After silencing the BJP in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will train his guns on the Left while campaigning in West Bengal and Kerala for the Assembly polls in the two states.
Indicating that the Prime Minister’s election speeches this time could be very different from past ones, well-placed sources said Dr Singh will be the Congress’ star campaigner in the Left-ruled states. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and his comrades had tried to bring down Dr Singh’s government in July 2008 in protest over the nuclear deal with the United States.
The sources said Dr Singh will address election meetings in Assam, which he represents in the Rajya Sabha, on April 2 and either April 6 or 7. The state is holding the polls in two phases - on April 4 and 11. While polling in Kerala is on April 13, West Bengal will have a six-phase election in April-May.
The Prime Minister’s speeches could set the tone for the Congress campaign in West Bengal and Kerala. While a section of the Congress is close to the Left ideologically, both Dr Singh and Trinamul Congress president Mamata Banerjee have clarity about their political adversaries.
The Congress is confident of forming the next Kerala government under the UDF banner and is optimistic of sharing power with the Trinamul Congress in West Bengal after being
out of power there for over three decades.
During UPA-1, the Prime Minister hardly made any political speeches. He was then aware of his government’s dependence on the Left’s crucial outside support. But after the party’s success in the 2009 general election, Dr Singh is refusing to succumb to pressure from either allies or supporting parties.
The theme of his election speeches in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam could obviously be different from those in West Bengal and Kerala.