Congress should discard neo-liberal eco policies and get back to Nehruvian approach : CPI

Congress should get back to a Nehruvian approach in its economic policy to win the confidence of the Left and regional parties and that should reflect in the party's Lok Sabha manifesto as well, CPI leader D Raja said today.

Raja also said the leadership of a coalition would be decided "collectively" as per the political situation, while noting that Rahul Gandhi might have wanted to give a message that he was in command of the largest opposition party when he talked about being ready for the prime minister position if Congress emerges as the single largest party in the 2019 national elections.

"Congress alone would not be able to form the government but would have to take others along, depending on certain issues. Congress would have to change its economic agenda. It can not stick to its (current) economic policies. I had told Rahul that now his party would have to get back to Nehruvian approach in economic policies," Raja told PTI.

The Left leader said that the Nehruvian approach would help Congress get the confidence of parties like Left and regional parties.

"I think the Congress would have to reflect their Nehruvian approach in their election manifesto before Lok Sabha elections and seriously rework its economic agenda," Raja said.

Asserting that it is the economic policies of the Congress which had created a gap between the largest opposition party and the Left and regional parties, the Left leader said that the Congress would have to discard some of its neo-liberal economic agenda according to the new political situation in the country.

He said that Nehruvian approach was of welfare state which no one can oppose and the Constitution of India is meant for a welfare state.

India today has emerged as a neo-liberal state which comes in conflict with the the Constitution of India, he said.

However, Raja felt that though Congress might emerge as the single largest opposition party as the other regional parties would just get seats from their respective states, but it would be "highly unlikely" that it would be able to form government at the Centre on its own.