Only Left parties can fight ‘Hindutva’ forces: Prakash Karat

 CPI(M) senior leader and party Politburo coordinator Prakash Karat asserted that only the Left has the ideological strength and commitment to effectively counter the rise of Hindutva forces in India. 

Delivering the inaugural address at the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), at Madurai on Wednesday, Karat said that while the party is committed to forging the broadest possible alliance of secular forces to resist the BJP, it is the Left alone that remains a consistent and uncompromising force in this struggle.

“It is only the Left that can lead the fight against both Hindutva and imperialist designs in our country,” Karat said, underscoring the need for an unwavering stance on neo-liberal policies as a crucial part of resisting Hindutva-driven majoritarianism.

He warned that the BJP and RSS are actively manipulating sub-caste identities to preserve the caste system as the foundational structure of Indian society.

Karat alleged that “manuvadi” values were being insidiously injected into the social and cultural fabric of the country, thereby reinforcing regressive hierarchies.

“The fight against the manuvadi-patriarchal system, which undermines the rights of women, Dalits, and Adivasis, is an integral part of our broader struggle against the Hindutva agenda,” he stressed.

Karat emphasised that the party’s political-tactical line must reflect a comprehensive strategy to combat the BJP-RSS and the wider Hindutva forces.

Although the CPI(M) and other Left groups have been active in organising various struggles, he noted that the people involved in these movements will only become truly politicised if there is a strong and sustained campaign against reactionary and divisive Hindutva communalism.

He also drew attention to the growing threat of global imperialism, particularly from the US under President Donald Trump.

Karat predicted that the US would escalate its use of economic and trade wars, as well as military interventions, to dominate other nations.

“This is the time for the CPI(M) and the wider Left to intensify anti-imperialist struggles and expose the pro-imperialist policies of the PM Modi-led government,” Karat said.

Looking ahead, Karat said that one of the key objectives of the Congress would be to explore ways to strengthen the CPI(M) as an independent political force.

He stressed the importance of building grassroots movements around class and mass issues, and of streamlining the functioning of the party organisation to expand its reach across the country.

“A concerted and strategic effort is needed to build the party at the grassroots level and ensure it becomes a vehicle for people’s struggles on everyday issues,” he concluded.