Left Averse to a Step Helping BJP Form Govt, May Back Cong
Merely two days before the people’s verdict, the Left parties, almost doing a U-turn on their stand of not supporting a Congress-led government, have said that they would not create a situation which helps the BJP form government and are open to supporting the Congress.
At the same time, CPI-M and the CPI also pointed out that a decision regarding extending support to a Congress-led UPA or forming a Third Front government would be taken only after the Monday meeting with their Third Front allies.
“No, the BJP will not come to power. We will not create a situation that helps the BJP,” CPI-M politburo member M.K. Pandhe said when asked if there would be a situation in which the Left parties stance ends up helping the BJP. He maintained though that the Third Front would come to power.
However, it is only one side of the story. While a section of the CPI-M is in favour of it, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat prefers sitting in the opposition instead of doing any business with the Congress.
The communists had extended an outside support to the UPA and withdrew the support following differences with the ruling coalition over Indo-US nuclear deal feeling a pro-US foreign policy.
But Pandhe indicated that the Left parties would consider supporting a Congress-led government if the Congress changed its “pro-imperialist” policies.
“Until now, they haven’t shown any signal (of policy change),” Pandhe said.
Similarly, CPI-M politburo member and Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the party politburo and central committee would take decision on these matters in their meetings Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
CPI central secretariat member C.K. Chandrappan also said: “It is very clear that we will try our best to prevent the BJP from forming the government.”
However, the other Left parties, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc, said they could not agree with the idea of supporting a Congress-led government to keep the BJP out from power.
