Barkha Dutt of NDTV was interviewing CM Prithviraj Chavan. The election issues of Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations came up for discussion inter alia the political alliance of the congress with other political parties.

The CM remarked that we have to fight the communal parties. The obvious reference was to the BJP and Shiv Sena which the vested interests in the media has declared as Communal Parties and the political parties like the Congress, NCP, CPI etc have lapped it up and continue their propaganda against these parties and tainting them with the Communal tag.

BJP and Shiv Sena too are registered parties as others are.If the declared policy intent of the former is to favour only a particular religion in this case the Hindus then  these must be derecognised under our existing Constitutional Laws .and others who brand themselves as secular and Constutional abiding should go to the court and demand for the ban on these ‘Communal Parties’ the BJP and Shiv Sena.

But they know well that the Communal and Saffron propaganda cannot stand the close scrutiny of the courts in the absence of hard facts and evidence  to support their Communal claim.

Certain section of the vested interest media plays the role of a catalyst to create the fear psychosis among the minorities and other vulnerable class by ‘communal’ bashing of BJP and Shiv Sena especially during election time and  this  plays out quite  favourably for the non BJP/Shiv Sena parties  to grab the votes of the  gullible Minorities, Muslims etc. This ‘Communal’ propaganda must end and all concerned for improving the quality of our democracy must facilitate the shift from caste and communal colour of our political process to one of inclusive growth  and human development issues.

CM Prithviraj Chavan being in the government and speaking as a government man should not have mouthed this ‘communal’ branding  of  constutionally recognised  legal political parties.

If any political party is communal how it can operate under existing Constitutional laws. Constitution does not allow discrimination on the lines of caste or religion.  The caste based reservations are protective discrimination and not violative .Hence  BJP and Shiv Sena cannot be branded by all and sundry  now and again as communal parties for short term unfair political gains.

If Prithviraj Chavan and the like feel and know that BJP and Shiv Sena are Communal Parties , they  and their governments should go to the courts and seek a ban on these parties instead of playing dirty propaganda politics on the gullible.

The BJP and Shiv Sena too must not take these Communal and Saffron propaganda tags lying down endlessly. They should go to the court and demand an end to the  use of these illegal words against their parties that are very much Constitution abiding and legal. They should claim huge damages from persons and political parties for damning their political image and  take short cut criminal unfair route for political success.

If the propaganda stops politicians will by force discuss developmental issues and the meritorius will win. People in general like merit to be rewarded than propaganda. Even hitherto unthinkable BJP Congress coalition will not be a distant dream if communal propaganda lines are discarded and development issues becomes basis for political success.