The CPI(M) State secretary G. Ramakrishnan on Tuesday asserted that it was not disagreements over seat-sharing, but 'political calculations' by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that led to the ruling AIADMK unilaterally breaking the ties with the Left parties in Tamil Nadu for the coming Lok Sabha polls. The BJP-front is an opportunistic alliance, he told
B. Kolappan in Chennai. Excerpts from the interview:
With the Left parties going alone in the State, how do you see the poll prospects?
On the one hand, DMDK, PMK and MDMK have formed an opportunistic alliance with the communal BJP. On the other, the AIADMK and the DMK, virtually contesting alone, are silent about the BJP. A popular Tamil daily has written an editorial, saying both the AIADMK and the DMK were not criticising the BJP. What does it indicate? Leaders of both the parties owe an explanation to the people. It is a myth that there is a wave in favour of Mr Modi.
As the Left parties are contesting 18 seats, will it not help your main adversaries?
It is the Left parties that have been fighting for people's livelihood issues. We are going to the people highlighting what we had fought for, and what we will fight for. Our decision to go it alone has given us an opportunity to explain to the people the alternative economics and politics espoused by the Left. In fact, our decision instilled enthusiasm among our cadres and people. According to a report by Mckinsey, 56 per cent of the people in the country lack the means to access food, energy, housing, drinking water, sanitation, healthcare, education and social security. This 56 per cent covers 68 crore people. Only the Left can set right this skewed growth in the country. Hence our election plank is anti-communal, anti-economic reforms. When we are fighting against the BJP and the Congress, we cannot exclude the DMK.
Why you said No to a DMK alliance after AIADMK broke ties with the Left?
If seats was the criteria we could have joined the DMK. We are fighting against corruption and communalism in all quarters. Corruption has assumed new ramifications after 1991 when India opened its economy and pursued neo-liberal economic policies. The nexus between corporate houses, politicians and bureaucracy have occupied the centre stage of Indian politics. It was the CPI(M) that first raised the irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation and consistently fought in Parliament and outside demanding action. It is a known fact that the CBI filed cases against DMK ministers, forcing them to resign. The DMK has been part of the governments—led by both the BJP and the Congress—at the Centre since 1999 and supported their economic policies.
What do you think led the AIADMK to break the alliance with the Left parties?
The AIADMK leaders visited our office on March 4 to announce their decision to quit the alliance. Seats could not be the problem since both the CPI and the CPI(M) contested three seats each in the 2009 polls even though the PMK and the MDMK were part of the alliance then. Now both the parties are no longer with the Front. There is a political reason behind AIADMK’s unilateral decision. The AIADMK attended the anti-communal convention in New Delhi on October 30 last year. Again it took part in the 11-party meeting on Febuary 25 that resolved to provide an alternative to the BJP and the Congress.
Now Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is saying that a government will be formed at the Centre with the participation of the AIADMK. Which government is she talking about?
If seats were not a problem, were you ready to settle for whatever the AIADMK offered?
We wrote a letter to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on March 3, requesting her to allot three seats and to complete the seat-sharing at the earliest.
On the next day in her campaign at Meenambakkam, she made a speech calling upon people to vote for the AIADMK in all constituencies, which is a clear departure from her earlier stand, seeking votes for the AIADMK and its allies.
Her soft approach towards Mr Narendra Modi and compromising with the BJP suggest something else.
