CPM meet debates allying with Congress to defeat BJP

October 15, 2017 08:42

A high-level meeting of the CPI-M in New Delhi yesterday saw divergent views being expressed on whether the party should have any electoral understanding with secular forces including the Congress to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The contentious issue of an electoral understanding with other secular parties was the focal point of discussion in the three-day meeting of the CPI-M central committee.

A top CPI-M leader told PTI that the overwhelming view in the meeting was that all non-Left secular parties should unite to defeat the BJP.

"All non-Left secular forces have to be united to fight the BJP without entering into any alliance or electoral front with them," the leader said.

According to party sources, many leaders, especially those from the West Bengal unit, were of the view that the party should have an electoral understanding with secular forces, including the Congress, as it had done in the recent presidential and vice-presidential polls.

However, some leaders opposed the views and said they believed that the party should focus its attack against the BJP, along with non-Congress secular parties.

About seven members of the central committee spoke on the issue on the first day of the meeting.

According to the sources, a leader from Kerala suggested that while framing the draft political resolution, the political situation in West Bengal should be taken into account.

Though the political line worked out by the CPI-M in 2015 had precluded having any understanding or electoral alliance with the Congress in the fight against the BJP, the party had allowed state units to review specific political situation before deciding their own tactical line in consonance with the overall understanding.

As a result, the West Bengal state unit had entered into a tactical alliance with the Congress for the 2016 assembly election. The Left was relegated to third position in the state in the assembly polls.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Chaos at airports as Air India Express cancels more than 90 flights

Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.

SC likely to pass order on interim bail to Kejriwal on Friday

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who headed the bench which heard Kejriwal's petition against his arrest in the case, said, "We will pronounce the interim order (on interim bail) on Friday. The main matter related to the challenge to arrest will...

Is Baahubali Dhoni?

'Perhaps the character designers share my admiration for him!'

'It's Like Finding Trout In A Glass Of Milk'

'If we look at the replays side-on the foot touches the boundary twice and it's very clear.'

Deve Gowda's son Revanna sent to 7-day jail in woman kidnap case

The court remanded him to judicial custody for seven days till May 14.