THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the CPM remained tight-lipped over reports coming from West Bengal regarding the Left Front reaching an agreement on having an understanding with the Congress in the forthcoming polls, the Kerala PCC voiced stiff opposition to any alliance with the Marxists.
Top CPM leaders were either unavailable or reluctant to respond to the Bengal development. When contacted, LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan said he was not aware of the Left Front decision in Bengal.
CPI senior leader C Divakaran said in parliamentary politics numbers matter. “One cannot have a uniform policy for the entire country. Electoral understanding depends on the local situation in different states,” he said.
When asked whether a tie-up with Congress wouldn't affect LDF prospects in Kerala, Divakaran reminded that the Left supported the UPA 1 government and Somnath Chatterjee became Speaker with Congress backing.
However, KPCC general secretary M M Hassan said that the Congress in Kerala was strongly opposed to any alliance with CPM in Bengal.
“We have conveyed our views to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. CPM lacks credibility. It wants to join hands with us just to come to power,” he said. Hassan said the CPM had unleashed baseless allegations against the Congress leaders in the state.
RSP general secretary T J Chandrachoodan welcomed the Left Front move. “Congress is a lesser evil. In order to strengthen and defend secularism, all secular parties will have to unite. Congress and CPM are becoming weak by the day and RSS-BJP is gaining strength,” he added.
RSP MP N K Premachandran wholeheartedly welcomed the move. “Coming together of all secular parties is the need of the hour,” he added. Voters in Kerala will now be convinced about the hollowness in CPM’s anti-Congress and Congress’ anti-CPM positions.
The paradox of Congress and CPM-led fighting the elections on the one side in West Bengal and the very same parties fighting each other in Kerala would expose the hypocrisy of these parties, united in their opposition to BJP. The BJP could not have bargained for a better line-up in Kerala, said party vice president M T Ramesh.
