Prakash Karat firms up his stance against Congress alliance

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM politburo meeting began in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the contentious issue of having a tie-up with the Congress in the forthcoming Assembly polls in West Bengal.

The meeting is taking place amid sharp divisions in the politburo over the issue. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and West Bengal leaders are trying to evolve a consensus in the politburo by suggesting a broader alliance of all secular parties, including the Congress, to defeat the Trinamool Congress and BJP.

They want the party leadership to view the proposal not as an alliance with just Congress but as a formidable broader front against Mamata's misrule.

However, in an interview given to a national daily, former general secretary Prakash Karat gave enough indications that any proposal for tie-up with the Congress would be opposed. He stated that being an all India party, CPM cannot take divergent stands in West Bengal and Kerala.

Apart from him, the politburo members from Kerala are also opposed to Bengal move and want the party to stick to the political line adopted at the Vishakhapatnam Congress which is to oppose BJP's communal agenda and Congress neo liberal policies.

Sources said that as of now only half-a-dozen members of the 16-member politburo are firmly in favour of an alliance. The rest including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar are totally against having any tie-up with the Congress. The Bengal comrades are expecting support from Subhashini Ali and G. Ramakrishnan.

Even if the proposal is shot down in politburo, the Bengal comrades hope to get a positive response in central committee.

At the PB meeting West Bengal leaders Surjaya Kanta Mishra and Biman Basu emphasised the need for having a broader alliance against Trinamool Congress. They said the coming together of all secular parties including Congress was the need of the hour in Bengal.

Given the serious differences in the politburo, the matter will come for detailed discussion before the two day central committee meeting beginning on Wednesday. The issue is likely to be put to vote.

But the big question is what will be the fate of general secretary Sitaram Yechury should the Bengal proposal be rejected by majority at the central committee?