CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has said there is no confusion about who is the primary political adversary for his party in West Bengal.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said, “To defeat the BJP, which is the priority, it is necessary to defeat the TMC [Trinamool Congress] too.”
In an earlier interview to the Bengali newspaper Ganashakti , Mr. Yechury had said that in West Bengal, there was a need to defeat the BJP “isolating and defeating the Trinamool.” “The Trinamool had prepared the road of entry for the BJP in Bengal. The BJP has strengthened its foothold with the help from the Trinamool. The Trinamool was in alliance with the BJP. The present Chief Minister was a Union Cabinet Minister in NDA governments. Their credibility in fighting the BJP is very low in the first place,” he was quoted as saying.
Recently, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, whose party won 12 of the 19 seats it contested in Bihar, said that any subservience to the Congress would be suicidal . Mr. Yechury said speculation on the Congress playing the elder partner in the alliance was misplaced.
“We haven’t had any discussions on seat-sharing arrangements so far. It is still a long way away,” he said.
The Congress and the Left parties recently had a meeting in Kolkata. However, the leadership on both sides maintained that it was only to prepare for the nationwide strike of trade unions protesting against new labour laws.
“So far, we have only initiated political discussions to mount a fight against the BJP and the Trinamool and to create conditions for us to emerge as the largest political force in the State. To this end, we will have joint political movements. The seat-sharing arrangements have not been discussed yet. Before that, we have to first consult with the party leadership,” senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said.
He dismissed reports that the Congress is vying to be the face of the alliance.
“We don’t have any intention to insist that we be given more seats than the Left parties,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
