'CPI WILL SEEK MORE SEATS FROM DMK, IT'S NOT ANTI-ALLIANCE'

TEN years after R Mutharasan became the state secretary of the CPI, 63-year-old M Veerapandian, who has been with the party for more than four decades, was unanimously elected as the secretary this month.

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In a freewheeling interview with S Kumaresan, he talks about challenges faced by the Left parties, strategies to improve their electoral prospects, and the CPI's keenness to contest more seats in the 2026 Assembly election. Edited Excerpts:

A large section of the youth today seems to want a change in the political landscape, expressing disillusionment with existing parties. How do you view this and what strategies do you propose to attract young people towards left-wing ideology?

Yes, there is widespread disillusionment. Many youth feel that no party or leader is trustworthy. This creates a tendency to dismiss politics altogether and assume "everyone is corrupt". But that itself is a carefully cultivated plan of capitalism to keep people away from politics. What we must do is bring politics back into their lives, not just as power politics but as people's politics, rooted in everyday life and rights.

Left ideology emphasises on boundless humanism, liberation, unity, equality, and peaceful coexistence. These values only grow stronger when propagated with conviction. That is how we can engage the youth.