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Former Rajya Sabha MP and CPI (M) politburo member Brinda Karat on Friday expressed solidarity with actor-turned-politician Ramya in connection with a controversy on latter’s statement praising Pakistan.

Addressing a public meeting organised as part of 9th state conference of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) here, Ms. Karat said there is nothing wrong in Ramya’s statement.

While strongly condemning attack on Ms. Ramya at Mangaluru by what she termed as ‘ABVP goons’, Ms. Karat demanded that ‘ABVP goondas should be arrested first and sent to jail.’

The ABVP and other Sangh parivar outfits are engaged in pseudo-nationalism. Just saying Bharat Mata ki jai will not suffice and only that is not patriotism. Fighting to eradicate inequality in the society and

wipe tears of Dalits, women and other exploited sections is real patriotism, Ms. Karat remarked.

Ms. Karat also said that Bharatiya Janata Party and other Sangha parivar outfits were engaged in ‘cow politics’ instead of striving to solve the problems of people of the country.

“Widows, people with disabilities and senior citizens are suffering for lack of the pension. But the Narendra Modi government is very much

interested in providing pension to cows,” she said. She was addressing a huge public meeting at Government Pre University

College grounds here on Friday.

The so called gorakshakas dont have the experience of dealing with livestocks and the labour involved in it, she said. “The farmer women

know better to nurture the cows and other live stocks with care and affection as they are a source of livelihood,” Ms. Karat added.

Ms. Karat said huge cuts in grants for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarnatee Scheme, which ought to provide jobs to lakhs of rural women across the country, is another glaring example of how the BJP is against women empowerment.

‘Rashtriya Sarvanash Samiti’

Coming down heavily on communal politics of RSS, she termed the organisation as ‘Rashtriya Sarvanash Samiti’. BJP and saffron brigade

want to grab and consolidate power on the corpses of people by inciting communal tension, she said.

“We are not against the Hindu or any other religions. We are opposing only the divisive activities of Hundutva forces,” she said.

On her visit to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh where she said Dalits and minorities were targeted in the name of protecting cow, Ms. Karat said women of the country should unitedly fight saffron brigade’s cow politics. She called upon the people to foil the attempts of Hindutva forces of using religion to gain power.

She also rapped the Centre for not providing relief under Nirbhaya Funds to any one of the rape victims in the country.

AIDWA state unit president V. Geetha presided over the meeting. Writer Lakshmipathy Kolar, AIDWA state leaders K.S. Vimala, Neela K,

Meenakshi Bali and K. Lakshmi were present