D. Raja, Rajya Sabha member, Communist Party of India
Morally, it [the vote on FDI in multi-brand retail] is a defeat for the government. The Congress has lost its moral political authority. As the principal opposition party, the BJP is in complete disarray. It does not have a focus or direction and suffers from its own internal contradictions and allegations of corruption. As for the Left, we are fighting back, but we have to rejuvenate ourselves by taking up issues relating to livelihood consistently. The background is one of deep crisis—economic, political, social and moral. The government has completely failed to tackle inflation, unemployment and the decline of the rupee. It has miserably failed in its taxation policy as well. Never before has any government so brazenly identified itself with the corporate sector. Even Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of “Garibi Hatao” and supported the nationalisation of banks. It is an irony that the same party is pushing for privatisation and de-nationalisation.
In such a situation, there are the regional parties and no one can wish them away. The Left will have to work with them but it will have to work with temporary and permanent allies. At the same time, the Left has to consistently project a political and economic alternative as there is widespread social unrest and dissatisfaction among youth, the downtrodden sections and the industrial working class. The situation demands an effective intervention by the Left, which alone cannot give an alternative.
As told to T.K. Rajalakshmi
