On Gujarat Results

Date: 
Monday, December 16, 2002

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

                                                 On The Gujarat Results

The assembly elections in Gujarat have resulted in a big victory for the BJP. The BJP’s success is a product of the deep communal polarization which was brought about by the largescale violence witnessed in the state after the Godhra incident. The resultant communal polarization had a marked effect on the electoral outcome. The three successive assembly election victories for the BJP testify to the systematic efforts of the RSS-VHP combine to communalise society there. The aggressive communal platform adopted by the BJP and the RSS outfits during the election campaign portend similar efforts being made in the rest of the country by the BJP which is keen to divert attention from the harmful effects of its economic policies and misrule at the Centre. Notwithstanding the shrill rhetoric against terrorism indulged in by the BJP, minority baiting and communal chauvinism can only nurture extremism and fundamentalist forces within the minority community.
There are certain important lessons to be drawn from the experience of the Gujarat elections. The failure of the Congress and the other secular parties to arrive at a common understanding to ensure a one-to-one fight also helped the BJP to register such a big win. The Congress party which is the main opposition force in Gujarat sought to underplay the communal agenda and avoid confronting it. This helped the communal forces to legitimize their disruptive propaganda. The necessity to conduct a sustained and effective struggle against the communal ideology has been underlined by the poll results. There has to be an uncompromising struggle against the Hindutva agenda which masquerades as nationalism and to expose its pro-imperialist and reactionary character.