UPA III Led By Congress Will Not Succeed In Ousting BJP From Power: CPI (M)

THE Communist Party of India (Marxist), India’s prime Left force, in its draft political resolution has ruled out political understanding or electoral alliance with the Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The political resolution will be taken up for discussion at the party’s upcoming Congress and is expected to be adopted since the Prakash Karat loyalists are in a majority.  The 22nd Party Congress will be held in Hyderabad on April 18-22.The congress, the highest decision-making platform of the Left party, is likely to address issues such as forming a broad-based platform against the Sangh Parivar.

Significantly, the just published People’s Democracy, the party’s mouthpiece, has said in its editorial  that another UPA headed by the Congress will not be able to defeat the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP. Edited by politburo Member Prakash Karat, the PD has pointed out that some regional parties are reluctant to accept Congress President Rahul Gandhi as leader of an anti-BJP alliance.  “Congress won’t succeed with another UPA experiment as it has lost all credibility and the best way to defeat the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election will be to pool in all anti-BJP votes state wise,” said  the editorial The party has also ruled out a national-level alliance with any regional party.

Giving examples of regional satraps like BJD, TRS and TDP, the CPI (M) said such parties would not agree to forge an alliance with the Congress. Interestingly, leaders representing about 20 parties, including the CPI (M) and the Communist party of India, attended the dinner hosted by Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence to discuss launch of an anti-BJP front to challenge BJP led NDA Government.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi and NCP supremo aging Sharad Pawar were also present. Any effort to build a non-BJP, non-Congress “Federal Front” mooted by Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is also bound to fail, the editorial said. “Some regional parties like DMK and RJD are with Congress in their respective states. Further, there are many contradictions amongst the regional parties in terms of policies and regional interests which will prevent all the regional parties (from) coming together,” the editorial said. Hailing the successful tie-up between the SP and BSP in the Uttar Pradesh by polls, CPI (M) said such effective electoral tactics was the need of the hour to corner the BJP. “The UP bye-election provides important lessons for the future in terms of election tactics to defeat the BJP. If the BJP loses the bulk of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP, it will not be in a position to come back to power, The People’s Democracy said. It is also reported that Mamata Banerjee has also reservation about accepting leadership of Rahul Gandhi to lead another UPA like front. In her state, both Congress and CPI-M are her political opponents besides the surging BJP. She and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had fruitful discussions on the formation of a federal front minus BJP and Congress. They have resolved to rope in other anti-BJP parties.