New Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary M.A. Baby on Wednesday indicated that the possibility of an electoral understanding between the Left Front and the Congress in West Bengal is remote, even as he underlined that Opposition parties remain united on select national issues, including concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to IANS in an interview on the preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in various states, Baby said the political context varies sharply from state to state.
In Kerala, where the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front has been in office for two consecutive terms, the alliance is aiming for a third successive mandate. In West Bengal, the CPI(M)-led Left Front is likely to contest independently without the Congress.
“In the previous elections, there was understanding between the Left Front and the Congress in Bengal. This time, such an understanding is remote,” he said.
Baby noted that the broader INDIA Bloc was gearing up for elections in several states, including Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. In Tamil Nadu, he said, parties within the Bloc are contesting under the leadership of the DMK.
“As INDIA Bloc, we are contesting only in Tamil Nadu under the leadership of the DMK, while in other states we are contesting as the situation warrants,” Baby said.
Turning to West Bengal, the CPI(M) leader criticised both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP. He accused the BJP of attempting to polarise voters through communal propaganda, while alleging that the Trinamool government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had failed to address unemployment and educational backwardness and had been tainted by corruption charges.
“So defeating the Trinamool government and isolating and exposing the BJP are the two things the CPI(M) and the Left Front are focussing on in Bengal,” he said.
“We are not equating BJP and the Trinamool. But for the entire country the biggest danger is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-controlled BJP,” he claimed.
Baby also referred to CM Banerjee’s past association with the BJP at the Centre. “Mamata Banerjee had an alliance with the BJP at the Centre and she was a Union Minister too. We are not sure that old ties are still active or not. Before the people they are accusing each other,” he said.
The CPI(M) leader added that discussions were underway within the Left Front regarding electoral strategy in Bengal.
“After consolidating the Left Front and making progress on seat-sharing within the Left Front, we will consider whether we need an understanding or arrangement with other political parties. We are very clear that we cannot have any association with forces known to be communal,” he said.
Despite political differences with the Trinamool Congress, Baby said the Left and the TMC shared concerns over the Election Commission’s SIR exercise. CM Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court over the issue.
“On her criticism regarding the wrongdoing associated with the SIR and the Election Commission, we are on the same page despite our political differences,” Baby said.
He contended that what is officially termed as a Special Intensive Revision amounts, in effect, to large-scale deletion of names from voter lists.
“There is widespread removal of names from voter lists, which is unacceptable. On the substance of the issue, we agree with Mamata Banerjee’s criticism,” he said.
At the same time, he remarked that Banerjee’s style of handling the issue differed from that of the Left.
“However, the way she handles the issue, turning it into a spectacle, is her style of political mobilisation,” he added.
On the controversy surrounding former Chief of Army Staff, General M.M. Naravane’s forthcoming book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, Baby said the matter could be discussed in Parliament if handled responsibly.
He noted that the publisher, Penguin Random House, holds the rights to the book and has clarified that it has not been officially released. The display of a copy in Parliament by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has triggered a procedural dispute over the authenticity of documents cited in the House.
“There is nothing wrong in discussing the issue, provided it is done in a responsible manner. The government can clarify its position, and the author can state whether he stands by the contents. This should be resolved within parliamentary norms,” Baby said.
The CPI(M) leadership is expected to firm up its state-wise electoral approach in the coming weeks as Opposition parties calibrate strategies ahead of a busy election calendar.
(IANS)
