Commies Woo the Congress

KOLKATA:  CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday hinted at an alliance with the Congress in West Bengal ahead of the state Assembly polls scheduled next year to foil the Trinamool Congress (TMC). On the eve of CPI(M) plenum, which will begin on Sunday with a public meeting at the Brigade Parade Ground, Yechury said, “To save democracy in West Bengal which is under threat we want all democratic, secular and Left forces to unite. All are welcome to join hands on this issue.”

Asked whether the party’s ideological dichotomy would also apply to Kerala where the Left’s main opponent is the Congress, the CPI(M) chief replied, “Respective state committees would take a decision on the basis of ground reality in each state.”

Yechury’s move is to combat the alleged understanding between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. He remarked, “During the last parliament session it was clear and no detailed analysis is needed for this. Match fixing is going on between the BJP and the TMC. The TMC does not want the CBI to function since the agency was probing the multi-crore chit fund scam in which its leaders are involved while the BJP needed the TMC’s support in the Parliament to get some bills passed.

“The TMC is indulging in minority fundamentalism while the BJP indulges in majority communalism. It suits both the parties as they feed each other with their respective vote banks,” he concluded.