‘Alternative policy after party meet’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Left parties will come out with a policy alternative after the party congresses to be held in April ‘to give a new direction to the Left movement and to the overall development of India on a secular-democratic foundation’.
Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Rise of communal fascism and challenges to democracy in India’, organised by the CPI here on Friday, Yechury reiterated the need to have a concrete plan of action to defeat the RSS/BJP forces.

“We cannot go for any electoral alliance with the Congress to defeat the BJP. But, at the time of elections, we will work out appropriate tactics to maximise the pooling of anti-BJP votes,” he said.

Elaborating on the challenges posed by communal fascism, including ‘undermining of the constitutional order’ and attempts to convert secular-democratic India into a theocratic and fascist state, Yechury said the problem can be addressed only with a policy alternative, ‘which has to be generated with Left parties playing a very important role’.

“The country requires not a‘neta’ (leader) but neeti (policy). We need to project the policy through popular struggles. We need to unify all the Left and democratic forces. We need to bring in Dalits, religious minorities and various other sections that have been targeted by the policies of the BJP government.”

“The RSS, with its fascist agenda, has been infiltrating all organs of state power and social authority in the country, in addition to the educational system,” he added.

CPI national secretary D Raja also stressed the need to bring together the Left and democratic forces to fight the Sangh Parivar. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said elaborate discussions will be held to give ‘a new direction of practical politics based on experiences’.