The SITA factor

At least since 1996, when India got its first communist home minister, the Indian Left has been trying to establish that there is something beyond TINA (There Is No Alternative) in Indian politics—and that it could be SITA (Socialism Is The Alternative).

- ADITI PHADNIS

Till he was taken from us far too soon, strengthening the foundations of this premise was the burden of CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury. And this is the case he makes in a collection of his essays, put together after his death in a slim volume with an extensive and scholarly introduction by respected Left economist Prabhat Patnaik.

Dr Patnaik's essay provides the theoretical underpinning for Yechury's articles. He explains that India's anti-colonial struggle was inclusive and sought to unite everyone in a common struggle. This was the vision that was the basis for the Constitution and the idea that India was a secular democracy committed to social justice and federalism.