Going to people is good: CPI(M) softens stance on Cong's Bharat Jodo Yatra

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said "going to people" is a good thing, softening his party's critique of the Congress's "Bharat Jodo Yatra", while asserting that the Left party is part of the effort to bring "secular, democratic" outfits in the country together.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had earlier lashed out at the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra for stipulating 18 days for the Left-ruled Kerala.

Briefing reporters on the decisions taken at a recently-concluded politburo meeting of the party, Yechury hailed the efforts of leaders such as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar to unite the opposition parties.

He, however remained ambivalent on the efforts of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"Every party has the right to chart its on own path. Going to people is a good thing. The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) is also doing it in its own way," Yechury said, adding that people will draw their own conclusion from the number of days the Congress has planned for the "yatra" in different states.

The CPI(M) leader's comments were in contrast to the party's tweet on September 12, taking a dig at the Congress over its foot march that has kept 18 days for the Left-ruled Kerala and only two days in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

Yechury lashed out at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who had dubbed the CPI(M) as the "A team" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala in response to the Left party's September 12 tweet.

"Kerala has no BJP MLA and the credit goes to the Left parties. As far as team A or B is concerned, you can see what has happened in Goa," Yechury said.

Eight of the 11 Congress MLAs in Goa, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, recently switched sides to join the BJP.

Yechury said the CPI(M) shall join the efforts to bring together the secular, democratic political parties to defend the "Constitution, democracy, democratic rights and civil liberties of people and safeguard the secular, democratic character of the Indian republic".

"The central committee's call for an all-India campaign from September 14 to September 24 against the burdens being imposed on people's livelihood and to safeguard democracy, democratic rights, secularism and the Indian Constitution will be observed in various forms all across the country and will culminate in state-level public meetings and rallies," he said.