CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today termed as "peculiar" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that India imparted only spirituality to the world, stating that issuing such remarks was an attempt by the BJP-led NDA government to "cover up" acts of intolerance.
Yechury also accused the Centre of pursuing a communal agenda and said that "communal polarisation have started again in the country ahead of the Assembly polls in some states".
He was replying to a query by reporters on Modi's statement yesterday that "India has not given communalism to the world but only spirituality".
"The Prime Minister has now made a peculiar statement saying that India exports spiritualism to the world and not communalism. India's spiritualism does not need any export. India's spiritualism is so rich in its content that it has travelled all over the world and will continue to travel because of its content.
"But what this government is trying to do is not India's spiritualism. The country's spiritualism teaches us (that) different rivers flow in different directions to merge with the same ocean and that precise difference is what this government cannot tolerate and that is the entire atmosphere of intolerance," he said.
Yechury said the BJP government was trying to "cover up their own actions of spreading intolerance by making such statements, which needs to be exposed".
In an apparent reference to the Malda violence in West Bengal, Yechury said, "Like the communal polarisation rose in the face of Bihar elections, now with four major (state) elections coming up this year, we fear once again that the communal polarisation have already started".
"You see in Ayodhya, the assertions that the temple will be built, stones have been taken there in violation of Supreme Court orders. Then at the same time there is assertion that the RSS and BJP will work for an 'Akhand Bharat'. Now all these are big assertions," he said.
Yechury said the Centre was doing "flip flops" on its
Pakistan policy "which is directed at sharpening communal polarisation in India".
"Now again on talks with Pakistan, it is being heard that these talks will not happen because of the Pathankot issue.
"(Earlier), Indian government went (ahead) breaking its own statements that we will not talk anything but terrorism. You agreed to talk everything including Kashmir in Bangkok and subsequently Prime Minister goes to Pakistan to have lunch with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
"Now again you are saying you will break the talks. This flip-flop...It is nothing but directed at sharpening communal polarisation in India," he alleged.
The Left leader said the CPI(M) was appealing to all secular forces to protect India's democratic character.
"We are appealing to all secular forces saying that if you want to protect India's secular democratic character, the need is to not allow such forces to continue," he added.
Yechury said his party wanted talks with Pakistan to continue.
"According to us, talks with Pakistan must continue. We have always maintained it. It is only through medium of talks that these problems can be resolved and Pakistan can be pinned down," he said.
"It suits Pakistan the best if there are no talks because it is not answerable on its role in sponsoring terrorism against India from across the border. It must be made to answer in the international fora as well as across the table with India," he added.
