Alliance of motley bunch of secular parties cannot stop BJP: CPI(M)

Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for breaking ranks with its grand alliance partners to join the NDA fold, the CPI(M) today said putting together an alliance of a "motley bunch of secular parties" will not help halt the BJP juggernaut.

It said that the opposition unity was "unworkable" also because of the "unreliable" character of many regional parties, most of which have embraced neo-liberal policies and were "prone" to make opportunistic alliances.

The Left party also averred the all-in-opposition unity to take on the BJP was "not feasible" as it has to include and be led by the Congress, which had "imposed" neo-liberal economic policies and is seen as "not different" from the saffron party when it comes to basic policies.

Former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat attacked the Congress, saying the main opposition party stands "discredited" due to years of its "misrule and corruption".

Which is why, he argued, the Left and democratic forces cannot accomplish the task of stopping the BJP by allying with the country's oldest party.

Instead of stitching an opportunistic alliance, Karat stressed there is a need to develop broadest united platforms to take up issues concerning the working class, peasantry and other sections and also to fight communal forces, projecting an alternative programme to the BJP and its policies.

"Now that the architect of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) himself has crossed over to the BJP camp, the concept of a grand alliance lies in tatters.

"The CPI(M) is as much concerned about building the widest unity in the struggle against the Modi government and the BJP. But it has always maintained that this cannot be accomplished by putting together an alliance of a motley bunch of secular parties," he said.

Karat made the remarks in the editorial of the CPI(M) mouthpiece 'People's Democracy'.

He accused the Narendra Modi government of aggressively pursuing neo-liberal policies and the Hindutva communal agenda and added the fight against the regime, hence, has to be two-pronged.

"It is by combining these two struggles that the people can be mobilised to fight the BJP-RSS combine. This key task cannot be accomplished with the Left and democratic forces allying with the Congress," he added.

Karat sought to drive his point by further saying that the steady flow of Congress leaders and activists to the BJP only reflects the oldest party is not seen as being different from the ruling party.

The Marxist leader said that what is required today is not an "opportunistic alliance" of all opposition parties but developing the broadest united actions and platforms to take up the issues of the working class, peasantry and other sections and to build a broad unity to fight against the communal forces.

Karat pointed towards the recent farmers' protest in Maharashtra over a range of issues as the example of such "united struggle".

The united platform, he added, should have all mass organisations, democratic groups and social movements onboard and draw in students, the youth and women in large numbers.

"Such movements must be accompanied by the relentless struggle against the Hindutva communal forces at the political and ideological level. It is based on such a Left and democratic programme that we can move forward towards building a credible political alternative (to the BJP)," he said.