Hyderabad, February 16 CPI (M) General Secretary M A Baby said on Monday that the setback suffered by the ruling LDF in Kerala in the recent local body elections was temporary, and that it would win a third term in the upcoming assembly elections.
He also cited the statement of senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF would retain power in the southern state.
Drawing an analogy from football, he said, "In the last World Cup, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in the first match. But, Argentina did not lose any other match afterwards, and they won the championship. So, our setback in the local body elections is going to be similar."
Aiyar has "vouched" for the LDF's return to power, Baby told reporters here.
"A Congress leader from Delhi stating this, which is generally the thinking of the people," he said.
Despite the criticism from the Congress national leadership, Aiyar stood by his assertion that the LDF would retain power in Kerala on Monday.
In a setback to the LDF, the BJP came to power in Thiruvananthapuram in the Kerala local body polls in December last year, while the opposition Congress-led UDF put up an impressive performance.
Targeting the NDA government at the Centre over trade agreements and related issues, Baby asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi could "stand up and say that India will decide from where it should buy crude oil."
He alleged that India's sovereignty was being systematically undermined.
Referring to global oil purchases, Baby claimed that US President Donald Trump had restricted India from buying oil from some countries and now suggests buying crude from Venezuela.
He also said that the CPI(M) would take up joint agitation programmes with others on the seed bill and legislation on higher education by the NDA government, as well as other issues.
The latest order from the Union Home Ministry that all six stanzas of the National Song, "Vande Mataram," shall be sung at all official functions and other occasions is aimed at "sowing the seeds of division" in the minds of sections of people, he claimed.
"Our Constitution is secular. This order is a violation of the Constitutional arrangement," he charged.
The CPI (M) leader said his party would organize a 'Delhi March' protest on March 24 in the national capital against the labour codes, the replacement of MGNREGA, trade agreements, and what it termed as "anti-people policies" of the NDA government at the Centre.
The CPI(M) would also conduct a campaign across northern states ahead of the march, he said.
"We are planning a Delhi march in March. In northern Indian states, we are going to hold state-level programmes and 'Jathas' (processions), mobilizing various sections of people... raising livelihood issues, we are going to march to Delhi," he said.
Baby said he "expects" Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to decide against implementing the labour codes brought in by the Centre.
He added that Revanth Reddy should advise his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah to desist from implementing the codes.
