Left and democratic consolidation only altertive for the country: Manik Sarkar

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA, Feb 10: Amid controversy over alliance in West Bengal, the CPI (M) polit bureau member and Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar took a clear stand in favour of maintaining equal distance from both the Congress and the BJP.

“Neither BJP can be the altertive to Congress nor the Congress can be the altertive to BJP,” the chief minister said while addressing a public meeting in support of his party candidate for the buy-election to the Amarpur assembly constituency.

He apparently followed the decision adopted in the last CPI (M) party meeting and said that the left and democratic consolidation is the only altertive before the tion. “It may take some time but it will happen,” he asserted.

The CPI (M) leaders of West Bengal are strongly advocating in favour of forging an alliance with the Congress to fight out the Mamata Banerjee led Trimool Congress in their State but the party’s Kerala and Tripura units are vehemently opposing it as Congress is their main rival in both the States.

The Kerala unit of the party has already made it clear that they are in favour of the resolution passed in the last party congress of maintaining equal distance from both the Congress and the BJP.

The Tripura unit has not yet took any formal stand but made their views clear when the party general secretary Sitaram Yechury visited the state last week.

“Any alliance with Congress will leave the entire opposition space open for the BJP in the State which may be detrimental for the leftists in the long run,” a senior party leader said. Sarkar’s assertion at this stage seems to be an attempt to pass on a message to party’s leaders in West Bengal and the central committee. The West Bengal State committee of the CPI (M) is meeting in Kolkata on February 13 to formally adopt a resolution in favour of alliance and the central committee will meet at Delhi on February 17 and 18 to take a fil decision on the matter.

The Chief Minister was equally harsh while criticizing the Congress and the BJP. “The BJP has stepped into the soiled shoes of the Congress and following their economic policies only,” he said. Citing various allegations against the BJP leaders he said both the parties are two sided of the same coin and warned the people not to be misguided by their gimmicks.

He also slammed Prime Minister rendra Modi for compromising with the hoarders and the black marketers and not showing any interest in passing a law against them. He said the prices of the essential commodities are rising like anything and the Union government is turning a blind eye to it. The buy-election for the Amarpur assembly constituency was necessitated due to resigtion of the CPI (M) MLA Manoranjan Acharjee after involving in a sex scandal.