Chennai: CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who called on DMK president M. K. Stalin on Tuesday at the latter’s Alwarpet residence, said that his party will join hands with the DMK for the upcoming elections.
“We have decided today that in Tamil Nadu we will be with the DMK in the forthcoming elections. We are together on the issue of saving the unity, integrity and harmony of the people of India and the country’s constitutional institutions,” Yechury said after emerging from the meeting.
Asked if his party would be a part of an alliance whose constituents could be the Trinamool Congress or Congress, the veteran Communist leader said “alliances in India have and will always take place primarily at the State level first. Then on that basis, the national alliance will emerge.”
“Things happen only after elections” at the national level, he said apparently indicating at the possibility of a post-poll arrangement.
On the attempts of TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, to form an alli-ance against the BJP, at the national level, and if a ‘Mahagatbandhan’ (mega alliance) will become a reality, he replied, “it will.” Political parties would be able to iron out their differences for this purpose. More than the attitude of the leaders, it is the people from the ground who would push all the leaders to come together to save India. “And it will happen,” Mr Yechury said.
Responding to actor Rajinikanth's statement, backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'strong' man electorally, Mr. Yechury referred to the earlier defeats of the late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004 and his successor Manmohan Singh in 2014.
“I have great respect for Mr. Rajinikanth as an actor. I am a fan of his films. Fifteen years ago in 2004, when we were in the midst of campaigning (during the then Parliamentary elections), your earlier generation of reporters used to ask us the same question: who is the alternative to Mr. Vajpayee,” he said. It was then said that there was no alternative to the BJP stalwart and how could the BJP be defeated. “What happened (in 2004 polls, which the BJP lost). After Jawaharlal Nehru, the longest serving Prime Minister uninterrupted was Dr. Manmohan Singh...the alternative came (in 2014),” he said indicating that Mr. Modi won a landslide victory. Such things were 'speculative' in nature, he added.
Pointing out that he and Mr. Stalin shared a common objective with the other national leaders, Mr. Yechury said it was important for all secular-minded parties who value Indian democracy, the Indian republic and unity of the people to come together in defence of the country. “We are all together on this one issue of saving India today, saving Indian institutions, saving India's constitutional order, saving the unity, integrity and harmony of our people,” he said.
