Sitaram Yechury, a member of his party’s politburo and the Rajya Sabha, is the Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) key negotiator. Mr Yechury reportedly differed with his party on issues ranging from snapping ties with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to the expulsion of former Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the CPI(M). In
this interview with Namrata Biji Ahuja after the Left Front’s crushing defeat in the West Bengal municipal elections, he speaks on a variety of issues and the tone is defensive.
Q. Was the snapping of ties with UPA-1 on the India-US civil nuclear agreement a faulty decision, from the election perspective?
A. The way things happened we had no option. The moment the nuclear pact was done unilaterally, it left us with no alternative but to withdraw support. In our review we have accepted that we could not make this an election issue. There were other burning issues before the people, like price rise. That is our self-criticism and we have accepted that.
Q. What went wrong in the recent civic polls in West Bengal?
A. If we look at the performance of the Left in the last Lok Sabha election, the trend has not been reversed but arrested. There has been a slight improvement but lots more remains to be addressed. The West Bengal state unit has already begun to examine this. Once the exercise is over, we will know what needs to be done to stop the alienation of the people.
Q. Do you think the CPI(M) has lost touch with the people?
A. No. There is a substantial section supporting the party. But much of the section that had been alienated in the Lok Sabha polls has not been brought back. That’s what we are examining.
Q. But your party has been on a downslide from before the Lok Sabha polls.
A. There were certain developments between 2006 Assembly polls and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, such as controversies surrounding Nandigram and Singur. Then there was the deliberate import of Maoists to the state by the Trinamul Congress. Violence followed. All this went to create a sense of alienation between us and the people. These account for the party’s performance in Parliament election. Also, the party’s line for an alternative government did not find credibility or viability with the people.
Q. Do you think the Trinamul will need an alliance with the Congress to come to power in West Bengal?
A. If you look at the civic poll results, it will have to be with the Congress.
Q. Answering a question about having Left parties on his side at this juncture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently said, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”. What do you think?
A. The Left’s support to the government is always policy-based and Dr Singh knows that. The policy of developing strategic ties with the US was something that the Left opposed all along. Notwithstanding what the Prime Minister has said, he knows that the Left cannot be part of his government.
Q. Are you open to the idea of having an electoral alliance with the Congress. Or have you closed all doors?
A. We are not the ones to open or close doors. As for the ground realities today, I don’t see the possibility.
Q. Was it right to expel Somnath Chatterjee from the party for his role as Lok Sabha Speaker at the time of the nuclear agreement?
A. (Smiles) At that particular stage the party felt that it had no other option. The decision was taken collectively by the politburo and the central committee.
Q. Don’t you think this had some impact in Bengal, particularly during the Lok Sabha polls?
A. That is for the West Bengal committee to tell us. They have not said anything as yet.
Q. What’s happening to your “rectification drive”?
A. It is continuing. It is aimed at cleansing ourselves of alien practices and to correct them. The process began from the politburo and the central committee. It would go down to the state committees.
Q. If the rectification campaign talks of zero-tolerance to corruption, what happens to the charges against Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, chargesheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a Rs 370-crore scam?
A. Charges against Mr Vijayan are politically motivated and we will fight them politically and legally. I mean that is what we are doing. The rectification is going on, so let us see.
Q. Will the rectification process look into the lifestyles of central leaders, particularly some who keep holidaying abroad?
A. All that is part of the process. This is something we have taken up and will continue to take up.
Q. There are reports about some leaders, including Lakshman Seth in West Bengal, who have an affluent lifestyle.
A. These issues are being examined.
Q. Will there be disciplinary action against leaders in West Bengal and Kerala?
A. This will take place through a proper process. Opportunities will be given to the accused leaders to explain themselves.
Q. When Prakash Karat became CPI(M) general secretary, the Hindi belt was the focus area. But you were rapidly wiped out from the region.
A. The extended central committee will take stock of all these issues.
Q. Is the Maoist issue a law and order or a social problem?
A. It is a combination of both. We have to restore the ground wherever civic administration has broken down. It cannot be tackled just as a law and order problem. A political campaign needs to be mounted against the Maoists. We also need to address the issues of development which are creating the base for the Maoists.
Q. Are you satisfied with the Union home ministry’s way of handling Maoist violence?
A. To be fair they have been providing all assistance to the state governments. I would still say that the Centre needs to play a more pro-active role over coordination between states.
Q. Do you foresee violence in the state Assembly polls?
A. Unfortunately yes. Violence is already there. We have lost more than 200 people at the hands of the Maoists and the Trinamul Congress since the Lok Sabha elections. Those who accuse us of indulging in violence must explain why so many of our people have been killed.
Q. Is the CPI(M) reconciled to the idea of losing West Bengal after more than three decades?
A. No. It is a political battle, no doubt. Two generations have been born and brought up after the Left came to power. They have not seen anything else. There could be strong anti-incumbency and people looking for a change. At the same time, I hope people in the state have realised that every election is a separate ball game.