2019 Lok Sabha election: Sitaram Yechury hints at change in CPM's political alignment

New Delhi: The CPM may have a rethink on its tactical line ahead of the 2019 general elections in view of changes in the “concrete conditions” in the national political scenario, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Thursday. The change in the party’s political-tactical line may come at its next congress, scheduled to be held in April next year. The political-tactical line adopted by the CPM at the previous party congress, held in 2015, precludes having any understanding or electoral alliance with the Indian National Congress (INC). It had also set out as its main task the fight against the BJP and the Modi government’s policies. “The concrete conditions have changed since 2015 and we will meet in 2018 again…the basic essential element of Marxism is concrete analysis of concrete conditions. “Conditions have changed, so our analysis and alignment accordingly will change,” Yechury told reporters after a meeting of the party politburo in New Delhi. The 22nd Party Congress, the CPM’s highest decision-making forum, is scheduled to be held between 18 April and 22 April next year. [caption id=“attachment_3889563” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Sitaram Yechury. PTI[/caption] Despite the stand of no-alliance with the Congress party, the CPM had an electoral understanding with it in the 2016 West Bengal assembly election. The CPM-led Left Front, however, faced a drubbing in the polls and was relegated to third position, behind the ruling TMC and the Congress in its erstwhile bastion. The party politburo, a key decision-making body, had later rebuked the state unit over the poll result, saying the “electoral tactics” adopted in the state were not in consonance with its political-tactical line. The next Lok Sabha election is slated for 2019. Yechury said the politburo discussed preparations for the party congress. On the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru, Yechury said it was an expression of rising fascistic tendencies. He also reiterated the party’s position that there should be a ban on cow vigilantes who take law into their hands. The politburo asked the Modi government not to deport Rohingya Muslims crossing over to India from Myanmar, on humanitarian ground. It demanded the community be treated as “refugees” and also asked the government to flag the issue before the United Nations Human Rights Commission. “We are little disappointed that the prime minister was there in Myanmar, he had discussions with the leadership of Myanmar, but this issue of the Rohingyas did not figure in it. Now they are coming to India. It is an international humanitarian crisis,” Yechury said. The politburo, Yechury said, also discussed the “continuing deterioration” of the economic conditions of the people and blamed the government for the alleged growth in unemployment in each sector. “The Modi government has betrayed farmers on the promise made at the time of 2014 elections of implementing a minimum support price of one-and-half times of the production cost. Had that been implemented, the suicides could have been prevented,” he added. Meanwhile, the politburo has decided to lend its support to the September 18 all-India convention — ‘Jan Ekta Jan Adhikar Andolan’ — being held by mass and class organisations on various issues including alleged rise in intolerance. It has also backed a sit-in planned by central trade unions and federations before Parliament from 9 November.