Condemning the imposition of 100% tariffs by the U.S. on countries buying Russian oil and gas, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B.V. Raghavulu said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s U.S.-friendly foreign policy portended serious consequences for the Indian economy.
“Mr. Modi should be pragmatic in his approach to the looming crisis. He should ensure that India met its requirement without much dependence on the U.S.,” Mr. Raghavulu demanded.
Addressing the media along with party State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao here, Mr. Raghavulu said that Mr. Modi was subservient to the U.S., while President Donald Trump remained hostile to India.
The U.S.’s aggressive actions should be unequivocally rejected, and pressure mounted on it to stop the atrocities on Iran. As the crude oil prices crossed $100 per barrel, a heavy burden was falling on India, he stated, fearing that the rising costs would be passed on to the people.
Mr. Raghavulu said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undermined democratic elections, alleging that notices were issued to lakhs of people by categorising them as ineligible on flimsy and arbitrary grounds. He accused the Election Commission of aiding attempts to rig the elections through its policies and actions.
Referring to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comment that governance should be conducted on the basis of dharma, Mr. Raghavulu said it was intended to poison the minds of youth with ulterior motives. Mr. Bhagwat’s observation that secularism was unnecessary amounted to insulting the Constitution, he added.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was appeasing various sections with an eye on the ensuing local body elections, and that the CPI (M) would work together with like-minded parties, including those from the INDIA bloc to defeat the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance.
