Learning lessons from their disastrous third Front experiment in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the CPI(M) has abandoned plans of leading any non-BJP and non-Congress secular front. The party, however, is not averse to joining hands with and extending support to any like-minded secular forces in the states which are going to polls.
Claiming that the Congress and the BJP were “directly representing the interests of big bourgeoisie and landlords,” party general secretary Prakash Karat said: “In the wake of the concept of neo-socialism emerging in the Latin American countries vis-à-vis the capitalism, the idea of having an alignment or an alliance with both of them is not feasible because both advocate neo-liberal policies that have marginalised millions all over the world. This has been reiterated by us in our tactical resolution of the party.” Mr Karat said this during the CPI(M)’s four-day apex body meet in Kolkata.
The participants in the deliberation were, however, divided on the question of the party’s stand towards the Congress. The Bengal lobby (Hannan Mollah, and Mridul De) for obvious reasons wanted to take a soft stand towards the Congress, keeping in mind the poll debacles in the state. “If we want to remain afloat in electoral politics, particularly in Bengal, we have to take kid-gloves policy towards the Congress. This will help us to take advantage of the infighting between the ruling alliance in the state,” Mr Mollah said.
Kerala party leader E. Joyraman said, “Congress has become the most corrupt and opportunist party. The Congress-led UPA government has become synonymous with high-level corruption.”