Discussion on CPI(M)-Congress alliance in January: Yechury

The matter of forming an alliance with Congress ahead of the 2016 Assembly poll would be first discussed and debated in the CPI-M's Bengal unit in January, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury today said.
Any decision taken in the course of the discussion in the state unit would have to ratified by the party's central committee, Yechury told reporters, when asked if his party would go for an alliance with the Congress, on the second day of the five-day plenum.
He pointed out that no state unit of the party was autonomous and it would have to take the decision regarding alliance with any other party in accordance with the decision by the central committee and party resolution adopted in the party congress.

"This plenum is for discussion of the organisational aspects of the party. The policies and strategies for elections will not be decided here. As far as election strategy for our party is concerned, it will be discussed in the respective state committees," he said.
Asked what will be the party's decision if a situation arises in which the Left Front is left with no alternative but to align with Congress, Yechury said, "When such a situation arrives, we will decide."
The alliance issue has kept cropping up from time to time with a section of the Bengal unit's leadership reportedly rooting for such a tie-up with the Congress to take on the might of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The CPI(M) presently is holding its five-day plenum after a gap of 37 years to revamp the party organisation. More than 400 leaders, including politburo and central committee members are attending the plenum. The plenum, which began yesterday with an open session at the Brigade Parade Ground, will end on December 31.

"We want to reach out to the students, youth and the
middle class. We want to reach out to that section who have been left out due to neo-liberal policies," Yechury said.
The CPI-M also wants to deepen its footprint in the Hindi heartland by focusing on the fight against gender oppression, discrimination against dalits, tribals, disabled and religious minorities.

The second day of the CPI(M)'s Plenum today started with the introduction of the "Draft Resolution on Organisation" by Yechury.
The draft lays down the need "to strengthen and streamline the party's organisational capacities to meet the current challenges....To develop independent strength" of the party in conformity with the political-tactical line adopted at the 21st party Congress.
Yechury underscored the fact that the CPI(M) was a "consistent political force that advocates and struggles for unity of the multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic population against all efforts at sharpening communal polarisation and thwarting the RSS/BJP design to impose an intolerant fascistic 'Hindu Rashtra'.