For Karat, Mayawati ke daag achche hain

NEW DELHI: CPM���s sanctimonious talk seems to be reserved for its political foes. Desperate to keep the doors open for non-Congress, non-BJP parties to enter the third alternative fold, CPM is maintaining a stoic silence on the preponderance of criminals in the fray.

The Left would have certainly made loud noises had it not been for BSP topping the list of parties which are fielding candidates with criminal records. Ms Mayawati���s party has given tickets to two dozen criminals in Uttar Pradesh, where the it is contesting all 80 seats.

The Left can be expected to dismiss its silence over it by saying that it was opposed to only convicted criminals being in the fray and that it does not have an alliance with BSP. However, its reluctance to echo its usual disapproval on such matters has more to do with the post-poll scenario.

A CPM leader admitted his party���s discomfort over BSP���s muscle and money clout when he said his party cannot approve of so many candidates with criminal records being fielded or use of money power in elections. Not only has BSP given tickets to criminals, but the party has also fielded the richest candidate Deepak Bhardwaj so far in the elections from West Delhi. He has declared assets worth around Rs 622 crore.

CPM, meanwhile, boasts of not fielding criminals or crorepatis as candidates. The Marxist party has also always been drawing a distinction between political crimes and the mafia.

BSP���s list of candidates with a criminal past includes Afzal Ansari, a convict in many criminal cases including rioting and murder and D P Yadav, a murder convict. However, CPM would rather turn a blind eye to it as political strategy takes precedence over ideologies in the present scenario. Ms Mayawati has promised her party���s support to the non-Congress, non-BJP group after elections, which has also been spelt out in the BSP manifesto. In fact, the Left admits that this was the only binding factor between the two dissimilar sides.

In Orissa, where the Left has aligned with BJD for the assembly elections, the Navin Patnaik party has fielded 17 tainted candidates. Congress has given tickets to as many as 26 candidates with criminal records.

The Supreme Court has barred four sitting members of Parliament, who have been convicted in criminal cases and are currently behind bars, from contesting the elections. CPM had attacked the UPA for mobilising MPs who were serving jail terms to support the confidence motion, saying the Congress leadership was taking the help of convicted criminals to sustain its government.