Though his party failed to touch at least one per cent of the total votes polled in Tamil Nadu in the 2014 lok Sabha election, Sitaram Yechury, the newly-elected general secretary of the CPI(M), has emerged as the toast of all major political parties in the State other than the AIADMK and the BJP.
The leaders ranging from Muthuvel Karunanidhi of the DMK to Vaiko of the MDMK are competing among themselves in praising Yechury giving indications of their desire to forge an alliance with the left for the 2016 Assembly elections
Since his elevation as the CPI (M) general secretary was declared on Sunday, the leaders of all major political parties in Tamil Nadu have been issuing statements eulogising the Chennai-born Yechury.
S Ramadoss, founder of the Vanniyar-dominated PMK, was the first to come out with a statement highlighting the significance of Yechury’s elevation.
“His elevation as CPI(M) general secretary comes at a crucial juncture and I am hopeful that he would strengthen the party,” said Ramadoss in a release.
The PMK contested the 2004 lok Sabha elections as a constituent of Karunanidhi’s rainbow alliance in which the CPI(M) was an important constituent. The alliance walked away with all the 39 lok Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu trouncing the AIADMK.
Since then, Ramadoss has jumped from the DMK front to the AIADMK like a trapeze artist in a circus.
He has declared that all the parties which accept Anbumani, his son as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2016 Assembly election are welcome to join his front.
Vaiko, the firebrand MDMK leader — who was hooting for Narendra Modi in April 2014 — finds himself in no-man’s land in Tamil Nadu politics too has made it known that Yechury is the leader he was looking for to bail out Tamil Nadu from the present imbroglio. The MDMK leader praised the new CPI(M) general secretary for his oratorical skills and knowledge in Economics.
Monday saw the DMK leader Karunanidhi digging the past and coming out with claims that Yechury was very close to him.
“He had attended the World Classical Tamil Conference held by me at Coimbatore and I am sure, he is not averse to form an alliance with us,” Karunanidhi (93) said in a statement.
Vijayakanth, the DMDK leader described Yechury’s election as the party secretary as a gift from the God for the good work done by the latter over the years. While it is not clear whether the CPI(M), which always keeps away from tainted leaders and parties, would forge any alliance with the DMK and the AIADMK, it is almost certain that the lefts are interested in joint action with Tamil Maanila Congress launched by GK Vasan.
Yechury, who was in Chennai recently had called on Vasan at the latter’s residence which was described as a courtesy call.
The VCK, a Dalit outfit which has considerable presence in northern Tamil Nadu has made it known that it would be part of a CPI(M) alliance.