NEW DELHI: The CPI (M) will continue to play a pivotal role in the Opposition INDIA bloc and work closely with the Congress to take on the BJP at the Centre in the upcoming elections.
According to sources, this message was conveyed in the meeting between the newly elected general secretary of the CPM MA Baby and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the capital last week.
Sources say that Baby is expected to meet other INDIA bloc members, including Aam Aadmi Party leaders, soon.
While all eyes were on the new general secretary’s approach to the Congress, sources said that Baby conveyed to Kharge that the party would continue with the approach of its late general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, to further strengthen the alliance to counter the BJP.
It was the first meeting between the Congress chief and Baby after the former Kerala minister was elected to the top post of CPM at the 24th party congress in Madurai in the first week of April.
The CPM was reportedly of the view that the INDIA bloc should get into election mode before the polls rather than waking up late. “The strategy and preparations should not be planned just before the elections. It should be done much in advance,” said Baby.
He also expressed concern over the lack of coordination among the INDIA bloc constituents, the need for coherent strategies and the outlining of future courses of action. “The coordination committee meetings are not happening. The INDIA bloc meeting hasn’t happened for a long time. There is not much coordination in Parliament also,” he said.
A leader said the alliance in Kerala and West Bengal did not figure in the discussion. The situation will be the same as the CPM and the Congress compete with each other in Kerala and the TMC in Bengal.
Meanwhile, Baby called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai on Sunday and deliberated on the alliance and the upcoming state assembly elections. Stalin asserted that the DMK’s bond with CPM was firm.
“We met for around 15-20 minutes. It was a pure courtesy call. In Madurai, we had the 24th Party Congress which was very successful. The state is moving towards an assembly election within almost 12 months. So, we have to bring together the people of Tamil Nadu under the leadership of democratic, secular and progressive forces,” he told reporters.