Congress slams Prakash Karat for 'soft stance' on BJP, calls CPI(M) stand 'contradictory'

The Congress on Thursday criticised CPI(M) politburo coordinator Prakash Karat's remark that the Left party does not need its endorsement in its anti-fascist fight against the BJP, saying he was attacking the party to deflect from the embarrassment of the CPI(M)'s long-exposed secret ties with the BJP in Kerala. Responding to Karat's remark at the CPI(M) state conference in Kollam on Thursday, Congress leader V D Satheesan said that he respectfully rejected the Marxist leader's suggestion that he should read the CPI(M)'s political resolution, "because it is merely an opportunistic document."

He said those who publicly claim the BJP government is not fascist and effectively grant Modi a certificate should not be lecturing the Congress on anti-fascist struggles or the fight against the BJP.

Lashing out at the Congress in Kerala for criticising the CPI(M) for using the term "neo-fascist" characteristics to describe the BJP and RSS, Karat alleged that the Congress was "distorting" the Left party's efforts to fight against neo-fascist trends and accused it of playing "cheap politics".


Deviating from its usual practice, the CPI(M) has issued a note to its state units on the draft political resolution for the upcoming party congress. The note says the party does not consider the Narendra Modi government or the Indian State as "neo-fascist", even as there are manifestations of "neo-fascist characteristics".

Speaking on the first day of the four-day long conference, Karat termed the Modi government as a "Hindutva Corporate regime" which was displaying "neo-fascist" characteristics.

"We do not need a certificate from the Congress leadership here on how to fight the BJP and the RSS," Karat said.

He added that the CPI(M) used the term "neo-fascist" for the first time in its draft political resolution, as it is not the same phenomenon as classical fascism seen in the past.

Satheesan said Karat's statement was a "big joke."

"We cannot agree with Karat, who has adopted a soft stance towards the BJP, nor with the CPI(M) leadership in Kerala, which supports him," the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly said.

He stated that Karat's approach was contrary to the stance taken by the late former General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury.

"It is contradictory for the CPI(M) to state in its draft political resolution that the Modi government is not fascist while also publicly declaring that it does not need Congress's endorsement in its anti-fascist fight," Satheesan said.

The Congress leader alleged that while his party is leading the fight against the BJP at the national level, Karat's decision to come to Kerala and attack the Congress seemed to be an attempt to "secure a place in the good books of the Sangh Parivar, much like Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan."

"If the CPI(M) truly considers itself part of the INDIA alliance, it should at least stop weakening the fight against the BJP," Satheesan added.