'Oppn parties have come together to save Republic'

State-specific alliance will be formed to deny BJP the advantage of vote split in 2024 general election, says CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury

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THE INDIA bloc will focus on state-specific tie-ups among allies in order to deny the BJP the advantage of vote split in the 2024 general election. The opposition parties have come together to preserve the character of the Republic of India, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury tells Parvez Sultan. Excerpts:

The next meeting of INDIA is due on August 31. There are reports about appointment of a convener of the coalition, setting up a secretariat and also drafting a common minimum programme. What do you think is the road ahead for the alliance?

The alliance is generating confidence among people. There are issues on which all opposition parties are together. These include the basic things such as preserving the character of our republic – we have a secular democratic republic. The rights guaranteed by the Constitution have to be protected. That is our basic objective. The common minimum programme normally comes only after the government is formed. It is never drafted before the election. But, surely, there are some common issues that we will take to the people during our campaign. The secretariat or the other way of coordination will be discussed in Mumbai. It is not necessary to have a secretariat, convener or anything. We will discuss how to go about the coordination among alliance partners.

You have been talking about state-specific seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections. Please elaborate…