Left Front partners want Congress to make first move for tie-up

The partners of the CPI(M)-led Left Front today said the Congress should make the first move in forging an alliance and approach the Front in this regard.
"We accept that the people want to forge a democratic secular front against the TMC. So we have to know what is its policy and whether it has changed its stand as it had been with the TMC before. We have presented our critical assessment to the Left Front chairman," RSP state secretary Khisti Goswami said.
"We have said that if Congress approaches us, we are ready to discuss the matter. The CPI(M) has also called for a democratic and secular alliance but the Congress is yet to make its stand. It is yet to approach the Left Front officially," senior RSP leader Manoj Bhattacharya said.

The RSP leadership today met Left Front chairman and CPI(M) politburo member Biman Bose to discuss the issue of alliance.
Other Left partners like CPI and Forward Bloc too shared the views of the RSP.
"We have been reading about alliance in newspapers everyday. We are ready to forge a democratic and secular alliance. But they are yet to approach us officially. And even if they have approached the CPI-M, then it has to be discussed in the Left Front as the alliance will take place with it," CPI state secretary Prabodh Panda told PTI.

Senior Forward Bloc leader Barun Mukherjee too agreed that the Congress has to make the first move and approach the Left Front for the alliance.

Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had issued a statement on Sunday, asking all "democratic and secular forces" to join hands.
The statement is just an echo of the CPI-M central committee's decision seeking cooperation of "all democratic and secular forces" in the state to defeat the Trinamool Congress and "isolate" the BJP.