BJP interested in raising divisive issues: CPI-M

"With the Narendra Modi government taking office, the people are expecting that the acute problems they are facing will be addressed such as price rise, unemployment, agrarian distress and increasing crimes against women," the party said in a statement following a meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.

"However, the BJP-led government seems more interested in raising issues which are divisive. The talk of abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution by a minister has caused serious apprehensions. This can only lead to more alienation amongst the people in Kashmir. Nothing should be done that will undermine the special status accorded to Jammu & Kashmir which is a solemn commitment to the people at the time of the state’s accession to the Indian Union," the statement said.

The CPI-M said it is opposed to the Centre's moves such as afoot to increase FDI entry into defence production and other sectors like insurance.

The party said that ever since the polling for the Lok Sabha elections ended and the new government assumed office there have been more than a dozen communal incidents across the country.

"Communal clashes have been reported from Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, Karnataka and other places. There has been the brutal killing of a young Muslim IT professional by men belonging to the Hindu Rashtra Sena in Pune. It seems the mood of triumphalism has led to communal incidents often targeting the minority community," the statement said.

The party in its Central Committee meeting observed that sexual assaults against women and children continued to increase raising questions as to whether India is a country safe for its women.

"The lack of political will to take the necessary measures to curb assaults on women has been exemplified by the spate of horrific cases of rape and murder of the victims in Uttar Pradesh such as in Badaun. The state Government has failed to curb lawlessness including in its own police force. On the contrary statements by top leaders of the Samajwadi Party trivialize the crime of rape and encourage the callousness of the police and officials in dealing with such cases," the CPI-M said.

"There have also been a big increase in cases of sexual assault in Rajasthan including in the Chief Minister’s own constituency where victims have been denied justice. The shocking statements by the Home Ministers in BJP led Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh display utter insensitivity and raise questions whether victims of sexual assault in these States can ever hope for justice. There is no respite from the growing attacks on women in West Bengal," the party stated.

Slamming the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, the CPI-M said that its Central Committee condemned the continuing violence and attacks on its cadres and Left supporters by the Trinamool Congress.

"Ten CPI(M) members and supporters were killed during the election campaign and in the post-poll violence. The Central Committee called upon the Party and the Left forces to conduct solidarity campaigns all over the country in defence of democracy and against the violence in West Bengal," it said.

The Central Committee of CPI-M discussed and adopted a review report of the Lok Sabha election.

The CPI-M performed very poorly in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.