CPM looks for 3rd alternative again

NEW DELHI: With the distance between the Congress and the Left widening, the CPM has revived the idea of a third alternative. Dubbing the Congress as a group of “capitalists”, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday said it was mainly his party’s responsibility to take the lead in forging a greater Left unity for pursuing the formation of an alternative to the BJP and the Congress.

Mr Karat, who made this declaration at a rally in Kolkata a day ahead of the party’s 22nd state conference, launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that it had failed to address the problems of the people despite the 9% GDP growth. “We have a communal party like the BJP on one side and a party of capitalists like the Congress on the other. We need a third alternative. This can be achieved only if the Left unity is strengthened,” Mr Karat said.

“While all the partners have a responsibility towards this, CPM, being the largest constituent, has a bigger responsibility,” he added. The CPM general secretary also hinted at an increased policy intervention by the Left in the coming days saying that if the Centre tried to open up banking, insurance, agriculture and retail sectors further to foreign investments, his party would resist it.

The Left’s strident opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal has already tied the government’s hands. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday reiterated that the deal would not go through if the Left withdrew support as no country will like to negotiate with a minority government.

At the Kolkata rally, Mr Karat reiterated the Left’s opposition to the deal saying it would make India toe US foreign policy. “We oppose the military agreements between India and the US. This is against our foreign policy,” he said. He also alleged that the government was under US pressure to open up the country’s economy. Mr Karat attacked the Congress for its insensitivity to the “aam admi”. He charged the UPA government with being indifferent to the suicides of nearly two lakh farmers over the last 10 years.

He said while the Centre was trying to weaken the public distribution system (PDS), it was opening the retail sector to big investors. “We are telling the government to take steps to properly implement the CMP,” he said. Mr Karat blamed the Congress policies for the BJP’s victory in Gujarat. “If the Congress cannot face BJP, then the Left parties and other like-minded forces will continue the campaign against communalism.”