A new process of political churning, alignments and realignment of political forces in the country has begun, said Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), here on Sunday.
A non-Congress and non-BJP front cannot be formed only for capturing political power. It should be for implementing alternative policies, he noted.
On Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s call for a federal front, he said “fronts do not emerge merely on announcements.”
“People’s confidence can be gained only on the basis of an alternative policy that provides relief to people from the policies of the UPA government,” Mr. Yechury told journalists.
The Left, particularly the CPI(M), had to play a key role whenever such a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative emerged, he said referring to the V.P. Singh-led government in 1989 and the United Front government in 1996 at the Centre.
“That is the role which others are expecting from us,” Mr. Yechury said.
Asked whether at his recent meeting with senior Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav he told Mr. Yadav not to go with Mamata Banerjee and instead align with Left, Mr. Yechury said, “I did not have to tell him; he said it himself.”
“His [Mr Yadav’s] understanding is very clear that the moral conscience of the country is Left and no alternative without it is possible.”
The Trinamool Congress had shown “no consistency” and joined both the Congress and BJP-led governments at the Centre, he said. Considering Ms. Banerjee’s track record “there will be no place for her in the alternative front.”
Calling for “socialist left” forces to unite, Mr. Yechury asserted that “the socialist Left and the communist Left together will be a powerful force to bring a radical change.”
“The Left parties are meeting in Delhi on July 1. We are going to declare the alternative policy, which we think is required for the country and people,” he said adding that the main objective was to bring non-Congress, non-BJP parties onto a common platform — those willing to implement an alternative policy for the country.
