Don’t go for unprincipled tie-ups, FB tells Left

Emphasising that efforts should be made to fulfill the aim of forming an alternative to the “anti-people” Congress and “communal” BJP, the party said the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will assume a “greater significance” for building up a “true secular, democratic, socialist republic”.

“Forward Bloc genuinely feels that the Left must take up the challenge and strengthen Left unity on a wider base.

“Each of the Left parties must shed off their individual aspirations to somehow snatch a few extra seats (by) making unprincipled electoral alliances with non-Left forces,” Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said in an article in the party mouthpiece ‘Towards Socialism’.

Noting that the assembly elections were being held in the Hindi-belt where Left representation was “absolutely insignificant”, he said the responsibility of the Left in forming public opinion against the existing bipolar politics further increased.

Noting that communal forces will pose a threat in sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Biswas said, “equally harmful will be the presence of Samajwadi Party, the u-turned new ally of Congress, and the doubtful role of many other regional parties.”

The ‘Report on Political Developments’ adopted by the CPI(M) Central Committee at its recent meeting in Kolkata had asked its cadre to vote for “secular parties like BSP” where both the Marxists and CPI are not contesting.

The Forward Bloc leader’s comments came in the wake of reported talks by both CPI(M) and CPI with the Mayawati-led party on seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections.

Biswas noted that the Congress government in Delhi and BJP dispensations in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were facing anti-incumbency and both the parties were unlikely to expand their influence further.

On the campaign front, he said Congress will heavily depend on the “dazzling lustre” of nuclear deal and the BJP will “fail” to turn the agreement into a “boomerang” for the ruling party at the Centre.

“The question remains, how far the Left will be able to convince the people as to the deal being detrimental to the interests of the country,” Biswas said.

While Congress will have to face stiff opposition on a number of sensitive issues like price rise and terrorism along with the “latest addition” of economic recession, he said, the BJP will have to face heavy odds due to their “involvement” in communal violence against minority communities.