The opposition INDIA bloc was formed for the Lok Sabha elections and not state polls, senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat has said and called for a broader platform of secular opposition parties.
He also said that the alliance should be looked at with a broader perspective so that it would not be stifled solely by electoral politics.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties came together ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to counter the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
In an interview, Karat the CPI(M) interim coordinator also said there had been no discussions of the alliance at the national level after the Lok Sabha elections and added the constituent parties had their own equations in the states.
“It is a fact that the formation of the INDIA bloc and the cooperation between its constituents in certain states, if not all, definitely led to the BJP losing its majority in the Lok Sabha...,” Karat said.
“Subsequently, assembly elections have taken place and I think the biggest setback for the opposition has been Maharashtra, where the Maha Vikas Aghadi did very well in the Lok Sabha polls and the BJP alliance was reduced to a minority. But the reverse happened in the assembly election,” he added.
The veteran CPI(M) leader also said they had not been able to come to any conclusion as the opposition alliance did very well in Jharkhand.
“We are not yet able to come to any conclusion because the situation in states differ in a very big way. For instance, in Jharkhand, the alliance in which most of them are constituents of the INDIA bloc was able to defeat the BJP,” Karat said.
“The general impression after these assembly elections is that the BJP recovered ground in these polls. But I think it should not be directly linked to the fortunes of the INDIA bloc because the INDIA bloc was primarily set up to face the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
The Left leader said there had not been any discussions on how the alliance would proceed in the post-Lok Sabha phase and added there was a need for a broader opposition platform or unity among the secular opposition parties.
“I don’t think any discussion or thought has been put into how to proceed with the post-Lok Sabha phase. There is a need for a broad opposition platform or unity of the secular opposition parties. But it (INDIA bloc) was not meant for specific state elections at that time. So, how you proceed with a broad opposition unity or platform in the coming days, I think, needs to be looked at by all the constituents, discussed and then some shape given to it,” he said.
Karat pointed out that alliances were already in place in states such as Bihar and Tamil Nadu. On the contrary, one couldn’t expect the CPI(M) to come together with the TMC in West Bengal and no one could have expected AAP and the Congress to join hands in Delhi.
“The real challenge is, post the Lok Sabha elections, will this be only an electoral platform? If it’s only for elections, then election to election. The character of the INDIA bloc for assembly elections is going to be very complex,” he said.
“Many constituents of the INDIA bloc cannot work together in assembly elections… So, I think the opposition unity platform should not be linked purely to the electoral field. Thought has to go in because it came together as we were all opposed to the Modi government and the BJP,” he said.
Today, the Narendra Modi government still exists or is in its third term and the BJP is there as a ruling party, Karat said. “If the opposition parties are still concerned about the defence of democracy, of secularism, of federalism, there are broad parameters on which the secular opposition parties, I think, can find common ground.” “It should be looked at from that basis, then you can think of forward movement,” he added.
The CPI(M) leader added that instead of being stifled by conflicts and differing views, the opposition parties should have a “broader perspective”.
