The issue of an alliance with the Congress in the upcoming elections to the West Bengal Assembly has brought into the open strong differences among the Left parties, including the Left Front’s traditional constituents.
Even members of the informally formed larger Left Unity, constituted a few months back, are questioning the move. The development comes at a time when the top leadership of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), including former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, is advocating an alliance with the Congress.
While key LF constituents, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), are against any alliance with the Congress, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) has expressed support for it. AIFB general secretary Debabrata Biswas criticised the CPI(M) leadership for making “such open offers to the Congress” without discussing it with the Left Front. He wondered whether the CPI(M) had “shifted” its stand taken at the 21st party congress of having “no alliance” with the Congress.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Biswas said the party was “strictly against” joining forces with the Congress. The AIFB believed that the larger Left unity was “enough” to oust the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
“Ask the CPI(M) to make its stand clear. Why have they not made an official statement about the alliance till now? This is not a panchayat election,” he said.
The CPI State leadership avoided a direct reply whether it supported Mr. Bhattacharjee’s call to join hands with the Congress.
“Mr. Bhattacharjee never said anything about an alliance with the Congress. I don’t think without discussing the issue in the Left Front, a party (CPI-M) can take any such decision,” said CPI State Secretary Prabodh Panda.
Sources told The Hindu that the smaller constituents of the LF feel insecure as they may get even fewer seats in case of an alliance. In 2011, the Left’s smaller constituents contested in 83 seats while the CPI(M) contested in 211.
However, the RSP, which till recently had reservations about joining forces with the Congress, changed its stand on Sunday. The party claimed that it had “no objection.”
“Strategic reasons”
Following an LF meeting on Sunday, RSP’s State Secretary Kshiti Goswami said the Left had already given an “open proposal” to the Congress to unite against the TMC, adding that keeping in mind the current “political scenario” in Bengal, it would support an alliance with the Congress for “strategic reasons.”
The smaller, albeit informal, units of the larger Left Unity of 16 parties, which mostly constitute Marxist-Leninist parties, are also divided on the issue. While the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and the Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI) dubbed any alliance with the Congress as “suicidal”, the Provisional Central Committee of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML-PCC) regarded it as a “political necessity.”
Mincing no words, CPI (ML) Liberation’s State Secretary Partha Ghosh accused the CPI(M) leadership of “sabotaging” the larger Left Unity. Without mentioning Mr. Bhattacharjee and Dr. Mishra, he said he regarded them as a “right-wing faction within the CPI(M).” The CPI-ML’s Central Committee leaders are expected to address the issue at a mass meeting here on Thursday. The SUCI leadership also spoke in the same vein.
CPI-ML-PCC General Secretary Santosh Rana, however, said: “We are in favour of a Left-Congress alliance in the next Assembly polls. I think the Left parties on their own will not be able to gain the people’s trust.”
The CPI(M) itself said in a statement: “There is a lot of speculation over the tactics that the CPI(M) will employ in the forthcoming elections to the State Assemblies. The CPI(M)’s electoral tactics will be in accordance with the political-tactical line adopted at its 21st party congress. The Polit Bureau and the Central Committee will take a decision at an appropriate time regarding electoral tactics in each of these States.”