Sitaram Yechury criticises BJP-RSS for pulling down of Lenin's statue

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today criticised the BJP-RSS for the pulling down of a statue of communist icon Vladimir Lenin in Tripura and urged the democratic and secular forces of the country to come together against the ''fascist onslaught'' of the saffron regime.

He said the CPI(M) would discuss all the options in the upcoming party Congress while deciding on its political-tactical line for taking on the BJP.

Without mentioning the Congress party, Yechury underlined the need for the broadest possible platform of the Left and democratic forces in the country to counter the BJP-RSS.

Yesterday, the statue of Lenin was pulled down by some people with an excavator machine at Belonia in South Tripura district, about 110 km from state capital Agartala, in the wake of the announcement of the state Assembly poll results, in which the Left Front was drubbed by the BJP-IPFT combine.

The CPI(M) held BJP workers responsible for the pulling down of the fibre-glass statue that was installed a few months ago.

Criticising the incident, Yechury alleged that the BJP-RSS was unleashing ''unprecedented violence'' and arson across Tripura in the aftermath of their victory in the Assembly election.

''Such attacks clearly demonstrate that the RSS and the BJP rely mainly on unleashing political violence as means to advance their inherent anti-democratic and fascist agenda,'' he said.

Yechury also described Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy's tweet on the matter as ''unfortunate''.

''This shows how constitutional posts are being undermined,'' he said.

Reacting to the pulling down of the Lenin statue, Roy had tweeted, ''What one democratically elected government can do another democratically elected government can undo. And vice versa.''

Yechury alleged that 514 CPI(M) activists were assaulted, 1,539 houses of party activists were attacked and 196 houses set afire since the announcement of the poll results in Tripura.

He also claimed that 134 CPI(M) offices were attacked and looted, 64 party offices set ablaze and at least 90 offices of different mass organisations were occupied allegedly by the supporters of the BJP and its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The Left, Yechury said, would launch massive agitations across Tripura and the country to protest against the onslaught of the communal forces.

''We will ensure that they (BJP) get a befitting reply from the masses,'' he added.