Prevent Modi's hattrick: Left to Congress

New Delhi, Aug 1: In the run up to the Gujarat assembly polls, the Left parties today exhorted the Congress and ''secular'' allies in the NDA to join hands to foil the BJP's design of ''communal polarisation'' to make a comeback for the third time in the state.

While asking the Congress, the main political player to shed complacency and not repeat the ''soft Hindutava'' approach of the 2002 elections, the CPI(M) and CPI asked the NDA constituents to review their ties with the BJP.

The Left parties' remarks assume significance in the wake of BJP chief Rajnath Singh's reported comment in an interview that the RSS is running the BJP's show and Gujarat chief minsiter Narendra Modi's emphasis on the ''nationalist'' policy as its main poll plank for the assembly polls only a few months away.

CPI leaders A B Bardhan and Shamim Faizi cautioned that in Gujarat, the RSS is bent upon creating troubles before the assembly polls and has inducted Mr Arun Jaitley as the sole representative of the party to assist Mr Modi.

The CPI leaders recalled that the last 2002 assembly polls were held five months after the ''ghastly'' post Ghodhra riots, and added that Mr Modi might adopt similar tactics for the intensification of his ''communal'' agenda in the state.

CPI(M) Politbureau member and Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury said this is a warning for all the secular forces to ensure that communalisation of the electorate did not take place. ''It is imperative to strengthen all the secular and progressive forces to take on Mr Modi.'' Mr Bardhan, CPI General Secretary and veteran freedom fighter, said the secular parties, particularly the Congress had to shed its complacency and take the initiative to moblise all ''anti-Narendra Modi forces to take up the battle at hand''.

Mr Faizi, CPI National Secretary, said the challenge could be met only by adopting a clear-cut policy on Hindutva, whether it is in the guise of nationalist Policy or something else.

''The soft Hindutva stand adopted by the Congress during the 2002 election has to be discarded and the unity of secular forces forged on clear cut anti-RSS, anti-Modi plank,'' said Mr Faizi, Editor of CPI mouthpiece 'Weekly New Age'.

On the BJP chief's comment, the Left leaders said even as it was in no way a new thing, the BJP's re-assertion on Hindutva portended danger for the secular fabric, the unity and integrity of the nation.

''The BJP has never had its indepedent exsitence except to further the divisive agenda of the RSS,'' Mr Yechury added.

CPI(M) senior leader Nilotpal Basu said there was never any doubt who is calling the shots in the BJP. ''The admission by Mr Singh himself is like stating that sun rises in the east." The CPI leaders said all other outfits of the Sangh Parivar are also controlled by the RSS leadership. They foisted Mr Rajnath Singh as party president, who has openly admitted that ''he is nothing without RSS.'' Besides, Mr Singh had re-introduced the practice of inducing RSS pracharaks as organising secretaries at all levels.

''Now the admission from the horse's mouth should make the so-called allies in the NDA alarmed,'' they added.

UNI