The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has resolved to reap optimum political mileage of the dissensions plaguing the United Democratic Front (UDF), but the Left Democratic Front (LDF) expansion would be initiated only through consensus and not to its harm, convenor A.Vijayaraghavan has said.
Talking to The Hindu, Mr.Vijayaraghavan said that the CPI(M) and the CPI had a preliminary bilateral engagement on having new allies, leaving adequate space for further discussions.
“Once the uncertainty shrouding the political stance of the Kerala Congress (Mani) blows over, we will pursue it,” he says.
Mute spectator
“Neither the CPI(M) nor the LDF had opened any talks with KC(M) leader Jose K.Mani. It does not mean that the party or the front would remain a mute spectator to the aggravating UDF crisis. “We will step in at the opportune moment with a collective decision,” he says.
The reservations expressed by CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran need not be construed as a pre-emptive strike to thwart the attempts to explore options for forging a pact with Mr.Mani once he clarified his political stance. The LDF accent is on ensuring continuous governance and no ally would work against it, least of all the Left parties. The CPI(M) and the CPI are not at loggerheads on widening the mass base of the front.
“Those hoping to drive a wedge between us will only be frustrated. We cannot remain oblivious to the disintegration of the UDF and will only try to catalyse it,” he said. A group of senior leaders including former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy are engineering the rout of Kerala Congress post K.M.Mani era since they foresee a threat from the party in the central Travancore region, especially in Kottayam, and that prompted them to target the KC(M).
“The pivot of the LDF campaign will be the communal polarisation strategy of the UDF and the Bharatiya Janata Party. While the UDF is aligning with the Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI with the blessings of the Congress high command, the BJP is attempting for a Hindu consolidation. The LDF will expose the communal designs of the UDF and the BJP,” Mr.Vijayaraghavan said.
The growing popularity of the LDF government is annoying the UDF. Some of the Congress leaders have invested their hopes on natural calamities and the pandemic to upstage the LDF government. Never before had the Congress faced such a grave political crisis.
Disintegration
The forceful exit of KC(M) has led to the disintegration of the UDF. Outcome of the local body and Assembly elections would be proof of its crisis, he said.