Even as they are closely coordinating with the Congress in various local elections in Bengal, the Left parties have no clear answer as to why they have not joined the grand alliance of Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal-United (JDU) in next month’s Bihar Assembly polls.
One of the constituents of the broader platform of 17 Left parties in Bengal, formed after the debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) or CPI (M-L) (PCC) has said on Sunday that instead of contesting as a separate bloc in Bihar, the Left parties should have joined hands with other “secular and democratic” forces.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI (M)], Communist Party of India (CPI), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) or SUCI, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) are contesting as a Left bloc in the Bihar Assembly polls.
The Left bloc may actually cut a tiny section of Dalit, minority and working class votes of the grand alliance in certain pockets helping its key opponent -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
However, coordination with RJD, JDU and Congress is getting informally discussed among the leftist parties in Kolkata.
“The CPI (M-L) PCC is of the opinion that some of the criticism of left parties against the RJD, JD(U) and Congress are valid but the overall interest of defeating communal fascist forces should have been given priority,” CPI (M-L) (PCC) general secretary Santosh Rana said in a press statement.
The main constituent of Left Front, the CPI (M), however, has a different opinion.
Asked about why they are not joining forces with the Congress, RJD , JDU alliance in Bihar, CPI (M) Polit Buro member Md. Salim said that neither the Siliguri civic polls nor the recently formed Citizen’s Forums is an “alliance” with Congress.
“The Left parties in Bihar have formed a Left Front. There is no question of supporting the so called ‘grand alliance’ of Congress, JDU and RJD. There will also be no alliance with Congress in Bengal,” Mr. Salim told The Hindu .
Speaking in the same vein, Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas said that they did not support Congress and its allies in Bihar as it was no viable alternative to the “divisive politics” of the BJP. “We can neither support the neo-liberal economic policies of the Congress nor the caste politics of RJD and JDU,” he said.
Interestingly, on many occasions, the Left and the Congress in Bengal are showing signs to work together, even while they distance themselves from the grand alliance in Bihar elections. CPI-M and Congress are part of a “Citizen’s Forum” set up to counter Trinamool Congress in the upcoming Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation polls. CPI-M and the Congress had informally collaborated in the civic polls in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation in April. However, the scenario is different in Bihar, feel Left Front constituents. The CPI leadership said that the aim of “defeating both communalism and neo-liberalism” in Bihar can only be achieved if the Left parties fight on their own strength.
“We will not go with Congress because of its pro-corporate stand. The caste politics of JDU and RJD is also unacceptable to us,” CPI State secretary Prabodh Panda said.
Another key constituent of the Left bloc, the RSP said that if the Left parties joined forces with the likes of JDU and RJD that indulge in “caste politics” it would be viewed by people as “opportunism”.
“While the purpose of opposing capitalism will fail if we support the Congress, the secular credentials of JDU, which was with BJP for a long time, cannot be trusted,” RSP State secretary Kshiti Goswami said.
“Left parties should have joined hands with other secular and democratic forces”
