Yechury: Efforts on to form grand alliance to defeat BJP

Coimbatore: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday said efforts were on at the national level to stitch together a grand alliance to defeat the BJP in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
Addressing a public gathering in Coimbatore, he said it was the duty of democratic forces to ensure the BJP’s defeat in 2024. Citing the example of Tamil Nadu, where the AIADMK-BJP alliance was defeated in the 2021 assembly elections, Yechury said the BJP ought to be defeated at the Centre in a similar manner.
The CPM leader said the state was run by twin engines when the AIADMK was the ruling party in Tamil Nadu. While one engine was the AIADMK, the other was the BJP, he said. “We successfully stopped the run of twin engines and brought in a democratic trajectory in the state. In a similar fashion, we should defeat the BJP at the Centre in the ensuing general elections.”
Yechury said the Union Territory of Puducherry was now facing the dual power problem. “The dual power is driving the Union Territory in two different directions,” he said referring to the BJP alliance there.
Earlier, while addressing the members of industry associations at the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)-Coimbatore, Yechury said the current developments in India had raised doubts whether the country would remain a secular democratic republic or be converted into a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
He stated that imposing Hindi, destroying the country’s federal structure and suppressing the role of central agencies, among other things, would lead to an implosion. The CPM leader then said the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) had to be stronger, as they were the job creators in the country. He said the Union government had failed to fulfil the demands of MSMEs.
Pointing out that the era of level playing field for the small-scale industries had long gone because of the policies of the Centre, Yechury said it could be won back only if industry associations fought for the same. He said the current economic situation in the country had created new contradictions, by taking away the terrain from the MSMEs.
Speaking at the event, D Vignesh, president of the Southern India Engineering Manufacturers Association, said the increase in tax slab from 12% to 18% of GST on pump sets had burdened the farmers.
D Balasundaram, former president of ICCIC, explained the plight of small-scale industries in obtaining government grants to run their businesses. “The Centre gives rousing reception to the foreign investors, but refuses to address the concerns of the micro, small and medium enterprises.”