Voting against Govt won't be voting with BJP: Yechury

FLOOR PLAN: CPI-M politburo leader Yechury says Left would vote against Government.

        

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Sitaram Yechury: The whole point is that if this Government does not survive then the deal doesn't go through.

Karan Thapar: But if the Government does survive then what is in his power to stop it?

Sitaram Yechury: Nothing, then we only go to the people saying that this is the reasons why we are opposed to it.

Karan Thapar: So the only thing he can do in his power is to make sure that the Government doesn't survive.

Sitaram Yechury: Whether the Government survives or not that is an issue which will be dependant on all the other parties (and) on what positions they will take. We are opposing it, whoever else wants to oppose they should take their decisions that will determine whether the Government stays or goes.

Karan Thapar: He says that he is determined to do everything in his power to stop the deal and as you say the only way to stop the deal is to bring the government down in the floor of the House. Will you be voting against the Government in a vote of confidence in Parliament?

Sitaram Yechury: Yes, we will, absolutely.

Karan Thapar: Even if that mean voting with the BJP on the same side?

Sitaram Yechury: It won’t be voting with the BJP. Like I always say that when you are travelling in a train you can't chose you co-passengers.

Karan Thapar: But you are happy to travel with the BJP?

Sitaram Yechury: No, but what can we do. I want to reach my destination and my destination is opposition to this Indo-US nuclear deal.

Karan Thapar: The point is that you can't reach your destination without the active help of BJP. Whether you solicit it or it comes voluntarily the point is that the help is contingent on your success.

Sitaram Yechury: If the BJP were ever keen on actually stopping this deal, they could have brought in the motion of 'no confidence’ in the last four and a half years but they did not. They want to curry favour with the USA on one hand and the other they want to be the Opposition. Let them decide what they want to do.

Karan Thapar: Will the Left therefore table its own vote of confidence?

Sitaram Yechury: There is no vote of confidence, the Government will table a trust motion and we will respond to that.

Karan Thapar: Let me put it like this, ‘The Indian Express’ claims that Jyoti Basu has asked the CPM leadership to stop withdrawing support and not bring the government down to the floor of the house.

Sitaram Yechury: I spoke to Jyoti Basu about an hour ago, and not a single suggestion of this nature was put to me.

Karan Thapar: Was there any such suggestion made to Nirupam Sen and Budhdhadeb Bhatacharya.

Sitaram Yechury: I think 'no'.

Karan Thapar: What you mean by 'I think, no'?

Sitaram Yechury: Because knowing Jyoti Basu, he will never talk to any one individually in the Politburo. If there is any suggestion that he has he will address it to the Politburo as a whole.

Karan Thapar: That sounds like a hope or an exclamation and when you re-emphasise that 'I think, no', what you are really saying that you don't know for sure. Why don't you call Budhdhadeb Bhattachrya and ask him?

Sitaram Yechury: I spoke to Jyoti Basu himself.

Karan Thapar: And did you ask him?

Sitaram Yechury: If he had to, he would have told me himself but he called me on some other matter.