Modi forcing commul agenda, Congress in Assam failed to control riots: Sitaram Yechury
BY Our Staff Reporter
Guwahati, Feb 21: Some forty years back, music maestro Bhupen Hazarika was invited to perform at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He was invited by the then varsity student leaders, which also included Sitaram Yechury, presently the CPI(M) general secretary.
“The whole night he enthralled students with his magic numbers, including those in Assamese. I still remember, for the next three months, his ‘Bistirno parore, oxonkhya jonore’ was on every body’s lips. Whether it was a Kashmiri student or a Malayali or a Gujarati, everybody was humming his songs. He had struck the unity chord at the university through his songs. That was Bhupenda,” recalled Yechury, who was addressing a party rally in the city.
Referring to the ongoing row at JNU, the CPI(M) leader lashed out at the BJP saying now anyone who speaks against (rendra) Modi is being branded as anti-tiol. “With a clear political agenda in mind, Modi is out to break the social fabric by dividing the people on commul lines,” he said.
“The BJP is also indulging in divisive politics in Assam where elections are due in April-May. People should understand this and reject the party,” he said.
Mocking at Modi’s ‘acche din’ slogan, Yechury said, “Modi is selling dreams. He is a dream merchant. But he has failed utterly to fulfill them. During his two year tenure, industrial growth has remained at a staggering minus 3.3 per cent and growth in the manufacturing sector has dipped to minus 2.2 per cent. Farmer suicides have increased by 25 per cent. People are now forced to sing ‘Koi lauta de mujhe bite hue din’.”
By rolling out the red carpet to foreign investment, the NDA government has allowed companies to exploit and loot the country, Yechury alleged.
The CPI(M) general secretary also targeted the State Congress government, citing the riots Assam has witnessed during Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s tenure.
“The Congress has also failed to meet the aspirations of the people. It is time people support an altertive force,” he added.