CPI(M) not to attend Congress' rally tomorrow

CPI(M) leadership in West Bengal today decided against joining the Congress' rally scheduled here tomorrow on price rise issue, a few days after the Left party's central leadership snubbed it for forging an alliance with the Congress.
"We will not go to Congress' rally tomorrow. It has been decided that neither our state secretary nor any party representative will join the rally. We (CPI-M and Congress) can fight together on the issue of attack on democracy but on issues of price rise and others we will fight on our own," a senior CPI(M) leader told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"We have already spoken to Congress leaders regarding it and they understood our stand. There will, however, be floor coordination with Congress in the assembly and on various other issues we can fight together," he said.
A section of pro-alliance leaders within Congress termed CPI(M)'s decision as "a jolt for the alliance".
A senior Congress leader termed the decision as "unfortunate" which would have an adverse impact on the future of the alliance.
The Congress had invited CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra to join the rally being held on the issue of "price rise".
The CPI(M) Bengal brigade faced flak from it's central leadership last week over the alliance with Congress and flouting the official party line. The Left party had since then been maintaining a distance from Congress in Bengal.

The CPI(M) central committee had stated that the state committee's electoral tactics of forging alliance with Congress was not in consonance with its decision and should be rectified.