BJP hits back at Sitaram Yechury's charge that the government is pursuing a communal agenda

NEW DELHI: Hitting back at CPI(M) after its leader Sitaram Yechury accused the BJP government of pursuing a communal agenda, the BJP today said the vote bank politics of Left and Congress had done most harm to communal amity but the Modi government believes in 'sabka saath sabka vikas'.

Accusing the Left of distorting facts to mislead people, BJP said it had become "irrelevant" in the national politics due to its anti-development and appeasement policies but continued to level "false" accusations at the party.

"The way CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury levelled the same old charges against BJP reflects the Left's decline in the national politics. The fact that it has now been confined to a few small north-eastern states shows how people have become disillusioned with its negative politics.

"History shows that wherever the Left has been in power, industries were destroyed, communal tension rose and a similar situation has been witnessed in the Congress rule. It is difficult to repair the same they have done to the nation's communal harmony. The Modi government's only slogan is 'sabka saath sabka vikas'," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

Various reports show that communal incidents have declined since the BJP came to power in the Centre, he said.

On the other hand, the Left has been found involved in most big riots in Kerala and wondered that why it was not speaking about recent "communal riots" in Malda and Purnea after making a hue and cry over during the recent debate on "intolerance", he alleged.

In Kerala, Yechury had today accused the BJP government of pursuing communal agenda and a centralised state structure to push the new economic reforms, and said there was a need to fight the "twin challenges".

Sharma cited the increase in fund outlay to states from 32 per cent to 42 per cent as the Central government has given more financial powers to states as against the Yechury's charge.

He also cited the Left's opposition to reform bills like GST to attack it.