CPM looking for Non-Cong, Non-BJP parties

HYDERABAD: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is looking for a combination of non-Congress and non-BJP parties to fight the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Such an alliance is the need of the hour and to that effect the CPM is looking for electoral understanding with parties to provide the alternative to the people who are vexed with policies of the current UPA coalition and are not confident of the BJP-led coalition either, which is no better than the UPA, said CPM general secretary Prakash Karat.

The Left leader, who was here to participate in the party's state committee meeting, speaking to mediapersons, said UPA will face the wrath of the people in the ensuing elections as its economic polices and other programmes during the last nine and a half years had led to constant price rise, especially that of food, agrarian crisis, unemployment and corruption at all levels.

Both Congress and BJP are competing with each other to implement neo-liberal polices. BJP's Narendra Modi is only promising things which would greatly benefit big corporations and not the poor, he said, emphasising the need for an alternative to those two parties.

CPM had already decided to contest alone in eight states for the Lok Sabha. 'We have decided to contest 35 seats in those state where we do not have any kind of electoral understanding with other political parties. In other states, we are looked for alliances with non-Congress and non-BJP secular parties,' he said.

Karat said they have already reached an understanding with 10 parties for the forthcoming elections, and they include AIADMK, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Janata Dal (Secular), Samajwadi Party and other left parties. 'They will be having a meeting on February 5, the first day of Parliament session and will issue a joint statement as to what our approach would be for on issues to be disused in the House,' he said.

On Telugu Desam Party, he said every one is well aware of which way the TDP is leaning. 'It seems to be more interested in BJP for now,' he said.

On YSR Congress Party, he said they see it as a non-Congress secular party. However, any electoral understanding in the state would be finalised only after the bifurcation bill is discussed in the ensuing Parliament session, he said.

Commenting on the Election Commission's new guidelines for framing election manifestos in tune with the Supreme Court's verdict pertaining to freebies promised by parties, the Left leader said every political party should be free to make promises in their election manifestos and let people judge them.

'We support free education till secondary level and see it as a genuine need. If such promises are made, they should be be welcome. There should not be any restriction on poll promises, as such restrictions are not good in democracy,' he said.

Asked whether AAP is encroaching the space of Left parties, he said AAP can never be an alternative to Left parties and refused to comment further stating that the party is yet to announce its economic and other polices.