Bengal politics made bipolar by TMC, BJP; issues ignored: Sitaram Yechury

The main objective of the Left-Congress alliance is to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party from coming to power in the upcoming West Bengal assembly election but it won’t ally with the ruling Trinamool Congress because of strong anti-incumbency factor, Communist Party of India (Marxists) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday

Yechury was in Kolkata to attend the first physical meeting of the CPI (M)’s West Bengal state committee since March 2019.

After the two-day meeting ended on Monday afternoon, Yechury said some preliminary discussion on seat sharing for the upcoming assembly election has taken place with the Congress. The Left Front allies have also met.

“A bipolarity has been created in Bengal (politics) by the BJP and TMC. This bipolarity suits both the parties. And it is also ably aided and abetted by the media,” said Yechury.

He drew a comparison between discontent against policies of the Centre and the anti-incumbency factor in Bengal.

“The basic issues involving people’s livelihood have been raised at the ongoing farmers’ rally in Delhi in the midst of the most severe cold wave. Nothing has affected the resolution of the agitators. This is remarkable,” said the veteran Left leader.

“The discontent building up against the Centre’s policies is there in Bengal as well. For example, farmers in Bengal are getting Rs 1,250 (per quintal) for selling paddy while the minimum purchase price in India is Rs 1,880,” he added.

“We will rupture the bipolarity by taking up the issues of people’s livelihood and focus on job, health and education. We have appealed to all parties, including the Congress, to join the demonstrations. The anti-incumbency against the TMC government is so deep and large that it will favour the BJP. Our primary objective is to not let the BJP benefit from the anti-incumbency,” Yechury said.

Asked about CPI-ML (Liberation) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya’s statement last month that in Bengal the focus should be more on defeating the BJP and not the TMC, Yechury said, “Politics does not run on assumptions. We work on reality. There is public anger against the TMC. If anyone takes a soft stance the entire advantage will go to the BJP.”

Asked about the role Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) may play in the coming polls, Yechury said, “It is not clear what mission the AIMIM has. We want to know where it stands when it comes to defeating the BJP. If its activities help the BJP then who is the ultimate beneficiary?”