It is a battle to safeguard our syncretic culture: Left parties on Vice Presidential election

The five Left parties, in a joint statement endorsing the candidature of Justice Balkrishna Sudershan Reddy, who is contesting the Vice Presidential election on behalf of the Opposition, said the elections were not merely about numbers but a battle to “safeguard our syncretic culture”.

The statement was signed by general secretaries of the five parties — Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s M.A. Baby, Communist Party of India’s D. Raja, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, G. Devarajan of the All India Forward Bloc, and Manoj Bhattacharya of the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

“It [Vice Presidential elections] represents a contest between two fundamentally different perspectives on the future of India - whether our nation will continue as a constitutional democracy upholding secularism, or be reduced to a Hindutva authoritarian State. It is a battle to safeguard our syncretic culture and to resist the BJP-led NDA government’s ongoing attempts to undermine democracy and enforce authoritarianism through the misuse of Constitutional positions such as those of the Vice-President, Election Commission, and Governors, among others,” the statement said.

Justice Reddy, they added, is widely respected for his “unwavering commitment to the core values of the Indian Constitution - Democracy, Secularism, and Equality”.

“We appeal to all electors of the Vice President to place the interests of the nation above all else, to recall the oath they have taken to protect the Constitution, and to cast their vote in favour of Justice Sudershan Reddy,” the parties said.