RSS, BJP treat secular voices as ideological rivals: Tripura LoP

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, December 23, 2025

CPIM Politburo member and Tripura Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury on Monday alleged that the RSS and the BJP view all secular and democratic voices in the country as their ideological rivals and are systematically working to marginalise them.

Addressing a protest rally-cum-public meeting organised by the Left Front here, Chaudhury criticised the recently enacted GRAMG Act, which has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He described the move as an attack on both rural welfare and the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.

Chaudhury said that despite ideological differences between Mahatma Gandhi and the Left movement, Gandhi’s views on rural development, secularism and social pluralism have always been respected across political lines. He recalled that the Left parties had supported the introduction of MGNREGA during the UPA regime, describing it as a landmark step for rural employment security. Replacing the Act and removing Gandhi’s name, he alleged, reflected “disrespect towards Gandhi ji and the values he stood for”.

The CPIM leader further alleged that Nathuram Godse was ideologically aligned with the RSS and BJP, claiming that BJP leaders rarely criticise him and that some have even glorified him. “In this context, it is not surprising that the party in power could not tolerate a welfare scheme named after Gandhi ji that benefited nearly 70 crore people,” he said.

Criticising the BJP’s governance record, Chaudhury referred to the party’s 2018 election manifesto, which promised 200 days of employment at a daily wage of Rs 340. He alleged that the revised law has removed the guarantee of employment and the legal obligation to provide work within 15 days of demand.

He also claimed that the new provisions could increase fund misappropriation and enable exploitation of rural labourers by allowing suspension of work for up to two months during crucial agricultural periods.

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