The Hindu : Q & A: A.B. Bardhan

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Friday, Mar 26, 2004

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National - Elections 2004

Q & A: A.B. Bardhan

He too is associated with Nagpur but is vehemently opposed to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. Among the early successes he had was when he trounced Shyama Charan Shukla, son of the then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Ravi Shankar Shukla, in university elections. Since then A.B. Bardhan has covered a long distance and for the past eight years he has been the CPI general secretary. At the party central office in Delhi, Mr. Bardhan shares his assessment of the coming general elections with K.V. Prasad. Excerpts:

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance Government has been in power for six years and as the Opposition makes an effort to dislodge it, what is the biggest challenge?

It is to ensure [the] defeat of the BJP-led NDA and prevent its return to power so that India is saved from communal forces. It is also to see that a coalition of secular and democratic forces comes to power. The challenge is also to see [that] there is a bigger representation of the Left parties because we think it is the Left that can become the driving force and see that a secular government is formed along with the fight for people's rights.

The Opposition parties do not appear to have got their act together to take on the NDA, as a single front or through a separate platform. Why?

To have a single secular front before the elections was a complicated effort. Every State has a special character and in certain States the Congress alone is not effective to take on the BJP and in some States the work is being done by the Left. It is not possible in some States to have an alliance and in other States regional parties can contribute. The alliances have to be State-specific and if such a formation can be brought about before the polls, despite the situation being complicated, it can be a force. Once [the] elections are over and secular and democratic forces emerge in [a] majority it would be possible to form a government by getting all together and agreeing on a common minimum programme.

Considering the 1999 experience, when the Opposition blew up a chance to form an alternative government because of differences within secular parties, how can the post-poll experiment be any different this time?

Within a short period we had to form an alternative government. There were misgivings and proper steps were not taken then. To a great extent it was for the Congress, which was the major party, to bring [the] other parties around. If it was not possible for the Congress to bring about an agreement and form the government, it was possible to form it under Jyoti Basu, but the suggestion was turned down.

Who turned down the suggestion?

Obviously it was the major party.

Recently, Mr. Basu suggested that the Left may never get the opportunity again to lead a Government at the Centre. Do you agree?

He is right. For one, due to old age, Jyoti Babu is not interested. Among the secular forces that are going to be elected in the coming elections, [the] Congress will be the major party. We from the Left will support such a move (of the Congress leading the formation) and hope certain other secular parties will also contribute in this task.

In such a situation, would the Left parties agree to the Congress choosing a leader of such a formation?

Let us not get into it now. Let us see what the equation of forces would be; the issue would be considered at the proper time. This question is deliberately being provoked by the BJP.

Within the Left, the CPI (M) took a different stand with regard to Telangana. Has it been resolved and how do you rate the progress of talks in Andhra Pradesh?

That did not prevent the CPI (M) from talking with the Congress for adjustment of seats even after it entered into an agreement with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. If there is a deadlock, it is because the Congress does not want to give seats to the Left parties from its share.

The Congress argues that the Left parties were demanding seats in excess of the political space the parties have in the State. What is your opinion?

That is the problem in the Congress. At the very top the party talks of the need to carry all secular parties together but coming down to [the] grassroots level, the matter is different. The matter has to be resolved by conceding some seats and the Congress has to be generous. Sometimes by conceding some seats you ensure success. Unfortunately this is a mindset that has come to the Congress because it has been in power for over four-and-a-half decades. It is a mindset that has not radically changed, at least at the middle and lower levels.

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