View from the left: Union budget

COMMUNAL AGENDA

Focusing on religious tolerance, the CPI’s New Age claims “stories are being spread about the so-called ‘course correction’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of communal violence and religious intolerance.”

“It is being credited to the two observations of US President Barack Obama and a reported signature campaign by the NRI supporters of the prime minister. Nobody is ready to spell out the practical implication of the ‘course correction’ because Modi did talk about freedom of individuals to believe and adopt a faith, but never uttered a word about preserving [the] secular fabric of society or our commitments in the Constitution… In such a situation, nobody is going to take these utterances as just ritualistic,” an editorial states.

“One has to understand the real nature of the present regime. It is the rule of the combination of the corporate capital right-wing ideology and rabid communalism of the Sangh Parivar. As far as the interests of the corporate capital and foreign investors are concerned, it is being fully looked after by the prime minister and his office directly… As far as the communal agenda is concerned, its implementation has been left to [the] RSS,” it adds.

BIHAR TURMOIL

The CPI(ML)’s ML Update claims Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to resign and hand over power to Jitan Ram Manjhi after the JD(U)’s poor show in the Lok Sabha election was not an “emotional” one, but rather a “shrewd political move aimed at killing several birds with one stone.”

“By making Jitan Ram Manjhi the chief minister, Nitish Kumar had insulated both his party and government from the immediate impact of the huge defeat suffered in the Lok Sabha election. He projected himself as a leader who was ready to shoulder responsibility for the defeat. And most significantly, he wanted to convey the message that he was serious about the Mahadalit discourse initiated by his government, hoping to claim every credit for ‘sacrificing’ his own seat of power for a leader coming from the most oppressed and marginalised Musahar caste,” the editorial claims.

“But as Jitan Ram Manjhi began to test NitishKumar’s calculations with the steady assertion of his newfound authority and unmistakable emergence from Kumar’s shadow, Nitish Kumar began to panic… Will Manjhi now seek reconciliation with Nitish Kumar to return to the Janata Parivar or will he float a new party and toe the Ram Vilas Paswan line to jump onto the BJP bandwagon? The early indications are he is keeping his options open,” the editorial says.

Compiled by Ruhi Tewari