On the eve of the CPI(M)’s four-day plenum in Kolkata, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury kept the avenues open for an accord with non-BJP forces, including the Congress, to counter the BJP and its allies nationally.
From the West Bengal perspective too, Yechury did not rule out any understanding with the Congress to counter the Trinamool Congress, which, according to him, is playing a “got-up” match with BJP.
“The current ruling force has three major threats --- communal agenda, an extremely aggressive liberal economic policy which even the earlier Dr Manomohan Singh government did not pursue, and a blatantly pro-USA external affairs policy. While CPI(M) has to prepare itself to resist these threats on its own strength, political forces who are also willing to counter these threat are also welcome,” Yechury said on Saturday.
Asked if the state units of Kerala and West Bengal would be free to take decisions based on ground realities ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal, Yechury said they will have the liberty to take independent decisions and implement them after consultation with the party’s central leadership.
“The state units have the organisational liberty to take decisions based on ground realities. First, let the state unit start discussions and deliberations, which will happen only after the plenum, where the main point of discussion will be how to strengthen the party organisationally,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The state units have the organisational liberty to take decisions based on ground realities. First, let the state unit start discussions and deliberations, which will happen only after the plenum, where the main point of discussion will be how to strengthen the party organisationally,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The ground realities in the two states are very different for the CPI(M). While in Kerala the Congress is the Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s principal political opposition, in West Bengal it has to fight with the TMC – for this, a major section of the party’s state leadership favours having an understanding with the Congress.
Asked if there is a chance of him meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Yechury said, “May be to wish a happy new year.”
Recently, in his article published in the party organ, People’s Democracy, Yechury strongly advocated for using “conflicts within sections of the ruling class parties while uniting with some of them” to achieve immediate objectives.