CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre of cheating the people and intimidating the corrupt using Central agencies to take money from them through electoral bonds.
Addressing a public meeting at Arumbakkam, Ms. Karat said because of the Supreme Court’s verdict on electoral bonds, everyone has come to know about the extent of subversion of parliamentary democracy.
The Modi government has proven to be the greatest beneficiary of corporate funds, Ms. Karat said. “The Modi government has cheated the people. They claimed to fight corruption but they took a lot of money from those who were corrupt by threatening them with ED, CBI and IT raids,” she charged adding this was a quid pro quo deal with those corporates.
“The crime against women has increased in the last 10 years. By postponing the implementation of Women’s Reservation Bill passed by the parliament that aims to reserve one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, the Modi government has cheated women,” she alleged.
According to her, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are not ordinary elections and fight to get votes, but an exercise to “save our beloved country and to decide what is going to be the future of our secular democratic republic”. She expressed confidence that in line with Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Citizenship Amendment Act will not be implemented in any of the States ruled by the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
She also criticised the Union government for allegedly using Governors to block the functioning of the State governments ruled by the Opposition. Senior CPI(M) and DMK leaders participated in the meeting.