CPI(M) welcomes steps to revive erstwhile Janata Parivar

Patna: Welcoming the move of six political parties of the ‘Janata Parivar' (family) to come together to take on the Central Government, CPI(M) today said it would closely study its principles and policies before giving a thought to join such a coalition at the national level. 

“We welcome the move by the constituents of erstwhile Janata Parivar to come together on one platform to take on a resurgent BJP....We'll, however, await formulation of policies and principles on which these parties shape up a coalition at the national level before giving a thought to join it,” CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.  “Let these parties first work on its principles and policies which are not clear as yet,” he said when asked whether CPI(M) and other left parties would consider joining the proposed coalition.

Yechury, however, cautioned non-Congress and non-BJP regional parties against mooting an alternative platform at the national level without taking the left parties on board and said that without taking the left parties along no viable alternative political space could be worked out.  He said left parties still had significant presence in the country, without which no alternative political space could be formed at the national level.
 
Yechury said that the left parties and specifically CPI(M) were themselves dwelling on move to strengthen left unity in the country and broadbase the mass support.  The CPI(M) leadership was seized with rapid erosion of its support base and discussions were underway at the central committee level to find out ways to revive the party's mass base, he said. At the broader level the left parties were also engaged in similar exercise.

Exuding confidence that the non-Congress and non-BJP political space would buzz again in future, the CPI(M) leader expressed satisfaction with the vigorous move of the socialist and communist parties to find its mooring in the national polity.

Yechury criticized the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly failing to deliver on various promises made to the people during general elections and said that Modi still appeared to be living in election mode.

“There is more rhetoric than substance in the PM's speech,” the CPI(M) leader said and asked the NDA government to deliver on black money, price rise and other issues.

Charging the BJP with “spreading poison of communalism for political and electoral dividends,” the CPI(M) leader said that communal tension in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere at the time of elections has created a dangerous situation in the country.

The BJP wanted to expand its base by indulging in hate politics, he said. He slammed the NDA government for announcing policy decisions in public at a time when Parliament was scheduled to be convened later this month referring to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley promising to further liberalize economy and another minister proposing participation of private players in mining of national resources like coal.

He said that the CPI(M) would vociferously oppose any decision to bring private player into mining of national resources and said that only public sector entities like Coal India must get the right to extract coal and sell surplus inventory to private players after providing sufficient allocation to public sector power companies for generation of electricity to meet domestic consumption.