

    Express News Service
    RAIPUR: The Maoists who were earlier seen attacking their one-time cadres, dubbed as “traitors” for having renounced the outlawed organisation and surrendered before the police, are now targeting their family members too.

    With the rebels increasingly quitting, the CPI (Maoist) apparently had left the left-wing extremists agitated as they have begun picking out the family members of former cadres in their organised village meeting or ‘jan adalat’ (Kangaroo Court), a new frightening trend cited to have emerged in the strife-torn Dantewada and adjoining areas in the conflict zone of Bastar.

    Since July 2020, as many as 316 Maoists have surrendered under the ‘Lon Varratu’ campaign (return to your home/village) in an edgy district of Dantewada, about 450 km south of Raipur.

    The Red Brigade brutally killed a father of Maoist cadre Joga, who recently surrendered at Katekalyan in Dantewada the previous week, and left pamphlets warning the other “traitors” will face the same consequences through their ‘jan adalat’), if their relatives failed to keep them away from the police and ensured their return to the Maoist organisation.

    Maoist woman Pande Kawasi, 21, who surrendered a couple of week ago had committed suicide under mysterious circumstances in the hostel at Dantewada.

    “Preliminary inquiry suggests that she was under extreme stress battling the emotional trauma before she committed suicide. She was apparently in a dilemma that if she doesn’t agree to return to the Maoist organisation then her family will be targeted but then going back to the banned network would ruin her life. The Maoists out of sheer desperation are following such frightening tactics to create environment of terror among the surrendered cadres. For the young age woman such immense emotional turbulence evidently becomes too much to bear”, said Dr Abhishek Pallava, Dantewada district police chief. 

    The Maoists pamphlets issuing threats to their “traitor cadres” and the relatives been of late recovered by the police in interior tribal hamlets.

  • Assam’s Congress-led grand alliance bickers over seats

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: There are rumblings in poll-bound Assam’s Congress-led grand alliance of Opposition parties even before they meet and hold discussions on seat-sharing arrangements.

    Apart from its traditional bastions, the minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) is seeking to contest from some Muslim-majority seats which are currently held by the Congress. 

    Congress, AIUDF, CPI, CPM, CPI-ML and regional Anchalik Gana Morcha are the six constituents of the grand alliance. They came together last month to put up a united fight against the ruling BJP.

    “Haven’t you elected Mujibur Rahman in advance from the Dalgaon seat? We are a constituent of the grand alliance, so I cannot say if Rahman will be the consensus candidate. But you can say it. Who do you want? I will show this video of yours at the meeting of the grand alliance. I will say the demand for Mujibur is huge,” AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha member Maulana Badruddin Ajmal told a crowd at a rally in Dalgaon. 

    Apart from Dalgaon, the AIUDF has set its sights on Baghbor, Sarukhetri and Mankachar seats, all of them held by the Congress. Ajmal has already held a rally at Sarukhetri. 

    ALSO READ | Assam polls: Sonowal govt launches new scheme, doles out money to lure tea garden workers

    The Dhubri MP said in the event of a disagreement, AIUDF and Congress will go for a friendly contest at Dalgaon. 

    “What if the grand alliance doesn’t accept Rahman’s candidature from Dalgaon? Are you all ready if there is a friendly contest? Rahman stands a good chance to win the polls,” Ajmal, who is also a perfume baron, said addressing the crowd.

    He said Congress and AIUDF could face a Dalgaon-like situation in two to four other constituencies. 

    Ilias Ali, the sitting Congress MLA from Dalgaon, said he failed to comprehend why the AIUDF was eyeing this seat.

    “Since I am the sitting MLA, it is natural that I will contest from the seat. I don’t know why Ajmal wants to field someone from his party here,” a confused Ali said.

    He said a third party will benefit from the split of votes if both Congress and AIUDF contest from the seat. 

    The constituents of the grand alliance are likely to meet this week and discuss seat-sharing arrangements. 

    The Congress had appealed to Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Raijor Dal, two regional entities floated last year against the backdrop of the agitation against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, to join the grand alliance. But they are working towards forming a united front of regional forces. AJP, Raijor Dal and Autonomous State Demand Committee have already forged an alliance.

    Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora said the grand alliance was envisaged to oust the BJP from power.

    “We are yet to hold discussions with the other components in the grand alliance on seat-sharing arrangements but we (Congress) have five-six qualified faces in each of the 126 seats,” Bora asserted. 

  • Focus on Assembly elections in five States: CPI general-secretary D Raja to leaders

    By Express News Service
    HYDERABAD: Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja directed state office bearers of West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry to focus on the ensuing elections which are significant for communist parties. He was speaking at the party’s national executive meeting held at Makhdoom Bhavan here on Friday.

    Addressing the meeting, he said the Centre had introduced regressive laws during the Covid crisis. He alleged that the Centre had passed “anti-labour and anti-farmer” laws to benefit corporates. Therefore, it was facing the wrath of farmers, he said. 

    The CPI national council meeting is scheduled for Saturday. On the agenda are strategies to be followed in the upcoming elections, “anti-people” policies of the BJP. Party members said that they had received proposals from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra to conduct a CPI Mahasabha.