Not averse to roping in Congress against BJP, Trinamool in Bengal: CPI(M)

Rattled by its shrinking support base in West Bengal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday said that it was not against joining hands with the Congress and other secular forces to forge a broad-based unity in combating the attack on democracy and secularism in the state.

Communist Party of India-Marxist State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said a joint struggle was needed to fight the poison of communalism being spread by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the autocratic attitude of the Trinamool government in the state.

"We leftists, the parties within the Left Front and those Left forces outside the Left Front, can take the responsibility of leading the struggle against the attack on life and livelihood in the state and the anti-people economic policies of the BJP government at the centre and the Trinamool regime in the state.

"But in the specific situation that is emerging in West Bengal, we need a broader unity of political forces by including the Congress and other democratic and secular parties to fight the attack on democracy and secularism in the state," Mishra told media persons after a two-day CPI-M state committee meeting.

However, he said the call was not for any electoral alliance or understanding. "That we will decide at the time of elections. Here we are giving a call for a joint struggle."

Mishra said the Trinamool could not be a part of the broadbased unity visualised by his party. "Because the existence and the policies of the Trinamool government in the state has helped the BJP's rise. We ran the government in the state for 34 years, but during that time the BJP could not raise its head."

"Had there been no Trinamool, the BJP would not have gained in strength in the state. To fight the BJP's divisive policies, one has to combat the Trinamool's autocratic rue. Similarly, it is not possible to take on the autocratic rule of the Trinamool by shutting one's eyes to the BJP's divisive policies," he said.

Mishra said his party's call for roping in the Congress for a joint struggle in the state does not militate against the CPI-M central committee's stand of not getting into any electoral understanding with the country's oldest political party.

The CPI-M-led Left Front and the Congress had forged an electoral understanding in the state for last year's assembly polls, but the alliance came a cropper.

"We are not talking of any electoral alliance. But we welcome all secular forces including the Congress who want a joint struggle. Let them build a platform, we will be there. Things like who will provide the leadership is not important, considering the crisis in the state."

Mishra said an effort was on to convert communal polarisaiton into political polarisation in the state. "Efforts are on to create a perception that the BJP, and not the Leftists, can provide an alternative to Bengal's dictatorial regime.

"The BJP is playing Ram, while the Trinamool is playing Hanuman. This is a dangerous game."

He said the CPI-M state committee has instructed the entire party to go all out in making the March to Nabanna (state secretariat) call given by the Leftist peasant organisations on May 22 a success.

(With IANS inputs)