On Thursday (4th April), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party, which has only 3 seats in the lower House of the Parliament, elaborately laid out its nefarious agenda in a 44-page document [pdf].
CPIM has vowed to scrap the visionary National Education Policy 2020, enacted by the Modi government. It has also assured the introduction of caste-based reservation in education and employment in the private sector if the party is elected to power (Page 13 of the manifesto).
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has promised to undo legislations that have been historically used against terrorists and criminals of the highest order. This includes repeal of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and National Security Act (NSA).
Not only that, the CPIM has promised to replace the anti-corruption law, Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and strip central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of its powers.
Moreover, it has assured its supporters to scrap the Citizenship Amendment Act, a humanitarian law aimed at fast-tracking the citizenship of persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who have been staying illegally in India before 31st December 2014 (Page 14 of the CPIM manifesto)
Not only that, the party has also promised to remove the provision of the death penalty altogether, which is currently reserved for the rarest of rare cases such as the infamous Nirbhaya case of 2012.
CPIM and its sinister plans to isolate India
To ensure that India does not encourage foreign investors, the CPIM has declared in its manifesto that it will restrict Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows across various sectors such as finance, defence, higher education and the media (Pages 17, 21, 36 and 42 of the manifesto).
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also expressed its intention to globally isolate the nation by exiting from alliances such as QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), the India-US Defence Framework Agreement and the I2U2 Group. While the QUAD is an alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan, and India, the I2U2 Group comprises of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US.
On the 25th page of its manifesto, the CPIM said that it would eliminate nuclear weapons from India and thus leave the nation vulnerable to attacks from rogue and hostile countries like Pakistan.
Creating a state of social and economic chaos
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also assured to bring back unrest in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir by restoring the controversial constitutional provisions of Article 370 and Article 35A, which were revoked by the Modi government in August 2019.
It has also promised to rid school textbooks and syllabi of higher classes of ‘communal bias and prejudice’, which essentially means that the books will be re-designed to brainwash children with Marxist ideology. (Page 15 of the manifesto).
The CPIM has also announced that it would repeal anti-conversion laws enacted by several States to counter the growing menace of grooming, entrapment and forced conversions. In the absence of such legislation, criminals will become as emboldened as before the enactment of the anti-conversion laws.
On Page 27 of its manifesto, the party declared that it would scrap the ‘New pension scheme’ and thereby overburden the economy of the nation. To exacerbate the situation further, it has promised to waive off both institutional loans and private debt of all ‘distressed farmers.’
CPIM and appeasement politics
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has left no stone unturned in its manifesto to appease Muslims and divide the Hindu community further along caste lines.
It has vowed to enact a central law to incorporate caste-based reservations in the private sector, conduct a caste census and extend reservations to so-called ‘Dalit Christians and Muslims.’ (Page 32 of the manifesto)
Just like the Congress party, the CPIM also sought to exploit the suicide of a former PhD student named Rohith Vemula. The left-liberal ecosystem had thrown its weight behind this particular case, calling his untimely death a consequence of ‘caste discrimination’.
During the investigation, it came to light that Vemula was not a Dalit and that his suicide had nothing to do with caste. The Andhra Pradesh government had also decided to cancel the ‘SC certificate’, which was fraudulently obtained by Rohith Vemula and his mother.
Despite being well aware of the findings in the case, the CPIM has decided to keep the pot boiling and promised to enact legislation in his name (Page 36 of the manifesto).
The party has also hinted at introducing reservations in the Judiciary (Page 44 of the CPIM manifesto), including so-called ‘OBC Muslims’ in the OBC quota, and enacting the ‘Prevention of Atrocities Against Minorities Act, which is likely to be used to target the Hindu community.
The CPIM even went on to announce that 15% of bank loans would be earmarked for Muslims if it is elected to power, besides providing compensation to Muslims ‘acquitted’ in terror cases. (Page 33 of the manifesto)
To further pacify its Muslim voters, the party has stated that it would strive for the establishment of Palestine (with pre-1967 borders), sanction the State of Israel and sever all ties of India with the Jewish nation. (Page 24 of the manifesto)
CPIM goes ‘woke’
On Page 34 of its manifesto, the CPIM has dedicated a section for the LGBTQ+ community. Promises made by the party include amending the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and giving legal recognition to same-sex couples at par with marriage.
Not only that, it has also declared that crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals will be treated similarly to crimes against straight people, thereby insinuating that a differential legal treatment exists in India for virtue of one’s sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Communist Party has vowed to pass an anti-discriminatory bill that covers LGBTQ+ and grant reservations to them in educational institutions and employment (besides the caste-based reservation that the party has already promised to introduce in the private sector).
Foreign policy
In the foreign policy section on page 24 of the manifesto, CPIM has talked about promoting all-round relations with China. It says, that the party stands for “negotiated settlement of the border dispute with China and promotion of all round relations.” As mentioned above, the party has promised to scrap all security and military ties with Israel, and demand UN-imposed sanctions against Israel. It wants the creation of a Palestine state with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the capital.
While CPI(M) wants to promote ties with China, it wants to withdraw from all strategic alliances with the US.
Conclusion
Nonetheless, the party has announced to repeal the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act of 2019 (Page 27 of the election manifesto), which introduced heavy fines for flouting traffic rules.
The CPIM has also assured to withdraw the government-funded PMJAY/Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, which drastically improved the access to quality healthcare services for poor people. (Page 37 of the manifesto).
The party has promised to scrap the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023) under the pretext that it encourages ‘digital authoritarianism'(Page 41 of the manifesto).
In conclusion, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has been eyeing to plunge India into a state of complete economic and social chaos as evident from its pre-poll promises.