Kerala CPM leader: ‘Notion that BJP cannot be unseated is changing… Congress doesn’t have leadership or clear political stand’

The Left Democratic Front is gearing up to take on both the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP in Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls, and avoid a repeat of 2019 when it won just one of the 20 constituencies in the state. CPI(M) Politburo member and the party’s Kerala secretary M V Govindan “Master” speaks to The Indian Express about the major election issues, why he thinks the Congress is not in a position to unite anti-BJP votes, and the BJP.

Excerpts:

* What are the major poll issues for the Left?

The current situation in the country is worse than during the Emergency. Secularism, federalism, democracy, and the Constitution are facing threats from the BJP regime. The BJP has curbed the freedom of constitutional bodies instead of democratising them.

* What about the BJP’s pitch that the Narendra Modi government has helped expedite development?

While (Prime Minister) Modi has not been able to address the issues of ordinary people, he has helped Adani (industrialist Gautam Adani) develop by ensuring the country’s wealth reaches him. No fascist government in the world has survived and the same fate awaits the BJP.

* There is a general perception that Modi will win a third term.

The first phase of elections is more than two weeks away. The trend is changing fast. The electoral bond issue has exposed the BJP and will prove to be a turning point. The notion that the BJP cannot be unseated is changing.

We saw how the BJP was trying to cover up the scandal in the Supreme Court. Modi has created an aura that he is a towering leader but, in reality, he has not grown beyond the status of an RSS leader.

* Do you think the electoral bonds issue will influence voters?

Definitely. The people of Kerala have taken serious note of the