Stopping BJP in poll battle not enough to counter right-wing forces: CPI-M
Kolkata: Stating that only trying to counter the BJP in the electoral battle will not be enough to stop the resurgence of right-wing reactionary forces in the country, CPI-M politburo member Prakash Karat on Wednesday said communists must take a leading role in uniting all secular democratic forces to fight the majority communalism.
Terming Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a well organised fascistic organisation that has been working to influence the people of various sections of the society, Karat said the Left parties must create alternative forces in those social spheres to counter them.
"So far we have tried to focus on determining the electoral tactics to isolate and defeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections. However, we failed to understand that BJP is just a small part of the RSS activities.
"Five years back, RSS had nearly 40 mass organisations that worked in different sections of the society. We need to be able to counter these forces of the RSS. Stopping just the BJP would not work," Karat said here at a seminar on "Combating dangers of aggressive communalism in India".
"Our challenge at the moment is to counter a well organised power that is using the majority communalism and trying to impose its ideology on the entire nation with an aim to reorganise it as a Hindu state. Unless we can counter their agenda of Hindutva nationalism with our secular democratic progressive values, it would be difficult to stop them," he pointed out.
The former general secretary of CPI-M said the RSS is constantly working to influence the education and cultural sector and a section of intellectuals, while they are also working to consolidate the Dalits and tribal communities in the country by imposing the Hindutva agenda at the grassroot level.
He pointed out that "storm troopers of the RSS" like Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagaran Mancha are at work in these places.
"The secular and democratic people must transcend the party barriers to fight the majority communalism of BJP and RSS," he added.
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Air India, Air India Express to levy fuel surcharge on tickets; airfares to rise
New Delhi (PTI): Airfares are set to rise with Air India and Air India Express deciding to levy a fuel surcharge of Rs 399 on each domestic flight ticket from March 12 and also hike the charge for international bookings due to a steep rise in jet fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict.
The new fuel surcharges will be implemented in a phased manner.
Regretting the need for fuel surcharges, Air India on Tuesday said that without such surcharges, "it is likely that some flights would be unable to cover operating costs and would have to be cancelled".
In the first phase, a fuel surcharge of Rs 399 per domestic flight ticket would be imposed from March 12, and the same will also be applicable for SAARC flights, a statement said on Tuesday.
For West Asia flights, the fuel surcharge will be USD 10 and hiked by USD 30 to USD 90 for Africa flights and by USD 20 to USD 60 for Southeast Asia services.
All these changes will be effective from March 12, including for flights to and from Singapore. Currently, there is no fuel surcharge for Singapore services.
In the second phase, Air India will increase the fuel surcharge by USD 25 to USD 50 for flights to Europe, North America and Australia starting from March 18.
Fuel surcharge for Europe flights will rise to USD 125 from USD 100, and for North America flights, the same will increase from USD 150 to USD 200.
As per the statement, the fuel surcharge for Australia flights will increase from USD 150 to USD 200.
Currently, Air India Express does not levy fuel surcharges on any of its flights.
"Air India group today announced a phased expansion of a fuel surcharge on its domestic and international routes, necessitated by the steep rise in jet fuel prices arising from the geopolitical situation in the Gulf region," the statement said.
Since early March 2026, the statement that Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), which accounts for nearly 40 per cent of an airline's operating costs, has seen significant price escalation due to supply interruptions.
"In India, this pressure is amplified by high Excise Duty and VAT on ATF in major metro cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, magnifying the cost impact and placing substantial strain on airline operating economics," it said.
For the avoidance of doubt, the statement said that tickets that have already been issued prior to the above times will not attract the new surcharge unless customers seek date or itinerary changes that require a recalculation of the fare.
There was no announcement regarding fuel surcharges from IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air.
