New Delhi: Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary M.A. Baby asserted on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now finds itself on the defensive. He attributed this shift to the successful culmination of the Jantar Mantar protest, led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which he described as a "symbolic victory" following the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Speaking to reporters before a CPI-M Politburo meeting, Baby highlighted the sequence of events that, in his view, exposed the ruling party's vulnerability. He recounted that an initial agreement to withdraw 'fabricated cases' against peacefully agitating students was reneged upon by the government. This prompted the CJP and other student organisations to plan a fresh demonstration for September 5. The government then swiftly approached the Supreme Court, requesting a decision to quash these cases. The apex court's subsequent directive to squash FIRs against student protesters in various states led the CJP to call off its planned agitation, solidifying the perception of a BJP setback.
Baby also declared the emergence of a "new political situation" across the country, which he believes will benefit secularism and democracy. He pointed to the BJP's recent loss in Bihar's Bankipur, a seat previously held by BJP chief Nitin Nabin, as further evidence of public sentiment. "People are deserting BJP and Congress," he stated, adding that "fascist tactics of RSS are not going to work" and that "students and youth declared that they are fearless."
Addressing economic matters, the CPI-M leader dismissed India's 7.8 per cent GDP growth in the April-June quarter as "fudged accounting." He cited former Finance Secretary and economists like Raghuram Rajan, who he claimed have "exposed the hollowness of the fudged accounts." Baby suggested that "you can do anything with statistics," implying manipulation in the projected growth figures.
Regarding the CPI-M's internal discussions, Baby mentioned that the Politburo regularly convenes to analyse the political landscape. He expressed concern over the 'washout' of the last Parliament session, where the ruling party reportedly showed unwillingness to discuss opposition-raised issues. With rumours of a potential special session with a specific government agenda, the CPI-M is preparing to face upcoming political developments.
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📰 Source: Mangalorean News