Kolkata: Terming Narendra Modi as a representative of communal and corporate forces, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Friday said Left parties will fight for a "secular alternative".
The CPI(M) general secretary said the convention called by the Left and other regional parties had decided to stop communal forces at any cost and unify secular and democratic forces under one umbrella.
"Narendra Modi is being projected by BJP as its prime ministerial candidate. Who is this Narendra Modi? This is the same Modi who has the backing of RSS, who were involved in the demolition of Babri Masjid," Karat said while addressing a rally here.
"Modi also has the backing of corporate houses and is the representative of communal and big corporate forces," he said.
Mocking the Gujarat model of development, being projected by BJP as Modi`s USP, Karat said "Gujarat model is that model which reminds us of the massacre of thousands of minorities in that state in 2002."
Lashing out at Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for pursuing "neo-liberal" policies, Karat accused it of failing to control price rise and inflation.
"We the Left forces have to fight for a secular alternative which will pursue alternative policies. We have to defeat both communal BJP and Congress, which pursue neo-liberal policies. The policies of Congress have led to corruption after corruption," Karat said.
Addressing the rally, veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan said the Left will have to fight to throw Congress out and stop BJP from coming to power.
"BJP is day-dreaming that they will come to power. But we are confident that the people of India will never bring a communal party like BJP and a man like Modi to power," he said.
Terming Modi as an "aggressive Hindutvavadi", Bardhan said "the Left, along with other secular and democratic forces, will have to fight to get Congress out of power and stop BJP. Apart from those 14 parties which attended our convention in Delhi, there are several other parties and forces which are secular. We have to unite them."
Attacking Modi for his "puppy remark" while talking about the casualties in Gujarat riots, Bardhan said projecting the results of the just-concluded assembly elections in five states as a dress rehearsal for next Lok Sabha election would be "wrong".
CPI(M) Politburo member and former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said protecting the secular fabric was one of the biggest challenges the country faces now.
"BJP is saying a lot of things about Modi. But soon after he was announced as a prime ministerial candidate, riots have started in various parts of the country," he said.
Bhattacharjee, while reminiscing the fateful day of December 6, 1992, said the then West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had requested the then Prime Minister P V Narashima Rao to send the Army to stop the Kar Sevaks from demolishing Babri Masjid.
"If such forces come to power, then the Constitution and the democratic setup will be destroyed in the country. The Left has to increase its strength to stop it," he added.
