CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury (centre) greets NCP leader Jitendra Awhad as CPI leader D. Raja looks on during a press conference at YB Chavan Auditorium on Sunday (Photo: Debasish Dey)
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury on Sunday compared the Narendra Modi government with that of Adolf Hitler. Stating that the ‘nationalism’ debate had been deliberately manufactured to deviate people’s attention from governance issues, Mr Yechury said if a parallel line were to be drawn with history, the present regime would resemble Hitler’s fascism.
Mr Yechury, who was in Mumbai on Sunday, said, “An aggressive debate on nationalism has been manufactured by the BJP and the RSS so that they can force their agenda on the nation. They want to convert a democratic republic and a secular country into a Hindu Rashtra.”
The senior Left leader alleged that nationalistic feelings of people are being misused. “People’s nationalistic feelings are being misused. If a parallel line were to be drawn of the present government with history, the present regime resembles (Adolf) Hitler’s fascism model,” he said.
According to Mr Yechury, the nationalism debate has been deliberately manufactured for specific reasons. “The government is not able to handle the massive expectations people had from them. Also, people are grappling with financial stress of which the government can do nothing about,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha member further said that according to conservative estimates, public sector banks have lost around '6 lakh crore due to non-payment of loans and that the government intends to let private banking sector take over the public sector.
“There has been a 26 per cent rise in farmers’ suicides during the two years of Modi’s rule. (Crude) oil rates have fallen drastically but consumers have not benefited. There is frustration among the people. The government is scared that all this does not transform into an agitation and thus this nationalism debate has been created,” he said.
Replying to a query, he said if Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is compared with other universities, its contribution to IAS, IFS, IPS is large and people’s money is being used properly. “You will find a JNU product everywhere. So there is no wastage of the taxpayers’ money. JNU students are also soldiers who are fighting for a better India,” he said.
CPI leader D. Raja, who was also present at the press conference, said that like the British era finally ended, BJP’s era too would end. “India is a secular, democratic republic. As the British Raj has ended, BJP’s raj (rule) will also end. I have visited the borders. Officers from the Dalit community are guarding it. And here you are troubling Dalits,” he alleged.
Mr Raja said that Kanhaiya Kumar is the final product of the ‘Make in India’ campaign and that there are thousand such Kanhaiyas in the making.
