‘Alliance issue will be discussed after plenum’
Kolkata: CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday said there was “match-fixing” between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress over the CBI probe into the multi-crore-rupee Saradha scam.
“Match-fixing is going on between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. They need each other for reasons. It was clear in parliament,” Yechury told the media here.
“The Trinamool needs the BJP to somehow evade the Saradha investigation and the BJP needs the Trinamool to pass all anti-people bills in parliament. There are mutual interests… vote banks.”
Alliance issue : Amidst speculation of a possible understanding with Congress for West Bengal Assembly polls next year, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury has said the matter will be discussed after the Kolkata plenum but added that the party was open to alliance with other democratic forces.
The party’s plenum, which is being held after 37 years, will commence tomorrow and conclude on December 31.
The state committee of CPI(M) has the jurisdiction to decide on the basis of the situation in the state. But it has to be ratified by the central committee, Yechury said on the issue of possible tie-ups.
“This is a very important battle for us in Bengal, which will decide not only the state’s future but also restoration of democracy, law and order and rule of law,” he told a press conference.
“This is something we think is extremely crucial for the health of parliamentary democracy in India. The preparations have begun to face and overcome such challenges,” he added.
Asked whether CPI(M) is prepared to meet challenges in West Bengal, Yechury said, “Every patriotic, well-minded, secular Indian according to us should be meeting these challenges. Now if you are talking in terms of electoral politics, this issue will be discussed after the plenum.
“But if there are other forces willing to come forward and do the same thing, then we welcome it. The point is to meet and overcome the challenges.”
Asked about the party’s incapability to penetrate the Hindi heartland, Yechury said the party needs to take up issues of social oppression along with those concerning economic exploitation.
“Unless we take up social issues, the reality which we have understood and we have articulated in the previous party Congress is that class struggles in India stand on two feet — one is economic exploitation, the other is social exploitation.
“The oppression of Dalits, tribals, religious minorities and (those based on) gender, all these issues must be taken up simultaneously along with the economic exploitation issue.
“Whatever weaknesses were there in this process, that is what we wish to correct in this plenum,” said Yechury.
Stating that the party has no future without the presence of youth, he said this issue will be discussed at the plenum. (Agencies)