Sitaram Yechury rules out possibility of anti-BJP grand alliance before 2019 polls

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury today ruled out the possibility of formation of a grand opposition alliance at the national level before 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Yechury said that such a formation can only be made after the results of the Lok Sabha elections are announced.

"It is my feeling that in India it is not possible for any grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) to be formed before the elections. Because we are country of diversity", he told a press conference here.

"This time also you will see the same thing as had happened in 1996 when United Front government was formed and in 2004 when the UPA-1 government was installed," he said.

Yechury said the people of the country want to get rid of the "anti-people government" at the Center but an "alternative secular democratic government" can be formed after the Lok Sabha poll.

The CPI-M Politburo member said the regional secular forces too will come together after the general election and added that he will not spell out the name of the alternative secular formation.

"It is not just opposition leaders talking about an alliance. It is the demand of their followers and the masses who want this anti-people government to go and that is forcing parties to come together", he said.

When asked whether CPI(M) would be part of the alternative secular front, he said "Our party had provided outside support to the central government. We have done that before in 1989, 1996 and 2004".

On whether CPI(M) would be a part of an opposition front if Trinamool Congress is included in it, he said "TMC and BJP have a covert understanding and TMC doesn't have the credibility to fight the BJP".

The slogan of the Left is 'Oust Modi government to save India, oust TMC government to save Bengal', he said adding the Mamata Banerjee party is "solely responsibe for the saffron brigade gaining ground in Bengal".

Referring to Banerjee's announcement of convening a meeting of opposition leaders in Kolkata this year, he said, "Nobody trusts a party which itself has murdered democracy in the state,".

He said, "It is better that we stop cracking jokes. Does TMC think that they will call (the opposition) and the opposition parties will come? What happened in the last panchayat elections is naked daylight murder of democracy in the state and everybody in this country knows about it".

Continuing his diatribe, Yechury said "TMC lacks credibility to fight BJP and we have seen that in Parliament.

Whenever there is any serious issue against BJP, the TMC has staged a walk out. In return BJP has help them by putting on hold the investigations into the Saradha and Narada scams." The Left leader criticized the BJP-RSS combine also saying it is trying to bring forward the issue of 'Hindu Communalisation' ahead of the next general election.

"The RSS-BJP are left with no option but to bring foward its most dangerous policy of Hindu communalisation to consolidate its Hindu vote bank", he added.