Hyderabad, Jun 13: CPI(M) polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury today hinted at a possible merger of the two Left parties- CPI and CP(M)- in the near future.
He however said that no time-frame could be given as to how long the process might take.
Yechury was speaking at a ‘Meet the Press' organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ).
“The merger of the two parties, however desirable it may be, has to undergo a certain process. One way of doing it is through the unification of various mass organisations and joint activities at the lower level, which will percolate to the top,” he said.
“I think that is a more sustainable path, rather than the leadership coming together. So that is a process that is on. The parties are working together now at the mass organisation level,” Yechury added.
When asked if the process could eventually lead to the merger of the two parties, he replied, “Hope so”.
At the same time, he refused to give a time-frame. “We cannot give a time table. But all the well wishers of the Left want it to happen as soon as possible,” he said.
Highlighting the CPI(M)'s commitment towards fighting corruption, he said his party demanded comprehensive anti-corruption measures, including an effective Lok Pal legislation bringing the Prime Minister under its ambit, setting up of a National Judicial Commission to oversee the judiciary and electoral reforms to curb the use of money power.
Replying to a query on the anti-corruption campaigns by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev, Yechury said nobody can claim to be representing the entire civil society.
“The issue raised by them is important. But I don't think anybody can claim that they represent the entire civil society. If they are civil society, who are we? Uncivil society? Everybody is part of the civil society,” he said.
Saying that he disagreed with Hazare's comments on the voters, he said, “Disparaging remarks should not be made about voters and electoral democracy, as the same voters had once defeated the imposition of emergency and communalism in the country.”
The CPI(M) leader asserted that the final decision with regard to the Lokpal bill has to be taken by the Parliament, “as it is the place, where laws of the land are made after a due consultation process and debate.”
Yechury also claimed that a the number of youths who like the Left ideology is growing, as they felt that it would provide solutions to the problems arising out of the global economic crisis.
He once again admitted that his party committed certain mistakes in West Bengal, which led to its defeat in the elections. He said that corrective measures are being taken after the polls. PTI
