Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader Brinda Karat on Friday said the communists fought election to reflect the struggles, rights, and voices of the people in Parliament, Assemblies, and local bodies.

Speaking at a public meeting at Purasawalkam in Chennai, Ms. Karat alleged that parliamentary democracy under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre had been changed into “corporate democracy”. She said through various trusts, corporates transferred thousands of crores to the BJP as donations.

“They follow a give-and-take policy. If corporates give money, the Modi government will give them licences. If corporates give more money, the Modi government will give them national assets. If corporates give even more money, the Modi government would even give them the Parliament,” she alleged.

Ms. Karat recalled the formation of the first trade union in India, the Madras Labour Union, in 1918 by communist leader Singaravelar. “Today, we see the legacy of that culture. Nearly ₹20 lakh has been donated by the Chennai Central party committee towards party funds through voluntary contributions of the hard-earned money of common people, bank and insurance employees, and workers. This is the culture of communists,” she said.

She strongly condemned Israel and the United States (U.S.) for launching a war against Iran. “The war on Iran, particularly during the time of Eid, by the Zionist and the imperialist U.S. regime was unprecedented and highly condemnable,” she said.

She also criticised the Centre for being “silent” on the issue. She said this was not the policy of the Government of India earlier and also criticised the Union government for not allowing a discussion on the issue in Parliament. Ms. Karat recalled when Parliament of India passed an unanimous resolution expressing concern over the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

According to her, the BJP government is waging an ideological war by attempting to implement the ideology of the RSS. Ms. Karat also condemned the Centre for bringing in the four Labour Codes, and said they were against labour rights that had been won over several decades of hard-fought struggles. She also criticised the Centre for moving a Bill in Parliament to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, which she said would take away the rights of the community.