CPI general secretary says that in States too, all secular parties should come together to defeat the BJP

Communist Party of India re-elected Sudhakar Reddy as its general secretary for the third time. He speaks on the current political situation and electoral strategy.

In the current political scene, what is going to be the CPI’s strategy to counter the Narendra Modi-led BJP government?

The fascistic tendencies of the Bharatiya Janata Party are very dangerous, particularly their intolerance towards the minorities and Dalits. This government is pro-corporate and anti-people.

The prices of basic commodities are rising and the government in a way is encouraging it by repeatedly increasing the fuel prices. Till date, the government has increased tax on petrol and diesel nine times. This affects not just those who drive SUVs but also the poor and the middle class. There is widespread corruption in this government — the biggest example is the Rafale deal. Also they have miserably failed on their promises like bringing back black money or employment generation. Our party is of the opinion that all secular-democratic forces, minorities, Dalits, intellectuals, and civil society should come together to effectively fight back the fascist forces.

So what will be the electoral policy and relationship with the Congress?

The political situation in India differs from State to State. An understanding between political parties is not possible at the national level. It will vary based on the State-specific conditions. The BJP already has reduced support. It will not get the same number of votes as it got in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. This is true, especially if we see the U.P. experiment where the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party came together to defeat the BJP in Gorakhpur and Phulpur.

In States too, all secular parties should come together and this includes the Congress. We are not talking about an alliance with the Congress but an understanding is possible.

What are your views on the 1:1 formula proposed by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee?

This formulation is not possible for the entire country. It may work in a few States. For example look at West Bengal itself. Can it work there? She wants everyone to support her, while she herself throttles democracy.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao too is talking of a federal front without the Congress.

Amit Shah wholeheartedly welcomed K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s federal front. That itself shows who will benefit from it. Mr. Rao is working out of his understanding of Telangana where the Congress is the main political rival. He does not realise who is the real enemy. The Congress and the BJP cannot be treated as equal. As far as the CPI is concerned, the BJP is the main enemy. The so-called ‘federal front’ will only divide the Opposition vote, which is why Mr. Shah is happy.

The Left is down to its lowest-ever tally in Assemblies and Parliament. Do you see it improving?

In a parliamentary democracy, there will be ups and downs. Now the Left’s presence in Assembly and Parliament is significantly low. It is also because the ‘first past the post’ system of election is not very scientific. The Left’s vote share may be down but it has not been washed out. In the next round of elections, we believe we will significantly improve our tally. In the current scenario of hatred and religious polarisation, the Left is seen as the obvious adversary to the BJP and RSS. We alone can stop them.

The CPI (M) recently amended its political line. What are your views on it?

It is a positive development. Now the political and electoral line of the CPI and the CPI(M) are similar. The Left parties had been working unitedly but till this change there was doubt about our different approaches. We feel that the change in CPI(M)’s line would help in closer coordination and better unity.

Why are the Left parties starved of young blood?

The bourgeoisie parties always attract the youth because of the money and muscle power. But the effects of the neoliberal policies are being felt across by one and all and I feel this will ensure the youth sees the value in the Left movement.