The country is going through a difficult period as right-wing communal forces are trying to redefine Indian nationhood. Such fascist forces are posing a grave threat to the Indian Constitution, D. Raja, national general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), said here on Monday.

People must fight such forces in unison, taking a cue from the recent youth protest that led to the resignation of the Union Education Minister, he said while inaugurating the birth anniversary celebrations of former Chief Minister P.K. Vasudevan Nair at the Ernakulam Town Hall.

The situation is such that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is dictating what the government should do, including the content of textbooks. Thus, there is a need to strengthen the Communist movement in India by reaching out to people. The CPI will organise a nationwide campaign in August to directly hear about people’s needs. This will be followed by a rally in New Delhi in September to liberate the country from the BJP-RSS combine, Mr. Raja said, while expressing confidence that organisations that fought together to oust the British from India could also end the ‘BJP raj’.

Recalling his memories of Vasudevan Nair, who was fondly called PKV, Mr. Raja said that he was one of the greatest leaders of India’s Communist movement. “I met him for the first time when I was the Tamil Nadu State secretary of the AIYF in 1978. He had great political and ideological commitment. So much so that, for him, his party was more important than position and power. Further, he strove for Left/Communist unity,” he said.

Presiding over the function, Binoy Vishwam, State secretary of the CPI, highlighted the role played by tens of thousands of students whose protests led to the Union Education Minister’s resignation. “Till recently, the impression was that the Narendra Modi-led government was invincible. The students proved it otherwise, and this is a lesson for each one of us. The youth who rallied primarily under the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were disciplined, determined and also focussed on what they were fighting for. They also showed that cockroach is no longer a word that could be used to put down others. It ought to be remembered that cockroaches have the unique ability to outlive even a nuclear war,” he said.

On PKV, Mr. Vishwam said that he stood for Communist ideals. He was ever willing to correct himself, he said, referring to PKV upholding the cause of the environment on the controversial Silent Valley hydro-electric project. CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan delivered the PKV memorial address.