NEW DELHI: Expressing its displeasure over seat-sharing negotiations among the members of the opposition bloc– Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday sought unity of the Left parties for appropriate representation and fair treatment. While briefing about the decisions of its National Council meeting held in Delhi, the CPI general secretary D Raja criticized ‘larger parties’ for their slowness and reluctance during seat-sharing talks and urged Left parties to take up their cause jointly.“The execution part after the formation of the broad-based alliance has not been smooth. While the CPI and the Left have strongly and ideologically stood with the INDIA bloc and in defence of our Constitution, the major constituents have not been accommodative of the CPI and Left in many states…alliance’s effectiveness is being undermined by the lack of mutual respect, accommodation and ideological coherence,” said Raja. Without naming any party, the Left party leader further said that when it comes to seat-sharing negotiations, the larger parties are dragging their feet. “Smaller parties are left with no options and have no clarity on which seats to be contested and prepared for. These factors are proving detrimental to the INDIA bloc as has been seen in the cases of many states recently. To counter this, the Left has to be proactive in putting a united front…and should try to get the support of other parties as well to make the INDIA bloc more representative and equal,” said Raja.He has primarily been criticizing the Congress for not being accommodative to other partners of the INDIA bloc.Raja further informed that during the council meeting, the current political economic situation was also deliberated upon. “Our national council pointed out that the economy is in bad shape. Modi Government has completely failed to control prices, control the growing unemployment, and to control inflation. The value of the Indian Rupee and international foreign debt is increasing. The Modi Govt is shamelessly supporting corporate houses. That is a very dangerous thing,” said the Left party veteran, adding that his party would organise a country-wide protest on December 10 on the Adani bribery allegations, price rise, inflation and unemployment.Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre, Raja said that prevailing communal tensions and caste violence across India have intensified in recent years, largely driven by the communal and “Manuvadi” ideology espoused by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)-BJP. “The RSS-BJP’s rhetoric and policies, such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the promotion of a majoritarian narrative, have exacerbated communal divisions and violence,” he said.He also spoke about the proposal for “One Nation, One Election” (ONOE) is fraught with significant constitutional and practical challenges, particularly from the perspective of India’s federal structure.“ONOE risks eroding the very fabric of India’s federal democracy, weakens the autonomy of states and the ability of local leaders to engage with voters on their unique needs,” he said.Raja said that the next Party Congress would be held in Chandigarh in September next year and the party would start year-long centenary celebrations for its formation from December 26.
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