People's Democracy

           TDP-BJP Combine Facing Double Anti-Incumbency: Yechury

THE TDP-BJP combine in Andhra Pradesh was facing a double anti-incumbency wave and were set to be swept away in the polls to both the state assembly and Lok Sabha, said CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury.

Yechury along with Nilotpal Basu was addressing a press conference here on April 15, fresh from his return after three days of intense campaigning in Andhra Pradesh. He said the BJP-TDP electoral campaign was drawing extremely lacklustre response from the people. Even the prime minister’s meetings in the state were a big flop, he noted. In contrast, the opposition parties campaigns were evoking tremendous response, he said.

Yechury released the booklet brought out by the CPI(M) Publications debunking the “Shining India” campaign of the Vajpayee government. The booklet titled “Myth and Reality of Shining India – Lies Damned Lies and Statistics” is a compilation of all the material released by the Party as part of its series of exposures.

Yechury challenged the Vajpayee government to either respond to these facts brought out by the CPI(M) or openly accept that the ‘Shining India’ campaign was a massive disinformation exercise carried out by the government. He felt any government worth its salt would at least try to justify their claims in the face of such exposures. But the deafening silence of the Vajpayee government shows the magnitude of disinformation it dished out.

On the Lucknow incident, Yechury said the hollowness of the “Shining India” campaign was starkly brought out by this distressing incident. “The fact of the level of poverty in prime minister’s constituency where women had to die in their search for a sari reflects the reality of the nation”, said Yechury. He said there were reports that the BJP organisers of the birthday celebrations of Lalji Tandon charged Rs 20 as entry ticket from the women. He charged the BJP cadre of pressurising the witnesses into keeping silent on the incident.