Addressing a regional meeting on ‘Alternative Policies and People's Demands' here on Saturday night, in which cadre and functionaries from districts of Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Udhagamandalam took part, Mr. Yechury said that to create such an alternative policy direction for a progressive state, one needed an alternative political dispensation for which the Left had been striving for. “Indian people should join hands with us to realise the objective,” he urged.
Saying that when such an experiment in West Bengal had become a great success, Mr. Yechury wondered what had prevented the rulers of the country to experiment it nationwide. The successful West Bengal experience had led to a political gang-up of parties such as Congress, Trinamool Congress, communal forces, fundamental outfits and non-governmental organisations so that the alternative forces should not exist. He said the vicious campaign that CPI (M) would lose the Assembly polls in West Bengal where it was ruling for 35 years was a part of this evil design.
These reactionary forces were exploiting the Maoists' violence for political gains and to prevent the alternative policies to reach the people. “That is their political objective as they try to weaken the Left movement so that no alternative force can emerge. However, no force can bring down the CPI (M) in West Bengal. We have been asking Maoists to shun violence and come to democratic path. If they come, we will talk,” he said.
Stating that the present government had been pursuing anti-people policies, he said the government should ban speculative trading, drop disinvestment of public sector units, distribution of rice and wheat to BPL families and withdrawal of petrol products hike. Corruption running to crores in Telecom, IPL, illegal mining etc had robbed the country and its people. “But the Prime Minister is interested only in Indo-US nuclear deal while he also chose to keep silent on vital issues such as Bhopal tragedy, Jammu and Kashmir and price hike.”
Mr. Yechury urged the DMK leader and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to insist that no Cabinet Minister should extend support to a banned organisation such as Maoists. “His stature will rise if he chooses to quit the Centre on this issue,” he pointed out and criticised the culture of purchasing votes for cash in Tamil Nadu.
State secretariat member A Soundararajan and Salem district secretary R Venkatapathy also spoke.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)
