leaders of the CPI(M) in Tamil Nadu held a day-long crucial conclave at Chennai on Tuesday to strategise policies for the upcoming Assembly election in the State. The newly elected general secretary of the party Sitaram Yechury flew down to Chennai to analyse the strength, weakness, opportunities and  threats of the party in the State.

The CPI(M) and the CPI command major influence in Tamil Nadu though the parties could not win any of the seats they contested in the 2014 lok Sabha election. With a youthful Yechury (63) at the helm of affairs in the party, the Tamil Nadu unit is hoping to turn the tables against Narendra Modi at the Centre and Jayalalithaa in the State.

Though Yechury remained silent over his former ally, the AIADMK, it is widely believed that the CPI(M) may cast its lot with the DMK, which is planning to bring together all secular and democratic forces under a same banner. The DMK chief Karunanidhi has sent word to all prospective alliance partners that he was willing to share power with all parties in the eventuality of the alliance winning the next election.

The DMK chief has made it known many times that he would like to have the lefts which command big influence in Tamil Nadu to be his “running mates” in the next election. He often makes it known to the lefts that hadn’t he joined the Dravidian movement, he would have become a member of the Communist party.

Yechury, who spoke at Hosur in Tamil Nadu on Sunday declared that the BJP-Government led by Narendra Modi was the biggest threat faced by post-independent India. “The aggressive pursuit of neo liberal economic reforms and the onslaught on the secular democratic foundations of the country by the BJP should be stopped somehow,” said the CPI(M) general secretary.

Sunday saw DMK’s heir apparent M K Stalin addressing a mammoth rally at Madurai held as a curtain raiser to the assembly election. The turn out for the rally and Stalin’s speech has been noted seriously by the CPI(M) which feels that Tamil Nadu is the test case for its fight against communalism and hidden agenda of the BJP. 

Ramakrishnan, polit bureau member and Tamil Nadu State secretary of the party has declared that the CPI(M) does not recognise the Karnataka HC verdict acquitting Jayalalithaa of all charges in the disproportionate asset case.