The CPI on Friday alleged that the BJP and other Sangh Parivar outfits were trying to expand their base in Kerala by exploiting the issue of entry of women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple.
CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy accused the BJP and Sangh Parivar people of perpetrating violence in the name of opposing the entry of women into Lord Ayyappa Swamy temple.
Speaking to reporters here, he said they were trying to expand their base in Kerala by exploiting the issue of entry of women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple.
“They are against women.. As per Manu dharma shastra, they are trying to suppress women in the country. As part of it, they started this type of attacks,” he said.
Alleging that BJP-RSS elements were trying to take advantage of the sentiments of some people in the name of tradition, he said, “They say it is a tradition. But this started only in 1991.”
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is a question of tradition. That means he is supporting it.
He should have appealed to the people to accept the gender equality and respect the Supreme Court judgment,” he added.
Kerala witnessed massive protests by BJP and Sangh parivar outfits after two women in the menstrual age entered the hill shrine early Wednesday.
On the nation-wide strike called by central trade unions on January 8 and 9 against the NDA government’s “anti-labour policies”, price rise and others, he said the CPI would support it.
The CPI demanded that the NDA government address the issues highlighted by the trade unions.
“They (trade unions) are not fighting for some salary increase.. They want price rise to be controlled.
Public sector is getting destroyed.. Disinvestment is taking place.. Labour laws are not being implemented. Employment potential is not increasing,” he said.
On the Rafale jet deal, Reddy demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the alleged scam in it.
“If they are honest, why they should be afraid of JPC?” Reddy asked.
India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore, nearly one- and-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the proposal during a visit to Paris.
The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September, 2019.
The Congress has raised several questions about the deal including the rates, and accused the government of compromising national interest and security while promoting “crony capitalism” and causing a loss to the public exchequer.
Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks in an interview over the federal front proposed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, he said, “Modi lied as if he was not aware of the front.”
Efforts were being made to forge the front on behalf of BJP to “divide and destroy” the opposition unity against the saffron party, he alleged.
A person of the stature of the Prime Minister should not make such remarks. “This, we condemn,” he said.
