In a significant step, six Left parties - the CPI(M), CPI, CPI(M-L) (Liberation), Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, will fight the Uttar Pradesh elections as a collective front, which has already declared candidates for 105 seats. It is expected to contest 140 seats, of which the the CPI(M) will contest 26. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury , speaking to Omar Rashid , explains the Left’s plan in U.P.
What does the 'Left Morcha' attempt to achieve in U.P.?
Three objectives; first, uniting the Left forces, which will have a long term effect. This is irrespective of the elections. Second, connected to the elections, the objective is to ensure the Left strength and presence in the Assembly, which we think is very essential for raising people’s issues and putting pressure on the government to take up such matters that will provide relief to the people. This is absent at the moment in U.P. That gap we want to fill. We are contesting only those seats where we have had some influence, led some struggles. We want to consolidate them. The third objective is to defeat the communal forces, which is absolutely essential for the country today. Not only for the sake of the unity and integrity of the people but also to put a stop to the economic policies that are being followed, which are causing misery on a large scale.
Two years since the Modi government came to office, the per cent of the GDP that is owned by the top 1% of Indian people increased from 49% to 58.4% in 2016. This is a sharp increase in two years. Nearly 60% of the GDP is the asset value of 1 of the people. And now, demonetisation has caused havoc These policies have to be fought. And therefore, the BJP should be kept out of power here.
Realistically, how many seats do you think you will make a mark in or even win? You do have some old pockets of influence...
(Smiles) We have some regular areas where we have been winning, expect for the last elections. There has been a break in the last 10 years now.
Many candidates formerly with the Left are fighting with other parties today. Are you looking at reviving those areas?
We would like to revive those areas. There has been a break in the entire chain ... reasons for that need to be addressed, which we are seeking to address now. And to re-consolidate the Left which had these pockets of influence earlier. That is the effort we have begun since the past year. The Left together, these six parties, contesting elections has not happened in the near past. That is very important.
If your aim is to defeat the BJP, then why not align with the SP and the Congress? You can bargain for a couple of seats and still be part of the anti-BJP voice...
There are also problems with the present [SP] government’s policies... during last five years. The Left has a distinctive policy alternative. We think that in our country there is no shortage of resources.
There is only shortage of correct policies to utilise these resources for our people. That distinct alternative, we think, must go the people. And they should also be aware that these are the possibilities. That is not happening because of these parties.
The wrong policies of the SP have helped the BJP. With an alliance, we would not have the opportunity to raise our alternative voice.
Also, politics is not arithmetic. All anti-BJP forces come together and defeat the BJP? That does not automatically happen.
For instance, there is bound to be a degree of anti-incumbency against the Akhilesh government. Now if the Left was not in the fray that anti-incumbency could well go to the BJP. The BJP would have gained in our absence. We cannot come to a mechanical conclusion...
What will be the main issue that you will raise? Demonetisation?
One is notebandi , the impact it has created on various facets of society, from retail business to your daily worker and to construction workers. Everybody is out of a job now. And this, we think, is a very big conspiracy that needs to be exposed before the people. That, by not allowing you and me to withdraw our own money from the banks, what the government is doing is re-capitalising the banks which are losing because of the loans they gave big corporates. ₹11 lakh crore is the loan that the big corporate have not returned ... The truth has to come out before the people.
Second, is the entire communal agenda, look at the last two years — from love jihad to ghar wapsi to gau raksha to surgical strikes, which have ended up in doubling of terrorist attacks ... All these issues are essentially aimed at polarising the people on communal lines. That is a very dangerous game, which is the objective of the RSS to replace the secular, democratic character of the Indian republic by what they call their Hindu Rashtra. This sort of politics has to be defeated.
