CPI today targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for trying to show himself or BJP as the "biggest champion" of the reservation issue than Babasaheb Ambedkar, but not doing anything to extend the job quota to the private sector.
"His tone and tenor shows that he or the BJP is the biggest champion of the reservation issue than Ambedkar himself, but the Prime Minister has not even uttered a word (on it), let alone taking the issue of reservation in private sector forward," CPI leader D Raja said here.
He was responding to Modi's recent Ambedkar Memorial Lecture here in which the Prime Minister had made it clear that there will be no change in the reservation policy for Dalits and had accused his opponents of spreading "untruths" on the matter.
Raja also lashed out at Consumer Affairs Minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan for "making much noise" on the issue and said "he is part of the government. Has he taken up this issue in the government?"
"Paswan must say what he has done in the matter and what the government is doing on it," Raja said.
Reddy said the Left parties should introspect as to why
they were not able to convert into votes the support of people who backed their struggles and agitations.
On West Bengal elections where the Left had struck an understanding with the Congress, he said, "What went wrong is to be discussed. Whether the vote of Congress is not transferred to the Left intentionally or whether Congress voters were not ready to reconcile with the Left. Only after a proper discussion, we can come to conclusions."
Reddy rejected suggestions that the Congress-Left understanding was "unprincipled" but admitted that "because Congress was the main political opponent (of the Left) for a long period, many people were unable to digest this type of understanding and for many people it was like 'compromise'".
He, however, said the Left and the Congress, the opposition parties in West Bengal for the past five years, were "targets" of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
"So, there was a pressure from some sections (for an understanding), but whether it was right to go tactically or not...Apparently it looks like it did not help the Left," he added.
