Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the United left will go alone in the coming UP Assembly polls and will contest around 200 seats. He was speaking to reporters at laxman Mela ground in lucknow on Wednesday.
“Our aim is to win enough seats so that we become an alternative in the UP political spectrum and thereby emerge as a force with a decisive say in policy formation,” he said. Deflecting queries on the future of ‘maha gathbandhan’, Yechury took a jibe at the stake holders saying that let the warring faction burry their hatchets first.
When asked about Congress’s poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s formula which is in circulation in political circles, the CPM leader said that the left did not believe in any such formulae. “We work on the ground level and believe in mass contact. Our fight is for the poor, the unemployed, the farmers and the workers,” he said.
Earlier, addressing workers at a rally, Yechury started with the traditional ‘lal Salam’ sending the rally goers into a tizzy.
Terming the Modi Government as an aristocratic Government, Yechury said, “Earlier the emperors used to unleash a white horse during Ashamedh yagya and small kings either had to give in or had to defeat the mighty king. But even then, the Ashamedh was stopped by two brothers-lav and Kush, who were brought up in humble surroundings,” he said.
Striking a chord with the participants, the CPM leader said that the two symbols of left parties (hammer and sickle) had united and they will stop the Modi chariot in the Assembly polls.
Yechury spoke at length about problems of farmers, black money, faulty economic policies, nationalism, delay in redressal of problems of Army men and other issues. “When ‘annadatas’ (farmers) are committing suicide due to pressing problems, the Central Government is playing up the Hindutwa Rashtrawad agenda. How is it fair,” he querried.
Yechury urged party workers to reach out to villages, contact people and make them aware about the faulty policies of the ruling Central and State Governments. “The State has a pivotal role in politics and so we should win in UP,” he said.
On the Central decision to demonetize Rs 1000 and Rs 500 currency notes, Yechury said it was another poll gimmick from the BJP trove and Modi has always made false promises. He said that it was not going to help in curbing corruption.
In his address, CPI national secretary D Raja said that it was time to liberate UP from ‘separatist, communal and divisive forces’ and drive away those committing ‘atrocities’ on labourers, farmers, minorities and Dalits. “There is an alternative. But, it has to be implemented through people’s support,” he said.
The left parties have decided to go to the UP Assembly polls collectively and chart out an alternative. left leader Debbrat Biswas said that the left leaders should camp in UP till the election to mobilize workers at booth level. He lambasted the Modi government for taking dictation on governance from the RSS.
The rally was also addressed by leaders of AIFB, CPI (Ml), RSP and SUCI (C). Six left parties today jointly appealed to the voters of UP to vote for an ‘alternative’ in the upcoming polls.