Left parties will play a decisive role in the formation of the next government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections, said Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura, here on Monday.
Campaigning for S.Tamil Selvi, Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate for Thanjavur Lok Sabha constituency, Mr.Sarkar said that left’s role would be akin to the one it played in Morarji Desai , V.P.Singh, and Deve Gowda governments. Sarkar said that both the Congress and Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) put together may not get more than 50 per cent of the total votes polled. Other parties would get more than 50 per cent. This is because in 2009 Lok Sabha elections Congress got 27 per cent votes and BJP 20 per cent and put together they got 47 per cent. Other parties including Left got 53 per cent of votes.
Stating that an alternative to the Congress and the BJP is possible in the country, he called upon secular, democratic forces in the country to join with the Left to provide that alternative. “Both the BJP and the Congress are like obverse and reverse of a coin. There is no difference,” he said.
While price rise, farmers’ suicides, killing of public sector, unemployment, and corruption are the only achievements of Congress, for which the people of the country are going to reject it, the BJP is communal. Narendra Modi, the Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP, cannot escape the killing of 2,200 Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. Communal forces such as Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and Bhajrang Dal are the ones dictating the terms in BJP now. They are “Hindutva” forces. If these forces are going to decide the next government, where will the minorities such as Muslims, Sikhs, and Buddhists in the country go, Mr.Sarkar asked.
Media and some newspapers have said in their surveys that the Congress may not be in a position to cross 100 seats. That is the pitiable condition of the party. They have also predicted that BJP will not get the necessary number to form the government.
In Tamil Nadu, while DMK has said that it would support Congress in the post-poll scenario, AIADMK has started attacking BJP only from Sunday. For the first time after independence, both the CPI and the CPI(M) have joined together to fight the elections; people should support them , he said.
Annie Raja, all India general secretary, National Federation of Women in India, also echoed the views of Sarkar and described BJP and Congress as the same when it came to economic policy. She also appealed to Thol Tirumavalavan, leader of Viduthalai Chiruthraigal Katchi to support Left-party candidates if he is interested in the welfare of Dalits.
District leaders of both the CPI and the CPI(M) and S.Tamil Selvi, CPI(M) candidate, participated in the meeting.
