The Hindu : Front Page : Sitaram Yechury calls for a firm third alternative

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Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008
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Sitaram Yechury calls for a firm third alternative

Special Correspondent

“CPI(M) has a distinct, policy-based alternative to solve all problems”

Congress “compromising” with communal forces
BJP returns to communal agenda: CPI(M) leader

COIMBATORE: A firm third alternative should come to power at the Centre to combat terrorism and communalism, apart from preventing the nation from becoming a victim of alliance with imperialist forces and of flawed economic policies, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said here on Monday.

“Though the Congress is not a communal party, it has shown proclivity to compromise with forces that are communal,” he alleged, citing the attacks on churches in Orissa, Karanataka and Kerala as results of inability to curb communalism.

At the same time, these attacks also showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had returned to its communal agenda to consolidate the Hindu vote bank. This was because the BJP found that other parties did not support its leader L.K. Advani’s candidature for the post of the Prime Minister.

As for the terrorist attacks, the CPI (M) leader said there were warnings about the blasts but the lack of vigil had led to catastrophe.

“There is no religion-specific terrorism in the country. But, when some religion-based attacks take place, some groups wrongfully take up arms.”

Participating in a function to mark the birth centenary of one of the nine members of the first Polit Bureau of the party, P. Ramamurti, Mr. Yechury said the CPI (M) had a distinct, policy-based alternative to solve all the problems confronting the nation.

On the deadlock over the Nano car plant at Singur in West Bengal, Mr. Yechury accused the Trinamool Congress, the Congress, the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and naxalites of having joined hands to thwart the project.

“We can tackle it, as we have overcome such challenges earlier. We will meet this politically.”

Mr. Yechury criticised the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for pursing the nuclear agreement with the U.S., as if only it could save the nation from the current energy crisis. Proper harnessing of water and coal resources would provide enough energy at Rs. 60,000 crore, instead of spending Rs. 2.20 lakh crore on nuclear reactors and energy generation. The excess money could be spent on health and education.

Criticising the DMK for its alliance with the BJP earlier and with the Congress now, CPI (M) State secretary N. Varadarajan said his meeting with DMDK leader Vijayakant was consistent with his party’s stand of forming an alternative without the Congress and the BJP.

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