The Communist Party of India (M) expressed resentment over the inability of the United Progressive Alliance government to confront Hindutva forces. It demanded legislation to deal with communal violence and to provide compensation for the victims and rehabilitate them. A resolution adopted at the Congress observed: “It is most unfortunate, therefore, that the UPA government, whose formation was welcomed and made possible by secular forces, has been unable to confront the Hindutva forces and, on the contrary, has adopted a vacillating position.”
According to a report, the position was seen in the government’s unwillingness to punish those guilty of complicity in communal rioting and carnage and to enable access to justice, rehabilitation and compensation for the victims. The government should draft a Bill and get it passed at the earliest to deal with communalism and ensure speedy delivery of compensation to the victims. One of the four major areas of focus of the political resolutions was that of sparing no effort at isolating the BJP-RSS combine, CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said while briefing reporters.
The resolution of the Hindutva forces sought to draw a contrast between the approaches of the Centre and the Left front governments in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala in handling communalism. At the same time, the BJP ruled States witnessed attacks on religious minorities and government programmes were saffronised. The resolution conveyed displeasure over the Maharashtra Government not punishing those held guilty by the Sri Krishna Commission in the 1992 and 1993 riots. Only the Supreme Court had made some efforts to mete out justice by transferring some of the worst cases of the Gujarat genocide outside the State and by constituting an SIT.