The BL Interview. Kanhaiya Kumar is a symbol of resistance: CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy

The Left parties have been very vocal and active in building a broad platform of Opposition parties against the BJP. But when it came to sharing of seats, bigger parties conveniently avoided them, citing their poor presence on the ground as one of the reason. Former JNUSU president and national council member of the CPI Kanhaiya Kumar was denied an opportunity to contest as the joint Opposition candidate in Begu Sarai, Bihar. BusinessLine talked to CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy about the isolation that the Left parties are facing ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Excerpts from the interview:

It's reported widely that Kanhaiya Kumar was denied an opportunity to contest as part of a broader alliance because of personal prejudice and jealousy on his popularity. This type of personal angularities, if true, is unfortunate. Kanhaiya Kumar is a symbol of resistance. He was victimised very brutally with sedition cases and wrong allegations for which he was not responsible. He was a very popular student leader, not only in JNU, but all over the country. So denying him an opportunity was a very unfortunate development. We would still like to appeal to the Mahagadbandhan, particularly the RJD leadership, to withdraw their candidate in Begu Sarai Parliamentary constituency and support Kanhaiya Kumar there.

It's is the RJD which was distributing the seats in Bihar as the biggest party. They are responsible for such a scenario. Their calculation is totally caste based, not political based.

It's a very narrow outlook and Jon political approach. Caste is a reality. Caste has got it's influence. But caste alone is not the criteria to decide the fate of the nation. At times, it has been proved that people voted beyond caste. This sort of narrow outlook is mainly responsible for the problems in Bihar.

Yes we have approached other secular parties. But we are yet to get any response from them. Left parties will support Kumar. I will write a letter to the RJD, the Congress and other parties seeking support. Certainly we believe that in spite of this very unfortunate situation of denying a seat by Mahagadbandhan, Kumar has a fair chance of winning the elections. BJP Minister Giriraj Singh did not want contest there first, but later the BJP has brought him against Kumar. It will be a tough fight, no doubt about it. We know that it won't be a cakewalk. But we are quite confident. Our comrades in the constituency are also very confident.

Our goal number one is to defeat the BJP and its allies. Number two to increase the strength of the CPI and the Left parties in the Lok Sabha. Number three, in the constituencies where we don't contest, we will support the strongest of the secular party candidates who can defeat the BJP and its allies. So from constituency to constituency and from State to State it differs.

The alliances did not happen because of different reasons in different States. But in general, what I feel is that the Congress should have been more large hearted and they should have taken the initiative as the biggest Opposition party in the country to bring all the secular and democratic parties together and by sacrificing some of its seats. They are responsible for not having the understanding or alliances in Delhi or West Bengal and in some other states where Congress is the dominant force, not only with the Left. We don't expect them to have an alliance with us in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh. But they could have had an alliance with the BSP or SP. They didn't have it. So, it's reciprocated by the BSP in Uttar Pradesh.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana we have become comparitively weak. The Left parties are together in Telangana. In Andhra Pradesh, Left, the BSP and Jana Sena are together. There, we are fighting two.main parties--TDP and YSRCP. In Telangana, we are fighting TRS and BJP.

It has not given a good signal. It's not because that our party is contesting from Wayanad. The main fight in Kerala is between the Left and the Congress. Rahul Gandhi's entry has not made any particular impact there. But it has created an impression that he is not sure of winning Amethi despite the support from SP and BSP.

We had improved our position in Wayanad after the 2014 elections, particularly in the 2016 Assembly election. We will give a tough fight in this seat too.

Restoration of secularism and democracy in the country, restoration of autonomy or independence of the institutions such as the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department who have become the heat parrots of the ruling party are our major political points for this election. We strongly believe that the removal of Narendra Modi, the BJP and the NDA is the only way to restore confidence of the minorities and the Dalits who are feeling insecure in the country in the last five years. We would positively try to strengthen the public sector in the country. Implementation of the labour laws, providing employment for our youth and the efforts to bring back the black money and restoration of the freedom of expression ant autonomy of the universities will be our key agenda. We want to uphold the constitutional values of the country.

We feel that impact of this government's economic policies on the people is negative. The peasants are terribly unhappy and angry because there is no minimum support price for their products. Many of them are in debt trap. What the government is offering is a very little to help them. This ₹ 6000 in three instalments is a peanut for peasants except for a few who are not in debt.

The working class is also unhappy because of the widening gap between the rich and the poor. The real wages of the workers are falling. Labour laws are not being properly implemented and that is why on January 6th and 7th, 20 crore workers went on strike. It shows how the working class is angry and unhappy with them.

Moreover, the intellectuals are hunted throughout the country. There is a feeling of insecurity. When they wanted to speak loudly and openly in defence of democracy and against superstitions, they were murdered by Hindutva forces. Universities are also in trouble. They have charged false cases against student leaders and teachers. Sedition law is never misused like this in independent India.

Our alternative is secular democratic left alternative, including the regional parties. If the Left's strength increases, then we can hset an agenda for fixing the problems of this country. At present, we are trying to create a broad platform of secular democratic forces against the BJP. A common minimum programme must be drawn after the elections and before forming the next government.

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