Hyderabad: A new political front, the Bahujana Left Front (BLF) will be launched on January 25, with the CPM taking the lead.
The front divides the two main Left parties — the CPM and the CPI — that have a difference of opinion on political support to the Congress.
According to CPM state secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram, the new front, which 28 small parties and organisations have agreed to join, will contest in all 119 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats. It will be pitted against the TRS, BJP and the Congress, which it considers ‘anti-democratic, anti-secular and dictatorial’'.
The CPI is keeping away from this front, believing that there is no need to oppose the Congress, and that it cannot be branded anti-secular and anti-democratic unlike the BJP.
“Though we have yet to take a stand on seat adjustments or alliance with the Congress to oppose the dictatorial TRS, we differ with the CPM phraseology for the Congress,” CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy said.
This new political front and a political party that is going to be launched by Telangana Joint Act-ion Committee (TJAC) leader Prof Kodanda-ram, in February, indicates the fractured nature of the Opposition.
It is likely that the CPI will come to an understanding with the Congress. Though the Congress wants all parties barring the BJP to put up a united fight against the TRS, as of now it looks like a multi-cornered contest, which will suit TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He would be happy to see more Opposition parties splitting the anti-establishment vote to the advantage of the TRS.
“The divided vote due to several parties trying to field candidates will only be to the advantage of the TRS,” CPI’s Venkata Reddy said.
He said there was no need to oppose the Congress either at the national level or in the state, as the main enemy of the Left is the BJP at the national level.
“KCR is heading the most undemocratic, dictatorial family rule which we need to oppose. In the larger perspective we need not oppose the Congress here and this we made clear to CPM leaders,” he said.
Mr Veerabhadram does not agree. “We cannot change our policies from one election to another. Whatever happened previously need not be repeated. Assuming we join hands with the Congress and it comes to power, what will be the fate of the Left parties? They will not join the government nor can they dictate to the Congress.
“As far as the new front is concerned, it involves all sections of society that were hitherto deprived of power. So far 28 parties have consented and this may increase. The philosophy and the political line will be different from that of the traditional parties. Our front would be the broadest and include all the backward sections of society,” he said.
