D. Raja

Dear Prime Minister Modi Ji, Shamelessness is characteristic with demagogues. Not with compassionate statesmen. It can make you a cunning salesman, not a benevolent leader. Follow this thread on shame. (1/12)

🇧🇷 CONGRATULATIONS, LULA! CONGRATULATIONS, BRAZIL! ✊ A historic victory for the people of Brazil! Congratulations to Lula and the Brazilian people on defeating the far-right and rejecting Donald Trump’s designs to bring Brazil to its knees and open its doors wider to corporate cronies. The Amazon rainforest, the lungs of our planet, gets a chance to breathe a little easier, for now. This victory is a powerful reminder that the people’s will cannot be crushed by the might of money, corporate interests or external pressure. The people of Brazil have spoken. Democracy, sovereignty and the struggle for a more just world march on! Viva Brazil! Viva Lula!

CPI deplores the remarks made by the PM Modi on “Vijaya Dashami Day”. PM Modi couldn’t resist cheap shots at political opponents. He must understand that he, his party and the RSS are NOT for the inclusive and integrated Nation. They pursue the politics of polarisation and hatred. Enough of the obsession with inventing new ‘enemies’ of the nation. It is the RSS that has done the most to divide India, and his government that has brought international shame by beating peaceful protesters and detaining even journalists. Instead of adding to the list of ‘national enemies’, answer for the economic shambles, threats to national sovereignty and assault on electoral integrity and the Constitution.

To restore confidence in electoral democracy, Gyanesh Kumar must resign. I write in the Indian Express. indianexpress.com/article/op…

Detention and judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka is undemocratic. Detaining them from Jantar Mantar and now remanding them to custody for “trespassing” a place which was a designated protest site just two days back is solely harassment. @SauravDassss @AshutoshRanka @AjinkyaCJP Afraid of popular anger, the government wants to curtail protests and silence dissent. Since when did protesting against an undemocratic order become a crime? The denotification of Jantar Mantar will be challenged politically and legally. AISF-AIYF’s marched yesterday to reclaim Jantar Mantar and we will intensify our struggle to reclaim our right to protest and our protest site. Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka should be released immediately! @Cockroachisback @abhijeet_dipke

Addressed the press following a meeting of INDIA Bloc parties, civil society organisations and student organisations at the residence of Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. CPI National Secretary and MP P. Sandosh Kumar and AISF President Viraaj Devang also attended the meeting and the tea hosted by the LoP. The meeting discussed the way forward for the movement demanding urgent electoral reforms and the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Rattled by the growing anger on the streets, the Modi Government first unleashed violence against students and youth and then denotified Jantar Mantar to silence dissent. But the people will not be intimidated, and the movement will not be stopped. We will fight to reopen Jantar Mantar! The right to protest and assemble peacefully is fundamental to democracy. No government can take these rights away from the people. Democracy cannot be denotified. The fight for electoral reforms and the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar will intensify!

CPI Strongly Detention of CPI National Secretary Annie Raja, Police Violence Against AISF-AIYF Activists The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the brutal manhandling and detention CPI National Secretary Annie Raja and police brutality against AISF-AIYF activists who were peacefully marching towards Jantar Mantar to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Connaught Place, Delhi. AIYF General Secretary Sukhjinder Mahesari, AIYF President Raushan Kumar Sinha and AISF General Secretary Dinesh Seerangaraj were brutally manhandled and detained along with hundreds of activists from AISF, AIYF, SFI and DYFI. CPI General Secretary D. Raja, along with National Secretariat members P. Sandosh Kumar MP, K. Prekash Babu and Annie Raja, immediately rushed to the spot and strongly condemned the Delhi Police's gross abuse of power at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Condemning the police brutality, CPI General Secretary D. Raja said, “This crackdown is unprecedented in Delhi. I have never seen such incidents in Delhi.” He demanded the immediate release of all detainees and the withdrawal of all FIRs filed against the protesters. CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar asserted, “Everyday arrests and detentions will not deter us. Protest will continue. We will turn the whole city into a series of Jantar Mantars if we are not given a designated protest place.” In a further display of police high-handedness, CPI National Secretary Annie Raja was detained while on her way to meet the arrested activists and was prevented from meeting them. Several detainees were in need of medical attention following the police action. Condemning the treatment of women protesters, Annie Raja said, “Police behaviour towards women protesters is cruel and I condemn this.” The CPI strongly condemns these brazen attacks on democratic rights and the constitutional right to peaceful protest. The use of force, arbitrary detentions and the denial of access to detained activists, including those requiring medical attention, are wholly unacceptable. The CPI demands that all detainees must be released immediately, all FIRs withdrawn, and the Delhi Police must be held accountable for its actions. The right to peaceful protest cannot be crushed through intimidation and brute force.

I have never seen such a crackdown in Delhi. We strongly condemn the violence against protesters. They must be released immediately and all FIRs must be withdrawn.

CONDOLENCE MESSAGE The Communist Party of India expresses its deep sorrow at the demise of Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, a distinguished academic, former leader of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and former Member of the CPI National Council. Elected Vice-President of the JNUSU, he served the School of International Studies, JNU, with distinction and was also President of the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA). A prominent presence in Delhi’s intellectual and progressive circles, he brought reason, clarity and his characteristic flair to public debates and discussions. In his passing, Delhi’s teaching and student community has lost a true friend whose commitment to progressive values will be remembered with respect. CPI General Secretary D. Raja and National Secretary Annie Raja visited his residence and conveyed their heartfelt condolences to Prof. Anuradha Chenoy and the bereaved family. The CPI extends its deepest condolences to his family, students, colleagues and admirers.

CPI Strongly Condemns BJP’s Fascist Methods to Suppress Anti-CEC Protests The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the fascist methods employed by the Modi Government to suppress the protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, called by Left student organisations and CJP, with the support of Left parties. Deploying more than 45,000 security personnel in Central Delhi, cancelling trains arriving in the capital, shutting down the internet and closing 57 metro stations have turned Delhi into a military cantonment. RSS affiliated goons assaulted protesters in complicity with the Delhi Police. This grossly undemocratic crackdown is a cause of national and international embarrassment. The Modi Government has dropped all pretence of being a democratic regime, exposing its authoritarian fangs to suppress growing public anger over electoral malpractice, rigging of electoral rolls and the complicity of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. It is clear that the BJP has lost complete confidence in its popularity among the people and is winning elections solely on the basis of unfair means. The violence, intimidation and coercion unleashed against citizens seeking to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest deserve the strongest condemnation. Despite days of preventive detentions by the Modi Government and BJP-ruled state governments, thousands of students and youth gathered in Delhi, undeterred by repression. Thousands were picked up and manhandled from roads leading to Jantar Mantar. Several journalists were also detained by the Delhi Police and prevented from covering the protest, in a blatant attack on press freedom and the public’s right to know. CPI National Secretariat members Rama Krushna Panda and K. Prekash Babu, AIYF General Secretary Sukhjinder Mahesari, NFIW General Secretary Nisha Sidhu, AISF General Secretary Dinesh Seerangaraj and AISF President Viraaj Devang were detained along with hundreds of CPI, AISF and AIYF activists. These shameful scenes expose the government’s fear of democratic dissent and its determination to silence those demanding accountability. Despite the undemocratic crackdown, the Modi Government has failed to break the morale of those fighting to defend democracy. The CPI congratulates all those who are raising their voices for democracy, particularly the students and youth who stood firm in the face of severe repression. These protests will grow stronger and spread to every part of the country. The demand is clear: Gyanesh Kumar must resign and the electoral system must be comprehensively reformed. This struggle will not stop. Our unity will cause the downfall of this regime, which has already lost the moral right to continue

A massive gathering of Left parties was held in Medinipur today against the vandalism by RSS-Bajrang Dal goons at CPI’s Medinipur Office yesterday, with leaders of the Left addressing the meeting. The meeting echoed the Left parties’ demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over illegal acts being taken place in the ECI. The programme brought together Left activists and supporters in Medinipur to register their opposition to political violence, complete lawlessness against under Suvendu Adhikari’s BJP rule and demanded greater accountability in the electoral process.

Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod!

The Communist Party of India enthusiastically participated in the joint protest by INDIA Bloc parties demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over serious irregularities in the Election Commission of India, the removal of over 13 crore voters and unilateral changes to Form 6. The protesters marched from Makar Dwar of Parliament towards the Election Commission of India office at Nirvachan Sadan, raising the slogan “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod!” CPI General Secretary D. Raja, CPI National Secretary P. Sandosh Kumar MP, P. P. Suneer Rajya Sabha MP and M. Selvaraj Lok Sabha MP participated in the protest along with INC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, SP President Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) MPs Amra Ram, John Brittas, V. Sivadasan, A. A. Rahim, Su. Venkatesh and R. Sachithanantham, CPI(ML) MP Sudama Prasad, RJD leader Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha, KC(M) MP Jose K. Mani, VCK MP Thol. Thirumavalavan and leaders and MPs of other INDIA Bloc parties. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) joining forces with the INDIA Bloc parties on this grave electoral crisis is a welcome decision. CPI General Secretary D. Raja raised fundamental questions about the state of democracy under the BJP government. He said, “What is happening to our democracy under BJP? If elections are fraudulent, then where is democracy? If the Election Commission is a constitutional body, but the CEC Gyanesh Kumar himself does not respect the Constitution and does not act as per the mandate of the Constitution, then where is democracy?” CPI Rajya Sabha leader P. Sandosh Kumar said that under Gyanesh Kumar, “the CEC has become synonymous with Chor Election Commissioner.” The CPI stressed that the serious concerns surrounding the removal of voters and the unilateral changes to Form 6, flagged by the Supreme Court, have raised fundamental questions about the transparency, independence and constitutional functioning of the Election Commission. The CPI supports the three demands raised unitedly by the INDIA Bloc: the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar; rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR); and bringing back ballot papers to restore transparency in the electoral process. Sitting CPI MPs P. Sandosh Kumar, P.P. Suneer (Rajya Sabha) and V. Selvaraj (Lok Sabha) were detained by the Delhi Police during the protest. The detention and manhandling of elected Members of Parliament by the BJP cannot silence the CPI, INDIA Bloc or the democratic voice of the people. The CPI strongly condemns such high-handed action, which is a shame on democracy. The integrity of elections is fundamental to parliamentary democracy, and the Election Commission must function independently, transparently and strictly within the framework of the Constitution. The CPI stands firmly with the united demands of the INDIA Bloc to protect the vote, defend electoral transparency and safeguard democracy.

How many times will Gyanesh Kumar lie? The Supreme Court has now made it crystal clear that the modified Form 6 was not approved by the Court. Yet the ECI’s September 26 press release explicitly claimed that the changes had been approved by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. That press release has now been removed from the ECI website now. Why? At the behest of his political masters, Gyanesh Kumar first sidelined the other two Election Commissioners and their objections, and then invoked the Supreme Court’s name to justify his decision. This is utterly shameless. Gyanesh Kumar has destroyed the credibility and impartiality of the Election Commission and is now exposed for misleading the country. Gyanesh Kumar is a vote-chor, liar and butcher of democracy. He must answer the country: who changed Form 6, who authorised the false claim about the Supreme Court, and why was the ECI’s press release deleted? It is imperative that this man must resign if electoral democracy is to survive.

CPI Condemns Attack on Medinipur District Office by RSS-Bajrang Dal Goons The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the brutal attack on our Medinipur District office by RSS and Bajrang Dal goons. The attackers forcibly entered the party office, vandalised and broke furniture and attempted to set the office on fire. Such brazen political violence is an assault on democracy itself. Since the BJP came to power in West Bengal through the deletion of lakhs of voters through SIR, the state has descended into a disturbing state of lawlessness. Attacks on offices and leaders of political opponents are increasing, creating an alarming situation for democracy and political freedoms in West Bengal. There is no place for such violence, intimidation and terror in a democracy. The CPI will not be cowed down by threats or attacks. Attempts to silence the Left through physical violence will only strengthen our resolve to stand with the people and fight for their rights. The CPI will continue to raise the issues of the people, defend democratic rights and resist every attempt to undermine constitutional democracy through violence and intimidation.

Mahatma Gandhi’s relentless struggle against British Raj helped pave the way for the democratic India we built after Independence. He stood for truth, communal harmony, civil liberties and the highest standards of probity in public life. His legacy belongs to every Indian who believes that power must remain accountable to the people. Today, those very democratic foundations face a grave challenge. Narendra Modi and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stand accused of undermining the institutions and processes that protect the people’s democratic voice, amid removal of over 13 crore from electoral rolls and irregularities in functioning of the Election Commission. On Gandhi Jayanti, the Communist Party of India is observing Communal Harmony Day nationwide and taking to the streets with a clear message: we will not allow the sacrifices of the freedom struggle to be betrayed. We demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and will intensify the struggle to defend the Constitution, protect the sanctity of the vote, safeguard parliamentary democracy and preserve India’s unity in diversity. #GandhiJayanti #CPI #GyaneshKumar #ECI

The CPI strongly condemn the brutal attack on Comrade Shanti Gopal Giri, CPI candidate backed by the Left Front in the Nandigram by-election. This assault exposes the level of goondaism, intimidation and undemocratic practices prevailing under the BJP and Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal. A mandate cannot become a licence for political violence. Those in power must answer for every attack on democratic rights and political opponents. That this attack has taken place after the BJP secured a majority in the Assembly elections, yet continues to appear rattled by dissent and questioning, raises serious concerns. The fear of people questioning the government’s policies and rampant communalisation of West Bengal cannot be met with violence. This shows that the BJP’s victory was not genuine, but a result of the deletion of lakhs of voters through the SIR and money-power. The Election Commission of India bears a constitutional responsibility to ensure free and fair elections; looking away from such intimidation is deeply concerning and anti-democratic. Every democratic voice must be raised against political violence, voter disenfranchisement and the assault on the people’s right to question those in power. #CPI #Nandigram #WestBengal #SuvenduAdhikari