Shed politics of violence for talks with us: Cong to CPI (M)

: Kerala Congress chief Mullappally Ramachandran Sunday said the party was ready to hold talks with the CPI(M) to form a front to fight fascist forces if the Communist party only sheds its politics of violence.

Ramachandran's remarks did not go down well with the other Congressmen as its former chief and MLA K Muraleedharan rubbished the statement and said the Congress could do well without the help of the CPI (M).

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief's remarks came during his Janamaha Yathra at Malappuram.

"If CPI(M) is ready to shed politics of violence and its Stalinist thoughts, Congress is ready for an open discussion to form a secular democratic front to fight fascism," he said.

Also, the state Congress chief alleged that CPI(M) was not ready to eschew the politics of violence.

He said the Communist party was afraid of the BJP.

"The CPI(M) sees Congress as the main opposition. They don't see the BJP as the main enemy. It's not possible for the CPI(M) to create a Left alternative at the national-level," he said.

He said the Kerala CPI(M) should accept the party's Bengal and Tripura units' decision to fight the fascist forces.

However, his comments were ridiculed by the CPI(M) which said it doesn't require the co-operation of Congress in Kerala.

"The Congress has policies similar to that of the BJP," CPI(M) leader M A Baby said.

The Congress and the CPI(M) have been in a bitter fight in Kerala for decades.

However, when the first UPA government was formed in 2004, the Left front in Kerala returned 19 candidates out of 20 constituencies to Parliament fighting against the Congress party but backed the Congress-led UPA at the Centre.