'NDA govt trying to divide country along religious lines'

CPI today charged the BJP led NDA government with trying to divide the country along religious lines by "terrorising" minorities and unleashing "cultural terrorism" against artists and historians and said the party would never tolerate or accept it.
"The BJP led NDA government is trying to divide the country on religious lines by terrorising minorities. The government has also unleashed cultural terrorism against historians and artists. This will not be tolerated or accepted by CPI," party General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said at a public meeting at the end of a rally on the concluding day of CPI's five day 22nd National Congress.

Reddy said the Modi led government had come to power by extending false promises to the people. It had cut down budgetary allocations for various welfare schemes and more particularly, for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, health, education and agriculture.
He said CPI planned to launch a nationwide stir on May 14 to protest the Land Acquisition (amendment) Act as measures contemplated by the government posed a threat to survival of farmers. "Corporate houses are dictating terms and farmers are sought to be pauperised by the Central government."
CPI Deputy General Secretary Gurudas Das Gupta said it was a shame that a government representing "communal forces" and corporate power had come to power at the Centre. The working class, farmers and poor were left in the cold by the "anti people" measures. The government was functioning as an agent of corporates from within and outside India, he alleged.

CPI National Secretary D Raja said reunification of the Communist movement and Left unity were absolutely necessary as it is a compulsion of time and the need of the hour. People were also expecting it, he said.

Raja said they would never permit the government to bring in an amendment to the Land Acquisition Bill.
He said the proposed nationwide stir against the Land Bill on May 14 would be marked by relentless fight. "We are prepared to face any amount of repressive measures authorities would take against the agitators," he said.
Earlier, CPI re-elected Reddy as its General secretary while Gurudas Das Gupta was elected Deputy General Secretary.

Reddy spoke of CPI's decision to re-establish its "independent image" as champions of the downtrodden and of the need for Left unity to defend secularism, the constitutional right to speech, democracy and cultural independence.
Among resolutions passed were ones urging the Centre to take steps to safeguard the small-scale and tiny industries, implementing suggestions of Small and Tiny Sector Commission, strengthening the public health care system and increasing expenditure on this sector and regulation of the private sector.