The Left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All India Forward Bloc – have appealed to the people to take a pledge on Independence Day to safeguard our Constitution and strengthen India’s independence.
During this period of the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown, instead of single-mindedly focusing on combating the pandemic and providing relief to the people, the RSS led BJP Central government is aggressively undermining the tenets of the Indian Constitution. This is combined with the sharpening of intense communal polarization and targeting of Muslim minority community. Every single Constitutional authority is under attack, undermining its independence, from the Parliament, judiciary, Election Commission, CBI, ED etc. All are being undermined from acting independently in defence of the Indian Constitution. Democratic rights and civil liberties are under severe attack and any expression of dissent against the government and its policies are termed as `anti-national’ and people, activists and intellectuals are booked under draconian laws like UAPA, Sedition etc. There is an effort at centralising all powers and authority in the Central government negating the principles of federalism, a basic feature of our Constitution.
Under these circumstances, it is imperative that the people unite to safeguard the Constitution and the guarantees that people enjoy under this and, thus, strengthen India’s independence.
Call for Protests on 1 September: The Left parties have also called for holding protests on September 1 against central government cementing itself as a subordinate ally of USA. The servile submission by the BJP Central government to the dictates of US has led India into becoming a subordinate ally of US strategic designs to strengthen its global hegemony. This is not in the interests of India and our people. India must pursue an independent foreign policy and must correct its foreign policy course. Foreign policy subservience to US or US-Israel nexus undermines Indian sovereignty and negates India’s self-reliance.
