NEW DELHI: In what appears to be a dilution of CPM’s stand opposing electoral understanding with Congress, former general secretary
Prakash Karat said his party would do whatever it took to check
BJP, even back
Congress where it could defeat the saffron party.
In an editorial titled ‘Uttar Pradesh Portents’ in
CPM mouthpiece People’s Democracy, Karat said, “The UP byelections provide important lessons for the future in terms of election tactics to defeat the BJP... If the major non-BJP parties unite, then the smaller parties and forces can extend support to them.” Karat, with support of other party influentials, notably Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, had successfully opposed party general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s advocacy for an alliance with Congress to defeat BJP.
The party ruled out “an understanding or electoral alliance with the Congress party” in its draft political resolution released earlier this year. In an apparent softening of stance, and an acknowledgement that any division of opposition votes only stands to benefit BJP, the party leadership has also emphasised that there is a need to ensure a pooling of anti-BJP votes, state-wise.
Karat’s editorial also appears to open the doors to a likely realignment of anti-BJP forces in West Bengal and Tripura, where the Left faced a rout at hands of BJP. The CPM leader also said any attempts to forge a non-BJP, non-Congress ‘federal front’, of the kind mooted by Telangana CM K C Rao, was unlikely to succeed.
“Some of the regional parties like DMK and RJD are with Congress in their respective states. Further, there are many contradictions among the regional parties in terms of policies and regional interests which will prevent all the regional parties coming together,” said Karat, in an indication that CPM may may no longer be enthusiastic about forging a‘ third front”.
The sentiments for a realignment of political strategy were borne out by Kerala CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who, in a public address, made the same assertions about backing Congress — CPM’s arch rivals in Kerala — wherever the party was in a position to defeat BJP. The Kerala unit had earlier threw its weight behind Karat’s line, tipping the scales against Yechury’s stance for partnership with Congress. The political turnaround which appears to have prompted by party’s debacle in Tripura , comes at a time when opposition forces are seen to be cobbling together a broad understanding over political strategy to defeat BJP.
