CPI-M subtly woos Congress for Bengal panchayat polls

Apparently wooing the Congress for the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal, state CPI-M leadership on Thursday said they would join hands with any force that is ready to be a part of the bigger platform to counter the attacks of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.

"The CPI-M will fight the panchayat elections in Bengal with rest of the Left Front members, other leftist forces outside the Front and anyone who is ready to counter the attacks and atrocities of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress in line with our party ideology," Surjya Kanta Misra, who was re-elected as CPI-M state secretary, said at the end of party's 25th state conference here.

To a question on whether the Congress can be a part of the anti-BJP-Trinamool platform, that the LF spearhead is planning to float, Misra said: "It can be anyone."

"If they agree to our ideology and our agenda of protest, they can come. There has been many such platforms where forces have united without a political banner," he said.

However, he refused to confirm any electoral understanding with the Congress, stating things like that would be decided in the upcoming party Congress in Hyderabad.

Dubbing the BJP and state ruling party Trinamool Congress as two sides of the same coin, Misra said it would be impossible to combat the rise of the BJP and the RSS in West Bengal without the downfall of Trinamool regime.

"The Trinamool and the BJP are like a two-headed snake. They can have two faces but their heart is one. Trinamool Congress' political stand here is helping in BJP's ascendancy. Without the fall of this government it would be impossible to stop BJP-RSS here," he said.

Terming RSS as the biggest threat, the veteran left leader said the Centre is conducting a "four-pronged attack" on the country.

"There has been a four-pronged attack on people's life and livelihood, democracy, secular structure of the society and country's integrity through internal and external policies taken up by the Centre."

About CPI-M's resolution in the state committee meet, Misra said the party has decided not be content with just protests but would look for alternative policies for the fulfilment of their demands and be prepared to face "unforeseen incidents and situations".

--IANS

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