Continuous work like RSS needed to defeat BJP, says Prakash Karat

For the Left to 'defeat' the BJP and the RSS, conducting an ‘ideological and political struggle’ is important, and round-the-clock working like the RSS is required, Prakash Karat, CPM’s politburo member, told party supporters and members, in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Addressing the gathering at the 57th foundation day programme of the party’s mouthpiece Ganashakti, Karat said that many of the non-Left parties think that with the alliances before the elections, they will be able to fend off the BJP’s threat.

While such electoral understandings and alliances will be important but of no use till “you have been able to conduct the ideological and political struggle against the BJP and the RSS”, he said.

"Just like the RSS works within the society round the clock through its various outfits - socially, culturally, educationally - you have to build such organisations, putting out your own democratic, secular and Left ideology and vision among people. This is an area which is lagging far behind today," Karat said.

Karat recalled that 15 years ago, in Odisha, a comrade had told him that RSS was running 1,000 schools in the state at that time. Karat said that over a period of time, the constant work of RSS in society has succeeded in ideologically influencing large sections of people, and this is the reason why despite discontent, BJP performs well.

The former CPM general secretary suggested that the Left will need to continue with a “two-fold struggle” – the usual struggle for “livelihood, against privatisation, of people against price rise…” and a political and ideological struggle.

“But all the struggles remain insufficient and without political impact, unless you are able to simultaneously carry on the ideological and political struggle against the ideology and politics of Hindutva of RSS and BJP,” he said, adding that the Left can offer an alternative platform for other non-Left parties to join.