KOZHIKODE: Senior Congress leader A.K. Antony has blamed the CPM for its negative stand towards a broader alliance of democratic and secular parties against the BJP at the national level. Inaugurating the 100th anniversary of Malabar Congress Committee conference, titled 'Charithra Smruthi,' at the DCC office on Thursday, he said, "the presidential election is a pointer towards the next Parliament elections. A broader alliance of secular and democratic political parties is needed to take on the BJP. However, the CPM in Kerala is yet to understand that. It thinks that it alone can face the BJP," said Mr Antony.
"The CPM is nowhere in the picture, except in the state. In most of the important states, the Congress is in the opposition. In West Bengal, the CPM is in the third place after the Congress. The Sangh Parivar is trying to disrupt the unity of the nation. No single party can face it in the current situation," he said The function held under the aegis of the DCC was presided over by president T. Siddique. Those who attended it included former Maharashtra governor K. Sankaranarayanan, MPs Mullappally Ramachandran, M.K. Raghavan, M.I. Shanavas, former minister Aryadan Muhammed, P. Cyriac John, M.T. Padma, P. Sankaran, KPCC general secretaries Suma Balakrishnan, P.M. Suresh Babu and secretary K. Praveen Kumar.
