Halt the BJP, says Left

Describing the rise of communalism as a grave threat, the Left Front Friday said it was imperative to stop the BJP from coming to power to save democracy and India's unity.

Speaking at a rally to condemn 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid, former West Bengal Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee blamed the economic policies of the Congress for the growth of communalism.

"The country today is faced with a lot of dangers. But the gravest of them all is a dangerous communalist power which is spreading its wings," he said.

Speaking about the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the CPI-M leader said: "The person who as chief minister has been accused of encouraging riots in his state has been chosen to lead his party.

"Was nobody else there to be chosen as their leader? There are riots in the country but he is unfazed... He is only concerned about how to come to power," said Bhattacharjee.

CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said that by naming Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were again trying to fuel the fire of communalism in the country.

Describing the BJP and the Congress as two faces of the same coin, Communist Party of India leader A.B. Bardhan said: "By uniting the strength of Left parties and other regional parties, we can form an alliance by which we can oust the Congress and stop the BJP."