The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday demanded that the Centre spell out its stand on the rally being staged jointly by the Trinamool Congress and Maoists at Lalgarh in West Bengal on Monday.
“We would like to know from the Central government how they view this joint collaboration between a party [Trinamool] that is in the Centre. Union Minister and Ministers of State will participate in the rally,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told journalists here.
He posed the question whether this was appropriate and whether the Central government found it compatible with its approach to Maoists.
Taking a dig at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for stating that there was no evidence of collaboration or collusion between the Trinamool and the Maoists, he said that through Monday's rally this relationship would come out in the open.
The draft political resolution that is being discussed at the Extended Central Committee meeting, which got under way here on Saturday, notes that after the Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamool-led combine has launched an offensive against the party and is aided and abetted by the Maoists, who are targeting CPI(M) cadres and supporters. The party is resisting these attacks by mobilising people.
At the government level, certain priority tasks and development programmes are being taken to remove the organisational shortcomings and to reforge links with the people.
The resolution charges that the attacks on the West Bengal party and movement is being aided by imperialist agencies. “This multi-pronged attack is meant to weaken the entire Left movement in the country.”
Mr. Karat said the meeting had begun deliberations, both on the draft political resolution and the draft review report, simultaneously. Delegates were asked to submit amendments to these documents and after the reports and amendments, the party would firm up its political line.
The draft review report states the reasons leading to the decision to withdraw support to the UPA-I government a few months after the last party congress in Coimbatore, tactics up to the last Lok Sabha elections and pre-electoral tactical line and developments since then.
On the withdrawal of support, Mr. Karat said the Central Committee reiterated that the move was correct and it would now be discussed at the current meeting.
Asked whether by identifying the Trinamool as the main political opponent in West Bengal meant the CPI(M) was going soft on the Congress, he said: “The Congress is only a junior partner of the Trinamool” in the State.
