New Delhi: In Kerala and West Bengal, the Left parties have issues against Congress and TMC. "In both the States we are fighting against each other. But, in other states like Bihar, we are fighting together to defeat BJP," said CPI general secretary D Raja while speaking with ETV Bharat. Referring to CPM's decision not to participate in the Coordination Committee meeting of the INDIA bloc alliance, Raja said that the party (CPM) not participating in the Coordination Committee does not mean that it has left the alliance.
"Our main motto is to defeat BJP. In fact, CPM has also agreed to the formation of different committees of the INDIA bloc. They might have some issues because of which they took the decision of not being a part of the Coordination Committee," Raja said and added, "Our party decided to be a part of each and every committee of the INDIA alliance."
The Politburo of CPM had recently decided not to be a part of the INDIA bloc's Coordination Committee. Raja was talking about the resolutions taken during CPI's two-day-long National Executive Committee meeting that concluded on Wednesday. He said that the INDIA bloc alliance is a very positive development.
"The alliance gives people a strong confidence to counter and fight the BJP. We discussed in detail the forthcoming Assembly elections in five states and the 2024 general elections. We have decided to participate in as many seats we can but with consultation with the INDIA alliance partners," Raja stated.
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Later this year, Assembly elections will take place in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram. "In the five states Assembly elections, our party will work with all other parties that are part of the INDIA alliance. Negotiation will begin shortly," Raja said. He said that Congress being the larger party "should be more accommodative for other parties." He informed that the party's state leaders have been asked to start talking with other parties on the issue of seat sharing.
Mentioning the Central government's 'One Nation One Election' move, Raja claimed that it's a dictatorial move of the BJP and RSS."India is a diverse country and we should respect it's diversity. By moving ahead with the idea of One Nation One Election, this party (BJP) has been trying to dilute India's diversity," Raja mentioned.
Talking about the Women Reservation Bill, Raja said that BJP is trying to hoodwink the people. "It was in power since 2014 with total majority. They (BJP) could have brought this Bill. They are eyeing the 2024 elections. And the mockery is this Bill will come into effect only after the 2029 delimitation process," Raja said.
Despite discrepancies, the Bill was introduced to take political advantage. It will be only effective after the delimitation process in 2026 and will be implemented in 2029. It is surprising that the OBC demand for reservation is not discussed and considered, Raja said. Referring to the current tussle between India and Canada, Raja said, "This is a serious issue. We have lots of Indians living in Canada. The government of both countries should resolve the issue amicably."
