Every party has legitimate right to go to people: CPI(M) on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

The Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s seemed to be easing off its public disdain of Indian National Congress’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The CPI(M)’s central leadership on Friday said that every party has the “legitimate right” to go to people and it is their “prerogative” to plan how many days their leaders should spend time.

The Congress began its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’—a five-month, mass-contact road trip led by Rahul Gandhi across 12 Indian states from Kanyakumari to Kashmir as a show of its intent to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party—on September 7.

Also Read — Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Kollam district in Kerala

However, the Left party rubbished Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh’s retort that the CPI(M) was the “A-team of the BJP in Kerala”. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked the Congress to look at what was happening in Goa, where eight of its MLAs switched sides, while the CPI(M)-led LDF ensured that no BJP leader won in Kerala.

The issue came up for discussion in the two-day meeting of CPI(M)’s polit bureau, which concluded today, after the Left party found fault with the Congress for spending more time in Kerala compared to the BJP-ruled states. Ramesh retorted calling chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan “Mundu (wearing) Modi”, which was met with an attack by state CPI(M) leaders.

On Friday, Yechury said, “it is their (Congress) business. Every party has the right to do whatever they decide. Going to people is good. We are also doing it. It is a legitimate right. How many days they spend in one state is their prerogative. People will draw their own conclusion,” Yechury told a press conference after the conclusion of the Polit Bureau meeting.

Sources said the CPI(M) would, however, respond to Congress if it continued to attack the Left party and would not hesitate in “giving it back in the same coin”. The Left party also took the decision to pipe down the attack as the central leadership believed that it would be detrimental to Opposition unity.

The Polit Bureau also called for broadest mobilisation of secular forces to defeat “Hindutva communalism”, buoyed by the latest developments in Bihar where Janata Dal (United)’s Nitish Kumar severed links with the BJP and formed a government.

Yechury said this has given a “new momentum” to the Opposition moves. He said the party will work to develop its independent strength, strengthen the Left, and forge unity of Left and Democratic forces.

“The CPI(M) shall join the efforts to bring together secular democratic parties in defence of the Indian Constitution; democracy; democratic rights and civil liberties of the people and safeguarding the secular democratic character of the Indian republic,” he said.

Asked how the CPI(M) sees the efforts of Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banerjee and Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s K Chandrasekhar Rao to cobble up Opposition parties, he said there is no contradiction in such efforts but added that he “does not know what Mamata is up to”. He said Rao is discussing issues with the CPI(M).