THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Describing the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as being very important in the national political context, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat has said that a victory for the Left in West Bengal and Kerala would strengthen its interventions at the national level.

"We have been trying in these last two years after the UPA Government came to power to intervene in all issues in the interest of the people and the country. That capacity to intervene will increase if we are able to retain the Left Front Government in West Bengal for the seventh time and form an LDF Government in Kerala. As for Tamil Nadu, which is another very important State, a victory for the DMK-led alliance will consolidate the process that started in the Lok Sabha elections," Mr. Karat told The Hindu here on Sunday.

Alternative policies

Pointing out that the Left was waging at the national level a `two-pronged' struggle, that of getting the UPA government to implement the pro-people measures listed in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and opposing neo-liberal policies and decisions, Mr. Karat said a victory for the CPI (M) and the Left parties in West Bengal and Kerala would strengthen the Left to stay the path. "The verdict in Kerala and West Bengal would show that people expect change in policies. On the other hand, we can also fight strongly against the pro-imperialist policies that are dictated by international finance capital and where the priorities of our country are disregarded. The process started in 2004, that of questioning and challenging neo-liberal orthodoxy in policies and fighting to see that alternative policies are put in place, that we can strengthen if the verdict in Bengal and Kerala favour the Left," he said.

Interesting difference

He said one interesting difference between the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and the 2006 Assembly elections was that the BJP was unable to say that there was nothing to choose to between the Congress and the Left. In two years, the irrelevance of the BJP has become evident. The period has also shown that the BJP has more in common with the Congress. On the foreign policy front, it supported the Government on Iraq and did not object to the strategic tie-up with the U.S. On these and a host of other issues, it was the Left parties that took a firm stand. "In a sense we are playing a dual role. Yes, we are supporting the Government, but we are also opposing and criticising policies that we feel are not in the interest of the country."

Mr. Karat said it was also significant that several non-Congress secular parties are distancing themselves from the BJP.

The Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh, the National Conference in Jammur and Kashmir and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu were all erstwhile allies of the NDA. Now they have come out. "I think it is a positive development that the entire range of secular parties are saying that we cannot have any truck with the BJP type of politics. This is a major development in the country," he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail