Merger with CPI not on our agenda, says CPI(M)

CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat has said that merger with CPI is not on the agenda of her party.
"We are working very closely and unitedly with all the Left parties and particularly with CPI. We believe that a united Left is very important but I am not sure what they (CPI) mean by reunification. If they mean merger, that's not on our agenda right now," she told PTI today.
CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy had in recent times repeatedly pitched for reunification of the Communist and Left parties into a single entity, but shied away from calling his proposal as "merger".

"Our party is for reunification of Communist movement. Reunification of communist movement is different from merger. Merger means one party joining another party," Reddy had said.
Karat said: "Unity is certainly very much on our agenda. Merger is a different matter. It's not on our agenda right now. Right now, we are working very very closely with CPI in a united way, and our slogan right now is Left unity. We are not talking about merger, we are talking about unity, struggle and agitations."
Earlier, Reddy had said that, "The issues on which Communists were divided in 1964 have become irrelevant now. There is no difference in activities and policies, programmes of both the Communist parties and Left parties. There should be one entity."

He had also said the reunification of the Left parties is an "urgent necessity" to infuse new confidence into the movement and turn it into a better force.