New Delhi: CPI(M) on Monday said the recent communal incidents were part of a “planned effort” by communal-political forces and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls seemed to be a “catalyst” for communal activities.
“These are not spontaneous outbreaks but part of a planned effort … designed by certain communal-political forces. … The 2014 Lok Sabha elections seem to be a catalyst for communal activities. It can be easily identified who seeks to gain out of such communal polarisation,” party General Secretary Prakash Karat said here.
In his address to the National Integration Council meeting, Karat said certain organisations and political parties “espousing communal ideology are indulging in communal propaganda to build up tensions and to utilise any incident to incite communal violence.”
Demanding immediate enactment of the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill, he said, “Given the history of communal politics in India, it (communal violence) is primarily a political issue and it must be dealt with politically.”
This, Karat said, required “firm adherence to the secular principles and the need to combat communal ideology and politics, whatever their source and origin.”
Observing that communalism promoted extremist activities like terrorism, the CPI(M) leader said while it was necessary to fight terror, care should be taken to ensure that no single community was targeted.
“Unfortunately, experience shows that in the name of fighting terrorism often innocent Muslim youth are targeted … arrested and implicated in false cases and kept for prolonged periods in jail.
“There are many cases where these youths have been eventually acquitted and the judiciary has passed strictures on the way they have been booked on false or flimsy evidence,” Karat, who was accompanied at the meet by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, said.
The CPI(M) leader maintained that “biased approach” on the part of police and security agencies has led to alienation and anger among the Muslim community.
Referring to the use of social media in spreading inflammatory and communal propaganda, he sought suitable modifications in the IT Act to act against such content, but also ensuring that the provisions were not misused to suppress dissenting views.
Karat also pointed towards espousal of communal ideology through the educational system, including text books.
On safety and security of women, Karat sought a separate law against ‘honour killings’ in the context of the recent murders of young couples, saying it was unfortunate that such a law was still not in place as some state governments “do not feel it necessary to go against retrograde traditions and social conventions for narrow political considerations.” (PTI)