Party not for coalition with Congress

Retrieving the party’s organisational strength through mass mobilisation is vital for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to remain relevant and crucial for effective intervention in the face of the agenda being unveiled by the Narendra Modi government, says Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury.

Conceding that the party has not been able to retain its electoral and political relevance that peaked between 2004 and 2008 when it could influence the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) policies in favour of the poor, Mr. Yechury said the focus now was on the future.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu ahead of the 21st Congress of the CPI(M) that starts in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, Mr. Yechury said: “It is a reality [electoral setbacks and diminishing prominence]. But we have to look into the future and decide what is to be done.”

“Concrete analysis of concrete situations is what Marxism requires,” he said.

Mr. Yechury pointed out that the core issues highlighted by the party such as the severe strain on the poor put by the market, secularism, minority rights and democracy were all increasingly critical in the wake of the Modi government’s aggressive pursuit of market reforms and its social agenda. “The entire state-patronised pursuit of the Hindutva agenda will retard India’s progress” as “mythology is replacing history and theology is replacing philosophy.”

Accepting that the challenges facing the country today were similar to those in 2004 which led to the formation of UPA-1, Mr. Yechury ruled out the possibility of any broad coalition with the Congress as the CPI(M) completely disagreed with its economic policy.

To read the full interview, click >here