NEW DELHI: The National Front has charged Congress-I and the rightwing Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) with inciting communalism and bringing the nation to “the brink of disintegration” and promised that the alliance of the National Front and the left parties will provide a stable government on a” “common platform of equity secularism decentralized democracy and socialism”.

In its draft manifesto to be released at a rally here on April 14 the Front said the “Congress (I) and BJP have contributed to the communal virus. In a society like ours social justice means reduction of disparities between high and low rich and poor and strong and weak. And to achieve this goal in a peaceful manner we need affirmative action like job reservations for the backwards and rising of their educational and economic levels. Only thus would deprived classes get a fair share in the governance of the country and become masters of their destiny.”

The Front said it was wrong to assume that these measures would divide the society and increase group conflicts. In fact by reducing distances between various communities we only help them to come closer. It noted that one issue that sprang up with sharp venom after the people had voted the National Front to power and which ultimately proved to the reason why the National Front government decided to bow out of office rather than compromise was that of communalism and violence.

The National Front took a firm position on not allowing “communal and fundamentalists” parties and organisations to tear the nation apart and divide the country on religious lines.

“Returned to power the National Front undertakes to persist with its commitment to national unity based on full and positive involvement of all communities and deal firmly with violence and incitement to violence based on misleading emotional appeals” it said.

The Front said on its promise of providing “true secular pluralist and participative polity” rested the Front’s case that “we alone can provide true stability and a sense of security and unity to the people.”

The Front was committed to full respect and reverence to all religions Disputes must be settled either through mutual negotiations or through due process of law

It said the Front was also committed sustaining personal law of religious communities. Such laws could be modified only on the basis of a consensus in the community itself. :

Article extracted from this publication >> April 19, 1991