Mahagathbandhan a Big Joke, Full of Hollow People: Yogendra Yadav
He said all leaders in the grand alliance portraying themselves as anti-Modi were equally anti-democracy & corrupt.
Casting apprehensions on the agenda of the grand alliance stitched together by opposition parties, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav on Sunday, 20 January, said the 'mahagathbandhan' is a "big joke" and filled with "hollow people" with no ideology.
He said all the leaders in the grand alliance, who are portraying themselves as anti-BJP or anti-Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi), were equally anti-democracy and corrupt.
The politician-activist was referring to Saturday's mega rally organised by the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata, where leaders from over a dozen opposition parties came together, vowing to put up a united fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and oust Modi from power.
"They are saying that Narendra Modi is anti-democracy, but what about (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee? She is also the same. She has not allowed the panchayat elections to take place peacefully. She does not allow the Opposition to host any rally here. You are carrying out rowdyism in your state.”
Yadav said the grand alliance is only an Opposition but not an alternative to the BJP government at the Centre.
"The country at the moment requires an alternate government instead of Opposition. I think national politics is under threat," he said.
The former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader wondered where were the leaders of the 'mahagathbandhan' in the last five years, when there were many incidents of farmer suicides and movements organised by unemployed youths.
"These politicians were sitting in Parliament all these years, while the struggles were led by farmers, youths and dalit organisations. They are the ones who fought on the streets. We need to form their (farmers, youths) coalition," he said.
"People have to build up a strong Opposition against the current government, which can be sustained for a longtime. We are trying to build that alternative. We need a coalition of social movement," he said.
"We have no capacity of fighting hundreds of seats. We would make a very limited intervention in a select few seats... That is our effort," he added.
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