CPI-M state committee meet to discuss tie-up with Congress

A day after state Congress leaders conveyed to the party high command their desire to team up with the CPI-M in the upcoming West Bengal assembly polls, the Marxists announced on Tuesday they would finalise their stand on an alliance at a two-day state committee meeting on February 12-13.

"The state committee will meet on February 12 and 13. We will formalise our stand on the alliance at the meeting," said a senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader.

The state committee's decision would be conveyed to the CPI-M central committee, which is scheduled to hold a three-day session beginning February 16 to take the final decision on the alliance.

"First, let the state committee come up with concrete proposals. Then the central committee will take the final decision," said former CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat.

"Let concrete proposals (on alliance) come from the state committee. The final decision will be taken by the central committee," he said.

On Monday, senior state Congress leaders called on party vice president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, with a majority of them rooting for an alliance with the CPI-M.

According to one of the members of the delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, almost all members were against tying up with the Trinamool Congress.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on a possible alliance.

However, three of the senior leaders -- Manas Bhuniya, Deepa Dasmunshi and Abhijit Mukherjee -- advocated the party go it alone in the hustings.

Leading lights of the CPI-M including former Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and politburo members Surjya Kanta Mishra and Mohammad Salim have openly asked the Congress to side with the Left in its battle with the Trinamool.