Left will win in Bengal, Kerala: Karat

The Left Front was confident of forming the governments in West Bengal and Kerala this time, CPI-M leader Prakash Karat said here on Tuesday.

He said the Left would defeat the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal with the "united support of the people" and also comfortably overcome the previous thin margin in Kerala.

"The Left parties with the united support of the people would defeat the ruling Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal assembly elections," Karat said at a public gathering.

"In the 2011 assembly elections in Kerala, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI-M could not come to power after a shortage of just three seats. This time, the LDF would comfortably overcome the previous election's thin shortage."

The public gathering was organised by the Tripura state committee of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in connection with the birth centenary of party leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

"Massive corruption in Kerala, the Trinamool Congress' atrocities and misrule in West Bengal would be befittingly answered by the people in the ensuing assembly elections," said Karat, who was the previous CPI-M general secretary.

Coming down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 21-month rule has only proved that the government's policies were aimed to make India a "Hindu Rashtra".

Slamming this aim of the BJP, backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said RSS and BJP leaders played no role in India's independence.

Referring to incidents in various educational institutions in Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Delhi and other places, he said BJP cadres backed by RSS were trying to control all the institutions in the country.

"The CPI-M has been struggling for economic and social equality of all people. That's why a strong Left movement is essential in the country. The RSS does not want reservation for the downtrodden people," he said.

Hitting out at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, he said the increase in taxes in the budget only affected the common people, and the union government was giving tax benefits to millionaires.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and the party's central committee member Bijan Dhar also spoke at the public meeting.