Tamil Nadu people’s verdict crucial: Yechury

Sitaram with media persons at Nagarcoil.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TIRUCHI/ NAGARCOIL:

The verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha elections will have an important bearing on the formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP secular alternative government at the Centre, said Sitaram Yechury, Rajya Sabha MP and Polit Bureau Member, Communist Party of India (Marxist).

"It will be crucial and that is why we are appealing to the people of Tamil Nadu to give a sweeping verdict in favour of the AIADMK-led alliance," he said addressing press conferences at Tiruchi and Nagarcoil on Sunday and on Monday.

Only a non-Congress, non-BJP coalition at the Centre could provide an alternative policy direction that the people of the country were looking for.

"We will discuss the post-poll situation and possibilities based on the actual position after May 16. But our objective as decided by the party Central Committee is to form a non-Congress, non-BJP government," he said answering a query on the possibility of the Left parties supporting a Congress government. He expressed confidence that the alternative government could be formed without the support of BJP and Congress.

Yechury maintained that the Left parties were responsible for all the pro-poor measures initiated by the United Progressive Alliance government, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the loan waiver scheme for farmers. "The Congress is claiming credit for the schemes now. But why did the party fail to implement such pro-poor programmes when they were ruling the country by themselves in the past," he asked.

The Left was also responsible for stopping the UPA government moves on financial liberalisation that could have had disastrous consequences on the country in the wake of the global economic slowdown.

"We stopped moves to bring in capital account convertibility, privatisation of pension funds, increase in foreign direct investment in insurance sector and the takeover of domestic private banks by foreign banks," he said.

On the Sri Lankan issue, he said that the CPI (M) favoured complete autonomy for the Tamils. Ensuring the safety and dignity of the Tamils was non-negotiable. But this can be achieved only if there was a policy change.