COMBATING EXTREMISM, IMPERIALISM S Asian left leaders call for cooperation

South Asian left leaders on Friday stressed for improving links and cooperation among the communists and progressive parties of the countries to combat fundamentalism and imperialism in the region.
They made the call at an international seminar on ‘Combating fundamentalism and imperialism in South Asia’ organised by Workers Party of Bangladesh at the Muktijodhdha auditorium of Diploma Engineers’ Institution in the capital on the occasion of the 100th birthday of the party’s founding president Amal Sen.
Amal Sen, a great leader of Tebhaga movement initiated in Bengal by the Kisan Sabha, the peasants’ front of Communist Party of India, in mid-fifties, was also a pioneer of the communist movement in Bangladesh.
Addressing the seminar, the region’s left leaders expressed their concern that Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afganistan and other Asian countries along with Arab countries have become fertile ground for fundamentalism that targets secularism, democracy, rational thinking, peace, development and progress.
Presenting the keynote paper entitled ‘Imperialism and Religious Fundamentalism : A Treatise on Political Economy with References to Bangladesh,’ Dhaka University economics professor, Abul Barkat, said the expanded religious fanaticism, armed communalism and associated fundamentalism were deep rooted crises increasing inequality and fear.
The global system of imperialism with hegemonic imperial ambition acted both as a primary factor towards the rise of fundamentalism and became a life-line nutrient for the existence of imperialist order, he said.
He stressed on simultaneous fight against both the imperialistic global order and all the sources of exploitation at country level to get rid of fundamentalism.
Communist Party of India general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said misuse of religion by the mainstream political parties to expand their vote banks has inadvertently strengthened terrorism and fundamentalism in South Asian region.
He alleged that all terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda and ISIS were the creation of US imperialism and that the hostile atmosphere in South Asia was the by-product of the US intervention in the policy making decisions of the Asian countries.
Due to poverty and unemployment, large-scale illiteracy, ignorance and misrule, people in the subcontinent can be easily manipulated by the imperialist and fundamentalist forces, he said.
‘Imperialism is keen to use the growth of fundamentalist forces in our region to intervene and destabilize our countries and gain a permanent foothold. The struggle against fundamentalism can only be made by the united struggle of all irrespective of their religious affiliations. It is again only under such conditions that the people can mount the offensive against the ruling class policies,’ Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.
Communist Party of Pakistan secretary general Imdad Qazi stressed for a coordination committee of the communist parties of the region to table strategies to mobilize people against imperialism, racism and religious fascism.
In Bangladesh, Workers’ Party of Bangladesh general secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha said, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a party supported by imperialists, was practically an umbrella of all the fundamentalists.
The 14-party alliance that has formed the government through politically significant January 5 elections has 11 left and progressive parties and WP joined the alliance to fight against fundamentalists that were in power from 2001 to 2006, he said.
He stressed for better communication among the South Asian communist parties to share experiences and views to combat fundamentalists and imperialists.
Presided over by WP president Rashed Khan Menon, the seminar was also addressed by All India Forward Block national secretary Shyamal Roy, CPI (M) Tripura provincial committee member Gautam Das and Janata Vimukthi Peramuna of Sri Lanka’s international department member Nalinda Jayatissa.

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