Rajya Sabha Member and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has hoodwinked the people of the State. He started criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi only after resentment among people started growing, she added.

Addressing a press conference here, Ms. Karat said: “This time, the people have the opportunity to make two radical changes, one in Delhi and the other in Andhra Pradesh.”

Responding to a query about alliance of the JSP-BSP-Left splitting SC/ ST votes in favour of the TDP, she said that the combine is providing an alternative in order to end the status quo.

Turning to national politics, the CPI(M) leader said: “It is not an ordinary election this time, the people of India have made up their minds to end the rule of the BJP-RSS.”

Ms. Karat said the BJP’s rule in the past five years has been “undemocratic and communal.”

She alleged that the policies brought in by the BJP government had only helped a small coterie of businessmen and the wealthy and consequently, social inequalities had increased.

‘Fake nationalism’

Ms. Karat said Mr. Modi had been “running away” from issues plaguing the county, and had only been talking about nationalism. “Fake nationalism is the NDA government’s keyword,” she said.

She said the armed forces are being ‘subordinated’ by the NDA government.

The CPI(M), if voted to power, would bring an umbrella legislation to curb hate speech. The party would also ensure sedition laws that were being used to target political rivals are either amended or scrapped .

Minimum support price for farmers, SC-ST sub-plan, reservation in the private sector, employment generation and minimum wage of ₹18,000 would be among the other priorities of the party.