ED should uncover corruption but not harass Opposition leaders, says Yechury

Kolkata: Left leader Sitaram Yechury, on Friday, said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should catch the corrupt, but what’s objectionable is the “harassment” of the Opposition (leaders) in the name of corruption. 

Yechury also ruled out any understanding with the Trinamool in West Bengal, despite the fact that the party is part of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, where the Left is also actively involved.

“We aren’t saying that ED should not do its work. We are saying uncover corruption, where it is. Our full support will be there. There should not be corruption anywhere in the country. But, in the name of corruption, you are harassing the Opposition, that’s objectionable for us,” Yechury said, talking to reporters in Howrah (adjoining Kolkata), on the sidelines of a programme of the CPI(M).

Yechury said that if there’s corruption then let it be proved, by having the guilty convicted in the court of law. “Who’s stopping ED?” he asked, adding and alleging that cases drop against those who are probed, once they align with the BJP. 

The CPI(M) general secretary, when asked about the party’s stand in Bengal – given that the Left and the Trinamool are part of the Opposition-alliance but rivals in the state, said that there’s no question of going into elections together. 

The Left leader said that the Trinamool cannot be an “alternative” to the BJP. But, a political-ideological alternative is needed to that of the BJP’s. He said that if the party, today, is joining the alliance intending to defeat the BJP, then there’s no objection, but in Bengal, he considered, Left and its allies as BJP’s political alternative. He added that it’s not a question of “trust”, the Trinamool can fight against the BJP, and it depends on the party on how long it wants to tag along.

Yechury said that while Congress and the CPI(M) are political rivals in Kerala, are they not together in the alliance? What's the larger issue, he asked. “Don’t jump the gun,” he added, mentioning that there’s still time to go before the elections take place, next year.