PEOPLE NOW KNOW LEFT IS RIGHT: YECHURY

By M H Ahssan

CPM politburo member says that the country needs a non-Congress, non-BJP, ‘secular’ alternative, and is confident that the front will take concrete shape after poll results are out

If there is one pragmatic voice in an otherwise dogmatic CPM today then that’s certainly Sitaram Yechury’s. Having honed his skills as an interlocutor under the guidance of ace negotiator Harkishen Singh Surjeet when the late CPM general secretary played midwife during the birth of two UF governments, Mr Yechury has now donned the mantle. As the elections are expected to throw up a fractured mandate, his skills will be put to test. Excerpts from an interview.

The Left was part of the governing arrangement at the Centre for over four years. Do you think Congress has the political skills and sincerity to be the core of a coalition?
Congress did not show the sincerity to implement in right earnest the content and spirit of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) which in the first place was the basis on which the Left extended outside support. It’s because Congress violated the CMP by promoting a strategic alliance with the US on the question of the nuclear deal that the Left had to withdraw outside support.

Will it be easy to convince the electorate that the pluses in the government were on account of the Left and the negatives are the sole creation of Congress?
I think people have already realised this particularly in the wake of the impact of global recession. This would have been far more devastating had not the Left prevented the government from going ahead with financial liberalisation at least on five scores-- full capital account convertibility, privatisation of pension funds, banking reforms, raising FDI cap in the insurance sector and disinvestment of public sector units. On the other hand, people have already seen that but for the Left's insistence the NREGA would not have taken off leave alone be-ing extended to the whole country. It took full four years of dithering to finally announce rules for forest rights. During the course of the election campaign, these issues will become clearer.

Till some time ago, there were doubts about the political sustainability of the third front. How confident are you about the third front getting into a cohesive formation post polls?
Fairly confident. Additionally our past experience confirms this confidence. The United Front was formed after 1996 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA after the 1998 elections, and UPA was formed after the 2004 elections. And so shall it be with the alternative secular front post 2009 election.

The third front will require more parties with it if it has to take a shot at power at the Centre. Are you ready to do business with parties like SP.
We have worked with many of these parties such as SP, RJD and LJP in the past in a non-Congress secular combination. Today, we are appealing to all non-Congress secular parties to come forward and meet people’s aspirations for an alternative policy direction that can only be provided by a non-Congress secular alternative.

The national parties have become notional players in many important states. How do you visualise politics playing out in these states in the coming months?
This in a sense is the reflection of India’s rich social plurality which is reflecting itself in its polity. This is not a regression of democracy. In fact it is its maturing in the Indian context. Many of these parties will play an important role in their regions and contribute to political federation in the future.

Will not the growth of regional parties that play identity politics inhibit the growth of parties like CPM?
No. CPM has always recognised that class struggle in India has two components, namely struggles against economic exploitation and social oppression. As it’s only CPM and the Left that combine these two elements, identity politics will not inhibit our growth.

Which party will become the core of the third front?
The Left will play an important role. There is also a process on way to reunite the socialist Left, which is divided into several parties. But the alternative will be truly federal with equal role for regional parties along with Communist Left and socialist Left.

Has the association with Congress dented your party’s image in states like Kerala where the party is your principal rival?
On the contrary, people have seen the process that I have talked about earlier. They have also seen the manner in which Congress has reneged on its promises in the CMP.

How do you explain your party’s association with parties like PDP and leaders like Madani?
There is no front or alliance or seat-sharing with PDP. In any election we appeal to all to vote for us. In Kerala, they have responded by stating that they will vote for LDF as opposed to UDF..

Can CPM withstand the challenge from the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine in West Bengal? Do you think development is a saleable issue in West Bengal?
What has been happening de facto has been declared de jure in these elections. The polarisation in West Bengal in these polls is sharpening around pro- and anti-industrialisation forces. This is appearing more relevant and crucial with the impact of global recession. This will be the single most important issue on which people will vote in the state.

CPM has been maintaining that it could join the next government. How probable is CPM’s participation in a government at the Centre?
After the 1996 experience when the party declined the suggestion to make Jyoti Basu the prime minister, the issue of our leading or joining government at the Centre was thoroughly discussed at our 1998 Party Congress. We decided that if any such situation arises in future, the central committee will take an appropriate decision on the basis of the situation.