CPI(M) mulling outreach to forge Opposition unity against the Narendra Modi government

The CPI(M) is attempting to bring the Opposition parties under one umbrella to corner the Narendra Modi government at a time Governors are creating trouble in Opposition-ruled states and has started a reaching out exercise to fight the “attack” on the federal structure of the country.

Sources said CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has spoken to newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday while he will soon be reaching out to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar after he is discharged from hospital and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who is also the DMK chief.

The party’s move comes at a time the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala is at loggerheads with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who, it alleged, was advancing the “political objectives” of the BJP by circumventing the Constitution. It also alleged the Governor was targeting Kerala’s secular, democratic and scientific higher education system to facilitate the promotion of the Hindutva ideological agenda.

Yechury’s talk with Kharge on taking on Governors assumes significance as some Congress leaders in Kerala had come out in support of the Governor. There were also reports about Kharge expressing his displeasure about Congress’ leaders supporting the Governor though Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal denied any such development.

Sources said a plan of action to take forward the protest programmes would be drafted after initial consultations with senior leaders. The initial thinking in the CPI(M) is to hold a national seminar on the role of Governors and federalism with top Opposition leaders and eminent jurists in attendance. The leaders will also explore the possibility of a joint Opposition leaders’ meeting with President Droupadi Murmu.

Besides Pawar and Stalin, Yechury will also talk to Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Sources, however, are not confident about Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik or Telangana’s K Chandrashekar Rao joining the initiative but there will be attempts to rope them in too.

Yechury’s initiative came following the three-day CPI(M) Central Committee, which ended on Monday, discussed in detail the situation in Kerala and the Governor’s role. The party has decided to appeal to all secular democratic parties, especially those running state governments, to rally together against “undemocratic anti-Constitutional acts of Governors and unitedly rise in defence” of the Constitution.

However, the CPI(M) is unlikely to invite the Trinamool Congress. When asked about Trinamool also facing trouble from the Governor, Yechury said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been talking about the Governor but when he fought the Vice Presidential election, her party helped him. He was referring to Trinamool abstaining from voting citing that there was no proper consultation in the Opposition.

On the developments in Kerala, Yechury told a press conference here on Tuesday that “steps [were] being taken by the Kerala Governor is to advance the political objectives of the BJP to destabilise the LDF government. The manner in which he demanded the resignation of various Vice Chancellors and later the resignation of the Kerala Finance Minister have no sanction of the Indian Constitution.”

“Growing efforts continue to undermine Federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, and the rights of elected state governments. Law and Order is a state subject. Modi’s call for ‘One Country One Uniform’ for police violates this. The efforts to destabilise elected state governments continue as seen in the BJP’s attempts to poach TRS MLAs in Telangana offering huge sums of money,” he said.

Asked about AAP’s political stand attracting criticism, he said it is up to the Kejriwal-led party to clear where it stands. “One day it wants the images of Gods and Goddesses on currency notes while the next day it talks about welfare programmes for people. It has to clear where it stands,” he said.